Support Structures

Even the firmest of foundations is insufficient to build a complete life. Throughout my life I have seen that the "supporting cast" of people around us forms a sort of support structure for our lives. Not all of those structures necessarily provide strength. But those that do give strength are essential in the building of a life of strength … one which has direction, purpose and mission.

For a while I'm going to share some personal vignettes which look at the way people provide support structures for our lives. I'm not sure how many I may be inspired to write about, but I do believe that one of the most important issues of "building with living stones" is to recognize how the people around us provide the support structures which, in turn, give strength to our lives. The following "building maxim" is one way to look at the strength which other lives give to ours: "Strength always provides more strength to the components around it." Here's the first "support structure" story.

Family is the place where many of us gain our first support structures. As I mentioned earlier, parents can be a part of a strong foundation, but there are other "support structures" in and around families which build lives. From my earliest recollections, family and faith were inextricably tied together. Grandparents can have an integral role in the support structure of lives. One person who, although physically frail and weak, gave support structure for my life was my maternal grandmother, Martha Onsrud. Her life of faith, love and devotion to her God and her family left an indelible imprint on me as a young person. Her faith had remained strong throughout her life, even through the premature death of her teenage son and later her husband, my grandfather. As a teenager myself, I watched her suffer and eventually die from the debilitating disease of rheumatoid arthritis. Even before she passed from this earthly life in 1973, she had shown me that we could have strength to face incredible challenges, both physical as well as emotional, as life brings them our way. In addition, she gave me a strong picture of the potential for “new life” that was available to those who loved God with all their heart. I truly saw that “new life” in her and it gave me strength that continues today. Thanks, Martha Onsrud, for your life. It's still providing strong support for other lives.