"Are we going to see Granny Ivy on Thanksgiving?" Matty Sullivan asked her mother when she came home from school. Plopping her hefty backpack onto the kitchen island, the eight-year-old pulled herself onto her favorite stool. Eagerly, she started to unpack her homework. Next week she wouldn't have to worry about doing her school assignments. School would close from Wednesday until Monday for the Thanksgiving break.

Her mother stood in the middle of the kitchen, gnawing on her lower lip. It was a bad habit that showed off her nervousness in a problematic situation. Matilda loved Granny Ivy. The older woman and the child bonded from the moment of the little girl's birth. It had been a shame to separate them, but these were uncertain times.

For eight long months, the country had been in shutdown mode. Covid-19 kept everyone in their houses and at a safe social distance. Apple Hill House, the residential nursing home Granny Ivy resided in, was closed to visitors.

Sure the family tried to face time with Granny, but the older woman did not understand modern conveniences. They faced the facts: the most senior Sullivan family member had Alzheimer's disease. Other than Matty, she no longer recognized her own family. Sadly, Celia lost her patience with the process and ended further communications. It did, however, upset her that she had to keep her daughter and grandmother-in-law separated from each other.

Celia, indeed, was not a mean-hearted person. she loved her grandmother-in-law and her little daughter. Deep in her heart, she knew how much they each meant to the other. It had been a difficult decision to move Granny Ivy from her husband's mother's residence into Apple Hill House. However, the senior Sullivan needed more care than could be provided in an "at-home" setting. Granny Ivy required professional care at the nursing home facility. And so the family gathered together around the dining room table to make the determination.