I was supposed to fly out to my brother's wedding last summer but the venue canceled because of the virus. Eventually he and his fiancee went with a Zoom wedding in the fall. A couple of months ago the newlyweds bought their first house. Last week my parents and I flew out to visit them.

It was a great time. We toured the new house, my dad and I helped my brother with a few home improvement projects, we were shown the sights in their town, etc. My brother's wife is a great cook so the food was very good. And at night after my parents and my sister-in-law had gone to bed, my brother and I would stay up late into the night drinking beer while playing video games and laughing our asses off at old Seinfeld episodes.

I feel more cheerful and refreshed than I have in some time. Things may seem dark right now, but remember if you've got good family and friends, you are definitely a lucky person.