{"id":17385,"date":"2026-03-10T14:13:28","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T14:13:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/uncategorized\/his-grandmother-held-fast-to-her-faith-and-her-family\/"},"modified":"2026-04-10T06:03:34","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T06:03:34","slug":"his-grandmother-held-fast-to-her-faith-and-her-family","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpbookstore.org\/articles\/inspiring-stories\/stories-of-faith-and-hope\/his-grandmother-held-fast-to-her-faith-and-her-family\/","title":{"rendered":"His Grandmother Held Fast to Her Faith and Her Family"},"content":{"rendered":"

I pulled my cell phone from my pocket, steeling myself to call my grandma in a nursing home some 500 miles away in Ohio. Why is this so hard? <\/em>Before Covid, I looked forward to these calls. I thought of them as doing my part to help care for her. Now I wondered if I was making any difference in the face of a deadly pandemic<\/a>, especially one that was hitting care facilities so hard.<\/p>\n

Quickly I reviewed the list of things I\u2019d come up with to tell her, the latest games my three-year-old, Amelia, was into: baking cakes for stuffed animals and dancing to Baby Shark <\/em>with her brother. The word combinations, Jack, now two, was saying: \u201cDoggie, woof. Daddy, bye bye.\u201d Silly stuff Grandma delighted in hearing.<\/p>\n

Grandma was more than a grandma to me. I was 12 when I went to live with her while my parents split up. She\u2019d supported my dream of going into the Air Force<\/a> and so many other things. I wanted to be there for her now if only over the phone. Ordinarily I\u2019d make time to visit, but her facility was in lockdown.<\/p>\n

Those restrictions should have reassured me that she was safe. Instead, it felt as if she were living on the moon. I couldn\u2019t imagine what Grandma was going through in such isolation. She was 98. Macular degeneration made it impossible for her to read. Or even watch TV. I understood the need for isolation, but separation carried its own health risks.<\/p>\n

Maybe it was me who was the problem. I got tongue-tied when I tried to say anything deeper than the usual updates about the kids. I couldn\u2019t spout Scripture<\/a> the way others could. Wasn\u2019t comfortable speaking for God, period. Not that I was out of touch with my feelings. I just didn\u2019t have a firm enough grasp on them to talk openly, to offer hope and reassurance and comfort.<\/p>\n

In the military, we used to say, \u201cHope for the best, plan for the worst.\u201d These days I found myself mostly doing the latter. I worked as a consultant, helping businesses manage change. I\u2019d seen too much to pretend that everything always turned out for the best.<\/p>\n

Enough stalling. <\/em>It had been two weeks since my last call. I tapped in the number. I waited for her answering machine to pick up so I could announce myself. \u201cHi, John!\u201d Grandma\u2019s voice sang out. \u201cSo good to hear from you!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWow, Grandma, you sound great. How are things going up there?\u201d<\/p>\n

Without missing a beat, she launched into a detailed report on the family happenings. \u201cYour mom called yesterday and said she was doing yardwork and rummage sale<\/a> stuff at church. Uncle Chris came out of retirement to help coach the Mount Gilead football team.\u201d<\/p>\n

She breezed through updates on all four of her kids, nine grandkids and 10 great-grandkids, throwing in colorful commentary along the way. Almost all of it was news to me. Still, she hadn\u2019t said one word about life in lockdown. Was she in denial?<\/p>\n

\u201cSo\u2026how are you <\/em>doing?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m good,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s no place I need to be, no schedules. My only complaint is the chef.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOh, no,\u201d I said. \u201cIs the food not good there?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s too <\/em>good,\u201d Grandma said, laughing. \u201cShe\u2019s trying to make us all fat.\u201d I laughed with Grandma, comforted that, despite everything going on, her sense of humor, like the rest of her, was razor-sharp. Relieved that she was doing so well.<\/p>\n

\u201cI just want you to know how much I love you,\u201d I said. \u201cTake care and we\u2019ll talk soon.\u201d I hung up the phone. It felt as if a load had been lifted from me, though I wasn\u2019t sure I\u2019d <\/em>done anything for Grandma.<\/p>\n

A few days later, I heard the news I dreaded. Someone had tested positive<\/a> in Grandma\u2019s facility, my mom told me. It seemed only a matter of time before the virus was everywhere there, like a ticking bomb. I thought about calling Grandma, but other than saying I was scared for her, what did I have to share? I didn\u2019t have any actual news.<\/p>\n

