Leah A. Holmstead
Talk given by JR Bylund, a Son-in-law
Funeral
October 28, 2011
Five Lessons
From the Life of Leah
If Leah were
standing beside me right now and giving me advice, I think she would say three
things. First, she would be glad I am
not singing. Second, she would say,
"don't be a big boob." and third, she would counsel me to say what I
feel. I will try to do just that.
As I reflect
upon and celebrate the life of Leah Holmstead, I realize just how significantly
she impacted the lives of people. She
was truly a unique individual. I learned
some very important life lessons from Leah that have made me a better person. As her family has gotten together over the
course of the last week, a lot of Leah Wisdom has been remembered.
While there
are many things that could be learned from Leah, I would like to take a few
moments and reflect on five of the lessons the family has learned from the life
of Leah.
1 - Love Everyone
One of the
many remarkable things about Leah Holmstead that I will always remember is her
ability to love everyone. Like many
people, I was comfortable with Leah from
the first time I met her. After I had
the opportunity to be around her for a while, I came to understand the reason I
was comfortable with Leah is that she genuinely loved me for me. She asked about what I was doing. She offered ideas and suggestions about
things I might find interesting. She did
things for me that showed she cared.
Leah came to
one of my swimming meets. When she saw
me in a Speedo, she immediately made one of those old fashioned swim suits with
arms and legs.
When we
moved to Indiana for school, Hap and Leah helped us move.
She made
curtains for our student housing apartment and put pennies in the bottoms to
hold them down. She told us the pennies
would double as an emergency fund.
Now, I am
not unique in these experiences. Far
from it. Leah loved everyone.
She would
take dinner to a widower...every night for 4 - 5 years.
She wrote to
her missionaries and other family members who needed it... every week.
Leah comforted
the sick.
Leah mourned
with those who mourn, and gave comfort to those in need of comfort.
Leah
recognized the worth of the individual and she reached out to them. "In as much as ye have done it unto the
least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."
Leah left a
legacy for each of us to follow that says, "Love the Lord they god with
all thy heart, might, mind and strength.
And love thy neighbor as thyself."
2 - Keep your sense of
humor
Leah's sense
of humor was a genuine pleasure. The glass
has always been half full in Leah's eyes, and a spoonful of sugar helped the
medicine go down.
One need
only sit down and fish or watch a Jazz game with Grandma to learn what kind of
person she was.
While
fishing with her, you'd find out that she was a chemist, a fisheries biologist,
and an entrepreneur: “Now the secret is
that you have to spit on the Powerbait so the fish'll know it's not a trick.
They should pay me for this stuff.”
While
watching Jazz games, you'd discover that:
She was a
feminist: “I don't know what they were
thinking when they put women officials in charge. Talk about dumb.”
She was a
capitalist: “If I could buy Kobe Bryant
for what he's really worth and sell him for what he thinks he's worth, I'd be a
rich woman.”
She was a comrade:
“They must have been doing something
right over in Russia to produce Andrei Kirelenko.”
She was not
a comrade: “Boy they sure missed the boat
on that Andrei Kirelenko, he couldn't throw it into the ocean.”
She was an
orthopedist: “Mark Jackson has one arm
that's longer than the other because he's always patting himself on the back.”
She was a
mentalist...or at least she was in charge of one: “Hap, put a hex on this guy so that he'll miss his foul pitches.”
She was a
psychologist: “Boy that Karl Malone sure
likes to beller.”
3 - Keep your
Priorities straight
There are a
lot of distractions in the world that can lead to misaligned priorities. Leah didn't seem to be susceptible to these
distractions. Leah had one overarching
priority which was her family.
Leah's
definition of family goes something like this.
Hap and her kids, the Johnsons and their kids, the in-laws, the
grandkids, her friends and all friends of any of the above. Her definition of family is reminiscent of
the parable of the good Samaritan when the Lord asks who is thy neighbor. I could well hear the question to be who is
thy family? Leah's definition responds
to the spirit of that question.
Grandma's
marriage to Grandpa was a testament of longevity, fidelity, and love. Over the
years, when both held various responsibilities at the local and state level,
they found a way to be together, never apart for very long. He was the harmony
to her melody, never a discordant note, and when he passed away that melody was
oftentimes a lonesome one. They spent summers fishing together and winters
watching the Jazz in a harmonious blend of Grandma talking and Grandpa
commenting only when she got too far off the beaten path. She was generous of
her time and resources, and as her grandchildren went on missions, she never
missed a week writing to them. Sometimes
hers was the only letter in the mailbox and it always helped you to get
through.
Leah
prioritized people. She was generous with time, praise, food, attention, money,
thank-yous, advice, and expertise. She
wasn't afraid to give cooking advice to a chef, medical advice to a doctor,
money advice to a banker, child psychology advice to a teacher, coaching
strategy advice to anyone who would listen, and gospel advice to a general
authority (Paul).
I found it
interesting that the only priority money had to Leah was in the context of
giving it to someone who she viewed needed it more than she did. And if she decided a grandchild or anybody
else needed a little gas money, food storage money, a missionary assist or some
help with some other need, she would do what she could to help them out. I
didn't hear much about this type of investing in business school, but in the
final analysis, I have learned a lot from Leah's investment strategy.
President
Monson is fond of this poem that reflects well Leah's bias for prioritizing
people.
I have wept in the night
for the shortness of sight
That to somebody's need made me blind
But I never have yet
felt a tinge of regret
For being a little too kind.
4 - Do What's Right
One of the
things I most admire about Leah is her undeviating commitment to do what's
right. Leah recognized the covenants she
had made and met her commitments with exactness. She did not struggle with issues at the margin,
simply because Leah chose to spend no time at the margin. Leah had no need to venture into the rough.
Leah did
what was right, not because it was a commandment, but because it was right. It permeated her life and was reflected in
her actions.
It was right
to support missionaries and other folks by sending them packages. Leah made the strongest shipping boxes ever
delivered by the USPS with nothing more than standard cardboard and packing
tape. Lots of tape.
She could
make a bandage or sling out of a sock or dish rag faster than you could say I
am hurt.
She included
people in the group.
She served
in the church where called.
She sang in
the choir.
She did her
genealogy with unflagging zeal.
She loved
her husband with unceasing devotion.
It was right
to sort the puzzle pieces by color and put them on cookie sheets and to have a
clean house and even cleaner laundry.
It was right
to turn down the sound on the television while watching the Jazz and listen to
Hot Rod Hundley on the radio because the TV announcers liked the other team.
She was
seemingly untempted by the things of the world, and fully enthusiastic about
her family and their well being.
5 - Believe
Leah
believed. She had faith. She knew things would work out, and they
did. She believed the best in people and
expected that out of them.
She believed
the Jazz would win.
She believed
genealogy needed to be done.
She believed
homemade bread was good for the heart and soul.
She believed
strawberry rummy would keep your mind sharp.
She believed
missionaries needed letters and packages.
She believed
you could go on a trip in a camper and still sleep in a hotel room.
She believed
powerbait was better if you spit on it just a little bit and worms needed to be
kept warm.
She believed
the fish were biting.
She believed
in the next cast.
She believed
vegetables were over-rated and bananas needed a little black on the peel.
She believed
that if you asked for your filet-o-fish without cheese, you would get a fresh
sandwich because they would have to make it from scratch.
I think all
of us probably stand a little bit straighter as the winds of adversity blow
because we know that Leah believed in us.
And her faith in God has made our faith in God a bit stronger, because
we believed in Leah.
In Timothy
Chapter 4:7 it says, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished my
course, I have kept the faith."
Leah kept
the faith and finished her course.
No comments:
Post a Comment