Dearest Mom and Dad,

With the continued heartbreak across the country of loved ones perishing due to this coronavirus, and especially in light of the toll this virus takes on the elderly and particularly those in assisted living and nursing homes, I am reminded of yet another reason to be thankful to you.

Our living matriarch of 104 years old – Mom, your mother; Dad, your mother-in-law; Grandma to your two sons; Great-Grandma to my nephew and niece; best friend to many; and one or more of those to countless other relatives and family friends – is safe at your home right now. I say a prayer of gratitude for you, now, for all that you have done to make that possible:

• The decision you made earlier this year to move her out of the retirement home, where she had been for many happy years and would have preferred to stay if not for needs that had become beyond her.

• The personal risks you took to move her halfway across the country and into your own home as the pandemic broke out.

• The changes you have now made in your lives to accommodate her new life with you.

• The financial striving you demonstrated throughout your lives to have the wherewithal to be able to support her if necessary.

• The smart choices you made to keep yourselves healthy so that you are here for her (and the rest of us).

• The adjustments you have made over many years to included her in your frequent travels to visit her family and friends, even though you might have though your retirement might have been different.

• The joy you bring to her by being her caretakers and support network.

• The relief you provide to everyone who loves her, knowing she if safe and sound.

On behalf of everyone who knows Grandma, I humbly say I cannot thank you enough for the sacrifices you have made out of love for her.