My grandmother (“Nanny”) has a studio apartment in a senior’s residence in Montreal. It’s like a little world all to itself, with its own restaurant, hair salon, and corner store.

Nanny is an extrovert. She’s also “high energy” or what used to be called “hyper.” (Today she might be diagnosed as ADHD). She loves going around, shopping, seeing the other little old ladies, going to Bible study, bingo, and seeing her grandkids and great-grandkids.

And right now, she’s a prisoner.

Things are a little more strict in Montreal than they are in Denton. Nanny is not allowed to leave her studio apartment at all. None of the residents are, all because of the coronavirus. And she can’t have any visitors either. My brother and sister and aunt would go see her regularly, if only to bring her groceries, but they can’t do that now. They can only leave the groceries for her at the front desk, and then one of the workers brings it to Nanny’s apartment.

The isolation is driving her nuts.

She’s ready to start a revolution!

I’ve had to talk her out of committing acts of civil disobedience. If she leaves, she can suffer heavy fines (something in the realm of $1000/day). It’s hard to stay home, but hopefully it won’t be for much longer.

And it’s not just my grandmother—all my family is isolated. They’re all stuck at home or in their apartments or in their RVs.

Do you have anyone like that in your family?

So, what can you do?

You can remember the prisoners:

Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also (Heb 13:3).

How does that apply during the coronavirus?

Well, while Nanny isn’t a criminal prisoner, she’s still a prisoner. She’s isolated and alone and passing the time in the narrow confines of her studio apartment. So I’ve been calling her nearly every day. In fact, my family has been doing group chats on Facebook Messenger, just to keep in touch.

I’ve been doing the same with a small circle of friends. Just a quick call or video chat to see how people are doing.

I think it makes us all feel better. At the very least, it’s a reminder that we aren’t totally alone, and that someone “out there” cares about how we’re doing.

So, during this coronavirus quarantine, remember the prisoners, not all of whom are behind bars.