My mother is celebrating her 90th birthday next Wednesday. In ordinary times we would have had a big family dinner out or even a party, but of course these are not ordinary times. So Jennifer and I will be taking my mother out to dinner at the Nassau Club, which has socially distanced outdoor dining, and then we’ll get on a Zoom call with a bunch of her family and friends. Last night I sent an invitation to about 50 people.
To be honest, I’m not sure how well a really big Zoom session will work. I’m wondering whether we should have invited fewer people. I’m going to be thinking over the next few days about whether there’s a way of structuring or facilitating the session so that it’s a fun and satisfying experience for everyone involved.
I’ll let you know how it goes. In the meantime, I welcome any suggestions.
We recently had a 96th birthday part for my cousin Edith who still burns with fighting spirit and full of stories. The theme of the party was “As me Anything”. I was doubtful that it would be a good theme. But it was. The questions led to some very interesting interactions.
This is a great idea. I ran it past my mother and she wasn’t entirely comfortable with having the entire session devoted to answering questions but she was OK with that being part of the program. So I sent all the invitees the following email:
All,
Here’s how we’re thinking we’ll structure the Zoom session on Wednesday. Once the session has gotten under way, I’m going to invite people in the session to (1) share a recollection you have of my mother with the group, or (2) acknowledge her for something, or (3) ask her a question. I’ll ask anyone who has something to say to go into the Chat session and type “Yes.” I’ll then go through the list of people who have responded and give each of them in turn an opportunity to say or ask whatever they have in mind.
I’m letting you know this ahead of time to give you a chance to think about whether there’s anything you’d like to share with the group about Marian, or acknowledge her for, or ask her.
Hope to see you Wednesday.