Guest post by Karen Allen

The pandemic brought many challenges and disadvantages, but for my mom and me, it created something new and rewarding—Thankful Thursdays. During the pandemic, I saw a need to be more involved and proactive for my then 90-year-old mother, who lived alone. At first, I began making the 45-minute drive from my house to take her on a picnic or a drive. I also went to the grocery store for her.

As the pandemic continued, I increased my visits, deciding this was a good time to follow through on my idea to become a more active caregiver since retiring. Besides, Mother was getting older, slower, and a bit more needy, I concluded.

As a longtime Sunday School teacher, Mother desperately desired to reach out to her senior class who had been forced into isolation by the virus. I volunteered to type lesson notes and send emails/letters each week to members.

I also began preparing food. Knowing how much Mother loves casseroles, I started collecting recipes. I have created a notebook full of recipes. We make chicken, vegetable, and ground meat casseroles. Sometimes, breakfast casseroles. Mother chops, and I assemble.

My weekly visits have become a highlight for her. They have for me, too. I am greeted with a kiss every Thursday morning before we discuss the grocery list and attend to errands and appointments. Cooking, grilling, labeling, replenishing the bird feeder, and writing out the week’s menu fill the afternoon. Sometimes we throw time to the wind and chat around the kitchen table or sit a spell in the backyard swing.

After three years, we’ve discovered a deeper love and gratitude for life and for each other.

And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks through him to God the Father.
Colossians 3:17 NLT

Karen Allen has a passion for music, missions, and writing. Her award-winning Bible study Confronting Cancer with Faith brings hope and inspiration. Her soon-to-be-published book, Outta My Mind, Into His Heart, offers devotionals to the mental health community. Subscribe to Karen’s blog, Ewe Are Blessed, features blessings through life’s ups and downs. Follow her #thankfulthursdaywithmama.

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.