Christa Avampato

My favorite times during my childhood were at my grandmother’s house in West Hartford, Connecticut. We’d go at least one weekend a month and during my summers growing up, I’d spend extra time there with my sister. My Uncle Joe, and all my aunts and uncles, were a part of those times. He and my Aunt Lorraine, his wife, took us to Mystic Seaport and it remains one of my favorite childhood memories. All the beautiful animals and lunch by the water giant ice cream cones. I remember his deep voice and laugh, his love for baseball, and how much he loved his family—especially his daughter and grandchildren, my cousins.

Uncle Joe was as kind and loving as he was brave, tough, and smart. He was in the Navy during World War II on a ship in the South Pacific. After he came home, he became an engineer and worked hard all his life. He could fix literally anything. He took such excellent care of my grandmother, who was his older sister. To be honest, I think he was her favorite person. He visited her several times a week every week during her whole life. Checked on her. Helped her with anything she needed. She loved having him visit. That was just the kind of person he was. He helped everyone, and everyone loved having him with them. He was a wonderful role model.

We lost him this week, the last member of his generation in our very tiny family. My grandmother’s birthday is this coming week. She would have been 101, and I miss her every day. I’d like to think that somewhere, for her birthday, she’s getting to be with her favorite person again. RIP, Uncle Joe.

Happy Mother’s Day to Mother Earth, the original mother of every being, and to moms and caregivers everywhere, across all species, who give life, love, and care to others.

One thing that’s helping me chart the days now is writing at least one good thing that happens every day on a paper calendar I keep on my fridge. It’s a good reminder for me that even though a lot of life is paused, we can make good things happen, even if they’re small. It’s also a shorthand diary and something lovely to look back on to remember this time.

For all those wondering about how New York is reopening, Governor Cuomo laid out his plan to ensure safety. (Something similar is happening in all our neighboring states.) He’s using data, science, and health officials to drive decisions. I’m very grateful to him for his leadership, thoughtfulness, and his ability to put his ego and emotions aside to listen to experts. There is no other place I’d rather be now. Here’s New York’s plan in his words:

1. Businesses and industries will open in a phased approach. Phase 1 includes construction, manufacturing and select retail (with curbside pickup). Phase 2 includes professional services, finance and insurance, retail, administrative support and real estate/rental leasing. Phase 3 includes restaurants, food services and hotels. And Phase 4 includes arts, entertainment, recreation and education.

2. Upon reopening, businesses must implement new safety precautions to help lower the risk of spreading the virus. These include strict cleaning and sanitation standards, restricting nonessential travel, adapting the workplace to allow for social distancing, and requiring masks to be worn if employees are in frequent contact with the public. Read all the requirements here.

3. The special enrollment period for health insurance will remain open through June 15, 2020. New Yorkers without health insurance can apply for a plan through NY State of Health.

4. New York continues to lead the country in testing. To date, more than one million New Yorkers have been tested for COVID-19. That’s more than any other state (or foreign country). We are working tirelessly to increase testing capacity even more.

5. The number of total hospitalizations continues to fall. Yesterday, total hospitalizations fell to 9,647 from 9,786 the day before. How quickly we bring this number down depends on all of our actions, which is why we must remain vigilant and continue taking precautions to protect ourselves and others.

6. Thank you to New York’s National Guard for their efforts to increase the state’s testing capacity. The National Guard has made nearly 300,000 testing kits to collect samples, 60,000 of which are being sent this week to labs and hospitals across the state.

I’m excited to share that I have a second article published in Inside History magazine this month. Titled “The Celtic Diaspora: British Traditional Wicca’s Irish Roots and North American Wings”, this one is about the ties between Wicca and Celtic traditions and how those ties play out in New York City today. This one was an absolute blast to put together and I had wonderful sources who taught me so much about their traditions and community. I’m honored by their help and feedback. Here is a PDF of the article: The Celtic Diaspora

Today I’ll be live on the Decatur Book Festival’s Instagram with YayFinder at 1:00pm Eastern talking about young adult books, my path as an author, and advice to keep writing during this time. I hope you’ll join me at 1pm! Just go to the Decatur Book Festival’s Instagram and click their profile picture that will say “Live”.