Letters from the Homefront: Neither Snow Nor Rain Nor Heat…
The following “Letters from the Homefront” account is part of our new initiative, Collecting in Quarantine. Inspired by the poignant letters in the Maryland Historical Society collection documenting past adversities from the Spanish flu of 1918, to the Annapolis yellow fever epidemics of 1793 and 1800, MdHS is calling on Marylanders to send their personal stories of how the pandemic is impacting their lives.
April 16, 2020 – On this day, Lauren from Darlington writes:
Every day is a struggle to get out of bed to go to work. I fear everyday that I may get the illness, Covid-19. I have two young children at home and I can not afford to stay home and only receive 2/3 of my pay. I have been saving for our own home for over two years now. My husband and I are both considered essential employees, I being an employee of USPS and him being a forman to a electrical company. We are both exposed to the world and fear of bring it home to our family. My mother can not get this disease, it may kill her. At this time we are doing the best we can to make sure we are sanitizing everything and keeping our shelves stocked with food. It’s pretty tough finding a lot of items like toilet paper and Clorox wipes but we are making it work. We continue to leave our Amazon shipments outside to prevent the virus from spreading to the house; my mother finds it to be a good idea, but who knows for sure. I keep calm for the family but I freak out anytime I step into a grocery store. I don’t wear gloves or a mask but I will sanitize my hands and the cart. Then I will wash my hands, simple as that. Somehow people just do not realize the amount of germs that are spread from wearing their nasty gloves all day from store to store. And what is the purpose of wearing a mask in your own personal car? I do not get that…
Please note: The views, information, and opinions expressed and shared on the underbelly through the Collecting in Quarantine project do not necessarily represent those of the Maryland Historical Society. Our staff does not verify for accuracy the information contained within these submissions. We also do not edit the content beyond minor modifications for formatting or to remove personally identifying information, if applicable. Just like the historic letters in our collection, each letter presents the writer’s own perspective. The primary purpose of this series, with the permission of contributors, is to share and collect the experiences of Marylanders living through the COVID-19 crisis at this moment in time.
To learn more about the Collecting in Quarantine project and how to share a story of your own, click here.