I’ll never forget it; one day in my classroom, a colleague mentioned she was worried about the coronavirus and whether it would make its way to the U.S. I admit, I was not scared that day. The word “pandemic” was not on my radar. So I did not think much of it until…

Schools closed.

Restaurants closed.

Stores closed.

Daycare closed.

My compromised husband couldn’t work.

A relative was diagnosed with COVID-19. 

A friend working in healthcare was sending pictures of her PPE.

Masks were worn.

Hand sanitizer was a high-priced commodity. 

People were afraid.

I was afraid. 

My husband, family, and I have been through some trying times. But this time has proven to be the hardest. The family member who was diagnosed with COVID-19 passed away. My husband was furloughed. I was just laid off.

I don’t know what the future will look like for our family. But I can honestly say that when we recover from this, I know we will be better. Better at telling each other we love them. Better at washing our hands. Better at cherishing the moments together. We can get through this. And we’ll be better — stronger — for it.

Krystal Avila
Krystal is a Massachusetts native who grew up in the 'burbs and is now loving the city life in Roslindale with her husband and 3 boys (9, 6, and 1). She and her husband met downtown working at a restaurant together, and since then their love of restaurants has kept their date nights exciting as they try out the latest places. Learning Spanish has been something Krystal has loved ever since middle school, and that has become her passion as a Spanish teacher, wife to a Salvadoran, and mother raising her children bilingual. Loves: family, friends, playing with her kids, a comfy hoodie on the beach when the sun goes down, nachos, baking, Christmas movies. Not so much: loud music, putting away laundry, terrible threes, and black pepper.