COLUMBUS, Ohio — Zoom calls just can’t replace that in-person interaction.
“A phone call is one thing but it's not the same as being face to face,” Lynnie Goss of Columbus said.
Goss said the pandemic put a stop to the gatherings she used to have with a group of women who have been friends for decades.
“We feed upon one another,” Goss added. “We talk about everything and we laugh and laugh and laugh, and there's nothing better than that."
Last fall, the group decided to meet at a park. Socially distanced of course. One week turned into two. Two into four. Four weeks became...well, you get the picture.
“We decided Thursdays and then we decided to name it ‘thankful Thursdays’,” Goss said with a chuckle.
“We take our lawn chairs, we take our lunch if we want to, we meet at noon, and blankets and bundle up, and sunny rainy whatever, we're there,” she added.
Goss said even if it's freezing out, moments with her friends in-person while wearing masks and socially distanced warm her heart and feed the soul. After every Thankful Thursday gathering, Goss said she discovered something about herself and the power of friendship.
"Make sure you cherish your friendships, and work on them, especially in these crazy times, because sometimes that's all we have,” Goss explained.
“If we didn't have our friends, who would we be? We lean on one another, lift each other up, we cry when they cry, and it's just, it's the best, I don't know what I would do without them.”