Rediscovering Ritual

In the midst of the pandemic lockdown, Kent Hoffman faced one of the most difficult years of his life. One of his oldest friends, Bob Rogers, died. Kent’s wife was diagnosed with cancer, and embarked on a long treatment and recovery. Other family members got sick and died. The personal losses seemed relentless. And many of the rituals and ceremonies that Kent would usually rely on for solace were cancelled or upended: memorial services and birthdays, Christmas and his kids' graduation ceremonies, even the simple greeting ritual of a handshake was gone. So, in the face of mounting grief — Kent set out on a quest to find rituals again, and to squeeze meaning out of the year that was. Once lost, can rituals ever be recovered?