I didn\u2019t want to alarm her. So I waited, and with every day we didn\u2019t talk my fears grew. Grandma had led a life rooted in purpose. I remembered her telling me about growing up in the Great Depression<\/a>. How her parents, who\u2019d never been able to buy her a bike, had still managed to find ways to help those even less fortunate.<\/p>\n

Grandma had enrolled in nursing school, then had to withdraw to care for her ailing mother. When the dean had urged her to put her career first, she\u2019d told her, \u201cThis is my family. I owe them everything!\u201d<\/p>\n

With the country\u2019s entry into World War II, the nursing program<\/a> experienced a surge of applications. Grandma had to wait another semester to enroll, months she spent working in a factory building relays for submarines. Eventually she went on to nurse injured soldiers.<\/p>\n

Grandma\u2019s service inspired me to enter the Air Force Academy after terrorists attacked our country on 9\/11, during my senior year of high school. The academy was so much tougher than I\u2019d ever imagined. Maybe I wouldn\u2019t make it through basic. Grandma urged me to persevere.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis too shall pass,\u201d she said. \u201cLean on God<\/a>. He\u2019ll see you through.\u201d Her whole life had been a testimony to her faith. Surely it would see her through now.<\/p>\n

When I called Grandma<\/a> next, however, she sounded down. \u201cI guess you heard someone here tested positive,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s getting bad.\u201d<\/p>\n

I struggled with what to say. Reflexively I asked about family. She barely engaged. \u201cI bet you saw some difficult things as a nurse,\u201d I said, hoping to remind her of the strength I\u2019d always seen in her.<\/p>\n

For the longest time, the phone was silent. Oh, no, had I said something wrong? Should I have stuck to small talk? Finally Grandma spoke. \u201cAfter the war, there was the polio epidemic<\/a>,\u201d she said slowly, summoning the memory. \u201cThe hospital was lined wall to wall with kids in bed, suffering. I felt helpless.\u201d<\/p>\n

She paused. I\u2019d never heard her sound this vulnerable. \u201cBut you know what?\u201d she continued, her voice rising. \u201cWe prayed and prayed and loved on those kids, and then the vaccine came out and it was a miracle. God can do amazing things.\u201d<\/p>\n

He surely can, <\/em>I thought. We talked a little while longer. Finally it was time to say goodbye.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve lived a good life, and when the Lord calls me home, I\u2019ll be ready,\u201d Grandma said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want you to stick around a little longer,\u201d I said. \u201cAt least make it to 100.\u201d I hung up feeling positive, comforted, as I always did after talking with her. Had I been a help to her?<\/p>\n

Soon I got another dreaded call, this time from my uncle. \u201cGrandma had a mini-stroke<\/a>,\u201d he said. \u201cHer vision is much worse. The doctor says she\u2019s legally blind. For now, she\u2019s still in the same facility, but she\u2019ll likely need more care.\u201d<\/p>\n

The news was a punch to the gut. God, how much more can she bear? <\/em>This time I called immediately.<\/p>\n

\u201cHi, John!\u201d she answered, her voice bubbling with life. \u201cI\u2019m so happy you called!\u201d I wondered again if she was in some kind of denial.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was sorry to hear about your mini-stroke,\u201d I said. \u201cBut you sound good. Great, actually. I don\u2019t know how you do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cJohn, I grew up in the Depression,\u201d Grandma said. \u201cMy parents taught me that you can always try harder even when you think you can\u2019t, pray harder<\/a> when you think you can\u2019t. I try to stay positive, no matter what. And what helps me most is talking to you kids. It means the world to me. I feel\u2026cared for. I\u2019m so proud of all of you. I have so much to be grateful for, even stuck in this facility. My life feels fuller hearing about everything you guys are doing. Keep the calls coming! They\u2019re an answer to prayer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Suddenly the phone in my hand felt like a lifeline\u2014one that reached both ways. In the midst of all the tumult and uncertainty of Covid, I was help\u00ading Grandma stay positive and she was helping me.<\/p>\n

The only thing she was in denial of was negativity. I could be that way too. Hope for the best and <\/em>pray<\/a>. And don\u2019t forget to call your grandma.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

For more inspiring stories, subscribe to <\/em>Guideposts<\/strong><\/a> magazine<\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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