care Archives - Nancy Holte

Covid Care

Is it just me, or did this whole Covid crisis just blow up overnight? One minute I was supposed to be preparing for insolation and 20 seconds later, I was told to hunker down in my house before I even had time to figure out what I was supposed to do to prepare. Personally, I’m the kind of person who just can’t quite figure out how to put a grocery list together for a week’s worth of groceries. How was I supposed to dream up a list for enough supplies to last me for 14 days? By the time I put together a list of groceries that might be helpful the store was out of the items I wanted. It’s just a good thing we have PLENTY of leftover cake from my husband’s retirement party. If two people can live on cake alone, we’re good for at least a month or two.

Since preparation time is over, I’ve moved onto thinking up ways I can minister to other people during this time. I’ve found that focusing on helping others keeps me from focusing on myself and my petty little problems. And really, this is the time when Christians have the opportunity to shine the light of Jesus into the world.

A few of these ideas are my own; most of them I’ve gleaned from other sources:

Text (or call) a few friends every day to check on how they are doing.
Send a card to someone who might need some encouragement. I mean, deep down, who doesn’t love to open their mailbox and find something other than bills? I know I do (in case you’re trying to come up with someone).
Post an encouraging message on social media. I know there are some people who don’t think we should post funny things about our confinement, but seriously, that is one of the things that is getting me through right now. Jesus and laughter.
Make masks to give to area hospitals. Here’s a link for more information on how to make them.
Share your toilet paper with someone who needs it.
If you’ve got the groceries (or can get them) prepare a few freezer meals to have ready for a neighbor or friend who currently is or might become sick.
Donate food to your local food shelf. There will be a greater need as more and more people are out of work.
If you know of a friend who is out of work, and if you can afford to help, order groceries to drop off at their doorstep.
Check in on your neighbor. I’ve already had a few neighbors check in with me and one, who stepped outside her door with her daughter to wave when she saw me sitting on the couch near the window. It made my day!
Again, if you can afford it, purchase gift cards from area restaurants and/or small businesses, especially the ones that are closed. It will give them an immediate infusion of cash to help them survive until they are allowed to reopen. You can then give the cards away or use them yourself.
Send a care package to the young children in your life (or to children of single parents). I ordered some craft projects from Amazon to send to my grandkids, who are going a little stir crazy, and had them sent directly to them. They were so excited when they came in the mail. And, their mom was pretty happy, too.
Make an extra effort to check in with widows, single moms, and other friends who are living alone. Isolation gets old, even for introverts.
Offer to pick up groceries for your elderly neighbors. I’m currently not going into grocery stores but instead ordering online and picking them up. You can do the same for your neighbor or friends.
Pray for people who are at risk. Sure, there are people at a higher risk of getting the coronavirus, but there are also kids who are now stuck in homes that aren’t always safe, with parents whose stress levels are greatly increased (it’s not a good combination). There are also women (and probably men) who have abusive spouses and are now stuck together and stressed 24 hours a day. Pray for the safety of these people. Never underestimate the power of your prayers!
Hang a little surprise gift on your neighbor’s door along with a note of encouragement.

I’m sure there are a million more things you could do. Please share some of your ideas in the comment section so we can all use them.

Please stay safe and remember, things WILL go back to normal!

“An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.” Proverbs 12:25

Fred Rogers of Mr. Roger’s neighborhood fame once said, “When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’” And he’s right.

Two days after Thanksgiving I had the opportunity to discover what it’s like to be a crash dummy in the midst of a horrific accident in a cab driving us to the Monterey, California airport. We had been with my mom, brother, sister-in-law and nephew for the holiday and were heading home. Sadly, I wasn’t wearing a seatbelt. You needn’t lecture me; I have no desire to participate in the crash dummy experience again. I’m not sure why I avoid seatbelts in taxis other than they are usually hiding under a disgustingly dirty seat.

After the accident we made a noble effort to continue on to the airport and arrive in time for our flight. Unfortunately we were unsuccessful and instead spent a great deal of the day waiting for a rescheduled itinerary, which gave us lots of time to assess the morning’s events.

I’m not sure if the bouncing around the backseat affected my brain or if I was just having a normal reaction to an accident, but I’m fairly certain I wasn’t thinking clearly. At a time like that you willingly let other people make decisions for you and take care of you. As I’ve thought back over the day I am so grateful for the “helpers” God put in our path to help us.

The fireman who poked his head in the door of the cab to see if we were all right. He was a welcome sight in the midst of the confusion. He was also the one who later moved our suitcases from one cab to another in the rain.

The back-up cab driver who picked us up at the scene and got us safely to the airport, then stayed around and hovered about like a mother hen making sure we were okay.

The gate agent who efficiently rescheduled our flight and upgraded us to the Economy Comfort area. A huge blessing when our legs were a bit sore.

Another gate agent who found me a wheelchair when my legs got shaky and then wheeled me around the airport wherever I wanted to go.

The female TSA agent who offered a hug when I fell apart after going through security.

The man in the snack shop who put together a bag of ice when I asked for one for my bruised and swelling leg. I explained to him that we’d been in an accident and asked if he’d mind giving me a bag of ice. He said, “You could have just asked me for a bag of ice. I would have given it to you. You didn’t need to explain why you needed it. Now I just have to feel bad for you.” That made me laugh, and oh, how I needed to laugh.

I’m sure there were more “helpers” present that day whom I didn’t even see. I know there were angels working overtime who protected us, and everyone else involved, from serious injury. Both cars were totaled, and we all walked away from the scene with nothing more than bruises. Nothing short of a miracle! Praise God for the helpers – and the angels!