The phone rang one evening shortly before bedtime. It was our son Brian in Atlanta.

“Sorry to call so late,” he said, “but I wanted to let you know I was playing soccer tonight and think I tore something in my knee.”

My mind immediately went to what we needed to pack and how fast my husband and I could get there if we left now.

When I told Brian, he just laughed. “I’m fine, Mom. The guys are taking care of me.”

The “guys” were the four young men with which Brian shared a house. Our son had been in Atlanta a couple of years finishing his master’s degree. He was quite capable of taking care of himself, but still, he was my son! And he was seven hours away.

Brian’s friends had already taken him to the emergency room, and one drove him to the orthopedic doctor the next day. They brought him meals and saw to his other needs until he could hobble around better. But when the surgeon scheduled an ACL repair shortly before Christmas while Brian’s roommates would be gone for the holidays, our grown-up son was more than happy for us to step in.

Even when our children are adults and living on their own, they may still need our help at times. Our role as long-distance caregivers differs from the care we gave when they were children. They are the decision makers for their lives, and we are wise to humbly respect that. Yet we can make ourselves available when life knocks them down.

Brian had already consulted his nurse-mom for medical questions, and I even met his surgeon. We stayed through surgery and rented a hotel room close to the hospital so we could take him back for his first physical therapy session the next morning. Then we made the long (for Brian) trip home. We weathered a stomach virus the next night, a snippy on-call doctor who thought we brought him home just to spend Christmas with us, and several more physical therapy sessions. After three weeks, Brian was ready to return to his independent life.

I was happy we could help our son when he needed it and just as happy he no longer required caregiving. But whether long distance or up close and personal, we are caregivers and will always answer the call.

The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.
Psalm 145:18 ESV

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.