Negatives? I would say it’s the casualties and people getting sick, and when people get sick, unfortunately… you have those who like to play the blame game! Saying it’s because they came over, or it’s because they went out to places they weren’t supposed to. Also, just having to keep distance from family is hard, especially in the Polynesian culture. Anything and everything is about family so for the pandemic to happen and not being able to celebrate/mourn the life/death of our loved one is so hard. We need each other to survive. That social part of life is very important; a necessity to the Polynesian people. So being isolated and kept away from family is very hard.

The positives? There’s a lot. Even though the pandemic says we can’t be together in large groups or with other households we still found ways to get together and while following the COVID-19 guidelines. There are so many blessings that have bloomed into my life during this time so it’s hard to just focus on the negatives! I started dating at the beginning of the pandemic, he proposed to me and we got married in an LDS temple. Now we have a little one on the way. We couldn’t be more excited about it! Also, because my family has tried to keep the guidelines and rules for COVID-19, nobody has really gotten sick which is an even bigger blessing in and of itself.

I’ve seen God’s hand all the time and every time, even during this pandemic and I couldn’t be any more grateful to Him for all that he has done and blessed my family with during these difficult times.