Inspire, Winter 2004

Inspire 27 M y mother is 85,” reflected Margaret McCoy, “and throughout her life, she has gently told us that she does not wish to be in a nursing home in her later years. There are five of us children, and about three years ago, we noticed that maybe the time had come to initiate ‘creative caring.’” This “creative caring” involved all of the children agreeing to have their mother in their homes for two months of each year … sometimes a little more. Since their mother doesn’t drive, they all meet halfway between homes to pick up or deliver her. One sister, who lives in Texas, flies her mother down or comes to stay with a sibling during her designated time. Margaret enthusiastically said, “It has worked out beautifully. God has blessed Mom with good health and a strong spirit. She loves doing laundry and that is one of her gifts to us. The two months she is in our home, there is never a dirty piece of anything, and all Barry’s shirts are pressed and ready to go each morning!” Helping to care for their grandmother on and off for 15 years has had a great impact on Margaret and Barry’s four children. They are careful to help their grandmother in and out of the van, decipher conversations as her hearing has deteriorated, and seek her out for a goodnight hug and kiss. “Her world is so much smaller than theirs,” Margaret commented, “and I think they are slowly realizing how much the little things matter. I have watched their sensitivity to the ‘weaknesses’ of their grandma grow steadily.” “Watching a child of God age and become more beautiful with the years is a blessing that cannot be measured,” Margaret continued. “Our children are fourth generation results of godly seed and, though not perfect, have reaped great advantage from the prayers of precious generations past. My mom’s father was an evangelist and prayed daily for the generations to come.” By modeling the concept of honoring a parent, Barry and Margaret are teaching their children the importance of following this commandment with promise. “We remind our children regularly (in jest and in truth!) that we will someday be cranky, hard of hearing, demanding, and in need of their care,” Margaret noted. “As we watch their gentleness and genuine caring of Mom, our hearts are filled with gratitude. We thank them regularly. We want them to know that it means a lot to us.” Barry and Margaret live in Pickerington, Ohio, where Barry is the owner and president of Firecorp Restoration Specialists, Inc., and Margaret teaches at Fairfield Christian Academy. They have four children: Daniel ’02, Christy ’04, Michael (who will be a freshman at Cedarville University in Fall 2005), and Megan (16). From Generation to Generation B a r r y ’ 7 3 a n d M a r g a r e t M c C o y Watching a child of God age and become more beautiful with the years is a blessing that cannot be measured. “