PICKENS — Most of us remember the shutdowns, the masks, the mandates … the uncertainty.

The COVID era was an interesting time that seemed to either pull people together or push them apart. This is a story about a family that decided to pull together and to make the most of uncertain times.

When the shutdown happened, Ben Cade and his wife, Essie, were both forced out of work for more than three weeks. Ben, a licensed optician and lab manager at a major optical chain, was out of work due to mandates

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