“Doris, you’re on mute!” “Mom, we can’t see you – turn on your camera!” “Who am I talking to right now?” When the pandemic first began to spread across the U.S., Jewish communities had to make rapid, painful adjustments to distanced funerals, shivas and unveilings, along with distanced versions of everything else. Now, a year later, these adjustments might have begun to feel more ordinary, but acclimation does not make them any easier. What has become routine for those of us who officiate them is still painfully raw for families going through them for the first time. So it was with Ruth’s family. She had lived a long life full of many blessings, followed by a brief illness and a death with dignity. Yet her family’s grief was profound. Although Ruth did not die from COVID-19, the pandemic impacted every aspect of her transition out of this life. In order to be near her in her final days, her family gathered in Florida, where she and her husband retired 30 years ago. But this travel prevented them from making another trip back for the funeral. Because of COVID-19 travel restrictions, I was the only person who would accompany Ruth’s mortal remains to their final resting place, sharing the experience with the mourners on my cell phone.