Guest post by Sarah McCormick

“I really hate that I am such a burden on you.”

My oldest daughter chimed in, “Grandma, quit saying that. You are not a burden! We get to take care of you and do not mind at all.”

A very proud mommy moment for me, for sure.

After another busy day of commuting to and from work, dropping off and picking up children at school, I started my third shift. Approaching my mother’s living room, as I was doing daily since the stroke, I saw my mother, now helpless.

The stroke took away the active, funny, generous mom I used to know. The woman who if there was a need, had the desire and the talent to fill it. Mom was now unable to do many of her favorite things without a wheelchair. She could not work because the stroke left her paralyzed on her dominant side. The best mom a girl could ever have now needed me for basic activities like feeding, clothing, and bathing. My mother, very modest and very proud, mentioned numerous times that she felt she was a burden.

Growing up in Christ, she taught me—and I taught my children—to honor my parents as a way of life. I did not do it out of obligation but out of respect and love. It was an honor for me to take care of her since she did it for my siblings, my father, my children, and me for so long.

Be encouraged. You never know who is watching. I cared for my parents because I could, not because I had to. I was modeling behavior to teach my daughter how to live as the Word of God commands us—to honor our fathers and mothers.

Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6 KJV

Sarah McCormick, aspiring author currently working in the medical insurance field and ministry.  She adores being a mother of three, and grandmother of one.  Her hobbies include crafting, piano keyboard, and learning languages.  She has a passion for God, writing, and great cup of coffee.

Tracy Crump dispenses hope in her award-winning book, 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.