A member of Abiding Presence, Mary Grace, is currently experiencing her second time of quarantine in her life. The first time was when she was 14 years old. She spent nine months in her room, with the exception of Christmas Eve when her father carried her downstairs to see the Christmas tree.

When she was a little girl, Mary Grace suffered from rheumatic fever (which can be a result of untreated or worsened scarlet fever or strep). The fever weakened her heart, and she had to go once a year to the doctor to check in and make sure all was well. One year, when she was 14 years old, the Doctor had upsetting news: all was not well. He told her she would not be able to go to school and she would need to go on bed rest for a month.

At home, her father was incredulous, “You will go to school!” But the doctor’s orders were followed and one month turned into nine months.

Mary Grace spent the entire time (except Christmas Eve) in her bedroom on the second floor of their home in Eerie, PA. The only time she was out of bed was to use the restroom. The world continued to turn, and her only connection to the outside was her radio, which she faithfully listened to every day. She entertained herself by writing stories based on what she heard. Her stories were written on a chalkboard and erased every day for a new story.

Mary Grace was not without helpers. She had a friend who visited after school every day for nine months, not missing a single day. She is still good friends with her, having just spoken to her on the phone last week, only about 70 years later.

Another helper came in the form of an in-home tutor who visited with Mary Grace twice a week to help her continue her education. Mary Grace looked forward to her visits, even though sometimes she would tell the tutor that she didn’t feel much like doing any school today. The tutor was kind and patient, and years later would attend Mary Grace’s wedding, and stay in touch.

A girl scout leader endeavored to make her two new pairs of pajamas. She lived in those pajamas!

Mary Grace can also relate to our stress-eating (boredom eating?). She had Swedish neighbors who brought Swedish coffee bread, and Italian neighbors who brought an eight quart basket of pizzelles (holiday cookies). Needless to say with all the lying around and increased delicacies, Mary Grace gained 35 pounds and returned to school in her mother’s clothing! But she told me all of this with a giggle, so she extends her permission to giggle about your own delicacies. It will all work out.

One of the things Mary Grace did to bide her time was to create a monthly magazine titled “Pupils Pulse.” She collected articles from fellow home-bound students and some of their parents (her mother wrote an article) and the local Special Education teacher saw that the magazine was distributed across the county. Her magazine was met with praise and appreciation from principals all around. She was able to connect with the other homebound students just down the street that she never even knew existed.

For Mary Grace, there were special moments that made her confinement a little bit more bearable. She remembers when the Italian family (with the pizzelles) would come to her home to use her father’s ham radio in the attic. There were three daughters who would come to radio to their brother, Johnny, who was stationed in Greenland. Once a month on a Sunday, they would climb all the way up to the attic, Mary Grace could hear their shoes clomping up the stairs, and they would sing to Johnny in Greenland. Mary Grace enjoyed listening to them, in fact, one of the sisters became a professional singer.

When Mary Grace told me about her story, I asked her if she had any advice for us. First, a word of encouragement, she said “I’ve been through this before, and I made it; we can make it through this.” Her words of advice? “Be patient, and be grateful to the helpers.” She was so appreciative of her friend who faithfully visited, and her tutor who kept coming to help her. She was grateful for the treats. She was grateful for the strange opportunities to connect with other homebound students through her magazine. She was grateful for her family, and confessed that only many, many years later did it occur to her how hard it must have been for her sister, who she shared a room with. She said “I didn’t even think about how hard it must have been for her to have no place to bring a friend to play or enjoy any privacy. She ended up becoming friends with the girl across the street and playing at her house.” In our gratitude, she would encourage us to be mindful of the impact this event has on others.

Take it from Mary Grace, who has been there, done that: we can make it. Be patient, be grateful. We got this.

Been There, Done That