When I was five, I traveled into the countryside with my mother and grandmother to visit an elderly lady for her ninety-second birthday. Though she was only related to my grandmother by marriage, we called her Gram. Almost blind and deaf, Gram lived with her great-niece in a ramshackle cabin that did not even boast indoor plumbing. A rope stretched from the cabin to the outhouse so Gram could find her way to the toilet by herself.

I hid behind my mother when Lucille greeted us, yelling as if the house were on fire. I soon learned she’d become so accustomed to speaking loudly to Gram that she shouted everything she said. Without thinking about it, Lucille honored her elderly aunt by adapting her home and even her voice to meet Gram’s needs.

Though their living conditions were not ideal, love flowed in that tiny cabin.

Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary defines “adapt” as “to make fit (as for a specific or new use or situation) often by modification.” I made many adaptations to take care of my parents and mother-in-law, and I’m sure you have, too. When we do, we honor our loved ones by showing in a tangible way that their needs are important.

You are to rise in the presence of the elderly and honor the old. Leviticus 19:32 NIV

Tracy Crump dispenses hope in the award-winning Health, Healing, and Wholeness: Devotions of Hope in the Midst of Illness (CrossLink Publishing, 2021). A former intensive care nurse, she cared for her parents and her mother-in-law and understands both the burdens and joys of caregiving. Her devotions have been featured in Guideposts books, The Upper Room, and many other publications, and she has contributed 22 stories to Chicken Soup for the Soul® books. She also conducts writing workshops, freelance edits, and proofreads for Farmers’ Almanac. But her most important job is Grandma to five completely unspoiled grandchildren.