Hello on an incredibly foggy morning,
Last night as I was looking at my Facebook feed, there was a comment on a picture that was taken about 5 years ago. The picture was one of Lee and Judy Swenson, two people I was blessed to meet the summer of 1978, when they were my first host family on a Lutheran Youth Encounter team. After team training, which occurred at Lake Wapogasset Bible Camp, near Amery, Wisconsin, we somehow traveled by car to Newton, Iowa because, as I remember, we did not have Elmer, the Ford Econoline van was with the other team due to the wrecking the their van. When we arrived in Newton, John and I were housed that week (as noted) by a couple in their late thirties, who had two young children, Kirk and Anne. At that point, Lee, who had been a math teacher, worked for a company named Pyramid, and Judy, who had a Masters degree, was at home, though she would later open her own very successful business. They were both industrious and terrifically talented. Furthermore, Judy’s graduate degree was in Home Economics (Lee’s was in mathematics from Colgate), and she could put Julia Childs to shame with her making the home inviting and any meal to die for.
These two incredible people were not only my first host family but became treasured friends through the years. They attended my wedding and my ordination, and the number of times I have stopped by Newton as I’ve traveled either West or East on I-80 through the years are more than I can count. Additionally, the phone calls, the times they have hosted me are beyond something I can measure. They became an older brother or sister to me. The degree to which I admire them is not fathomable to me. That is a long, but apropos introduction to what I read on my Facebook feed at midnight. Lee, who health had seriously deteriorated in the past few years, passed away this past Sunday, September 20th. While on one level this comes with some degree of readiness, one is never ready for such news that is terminal in terms of life. Since I was 23 years old, Lee, with his indefatigable smile and enduring love of cars, and Judy, the ultimate hostess and coordinator of all things that affect her, but always with care for everyone, have been a part of my life. The last time I was in Newton for more than a couple hours, they paid for my hotel so we could go to church the next day, the same church we visited in June of 1978, together. They followed by their hosting me and others in their current home, where they live in independent living. Judy, unsurprisingly, is on the facility’s food board, as they provide meals for residents, and the quality is astounding. While their previous home, that first location I visited, fondly referred to as 721, was a place where I grew to know almost every square foot by heart. Judy, unsurprisingly made their new abode just as welcoming. Little did you expect as you walked down the long hallway to their door that on the other side you would again be transported into a Judy Swenson wonderland of hospitality and comfort. For many years (and I can hear Lee’s voice plain as ever) when you called, if you got their message, you would hear Lee’s cheerful interrogative, “You’ve reached the Swensons; would you like to leave a message?”
While there is a plethora of examples of my experiences with them over the years, be it finally hosting them at the Acre (and she rearranged my living room for the better) when I had my home to making dinner for them, to their caring for me, driving to Minnesota and taking be back to Newton, as I recuperated from yet another abdominal surgery, from visiting them on a Fourth of July, when Anne blurted out at a town event, “You’re 30??!!” to when they made me meals when I appeared in their driveway unannounced, their generosity and unlimited care has been a beacon of welcome since that first visit to their beautiful home. There is a goodness and faithfulness that epitomizes their rural Iowa roots, having both started out their lives on farms. Perhaps what I’ve appreciated most, particularly over the last decade is their passion and love for this country. Our conversations about where we are as a nation as well as the current condition of our larger world illustrated how much they stayed both abreast and engaged. Their commitment to both their faith and the world has only strengthened my admiration and love for who they are. Additionally, they had a certain elegance and grace that was evident no matter when you encountered them. Lee was always dapper, engaging, and friendly. His smile and charm would pull you before you realized it occurred. He spent years on the school board, and I have little doubt he was profoundly valued for his ability to offer sage wisdom and work with others. Judy, as well, is both simple and elegant simultaneously. They both aged gracefully, and while she is also engaging and gracious, she is driven and goal oriented. One should never take her elegance nor her graciousness as a sign of weakness. Or perhaps I would say this: do so at your own peril. The other thing I appreciated from both of them was their unbridled passion about promoting goodness in the world around them. From their commitment to their church and community to their belief in family and friends, I’ve learned so much from them. It was not merely what they said, but how they lived. It seems there was no limit to their goodness.
Lee’s passing is a poignant reminder for me of how time continues and we age. That is not meant as a cliché, but rather one of those sobering moments we are confronted with the harsh reality of our finitude. Lee and Judy Swenson changed the trajectory of my life. Judy is a beautifully insightful friend to me; she is an older sister just as Lee was an older brother. They have cared for me in ways that are not always possible to articulate. That summer I first arrived in Newton, she encouraged me one morning at breakfast to think a little beyond my then current career aspirations. She saw something I did not. Together they have blessed me beyond measure. Lee, I will miss your smile and your voice. I will miss your gracious kindness and your willingness to listen and share your wisdom about so many things. Thank you, my older brother for your unconditional care and amazing influence. Judy, I love you both, and I will be in Newton soon.
Thank you for reading, and Judy, Kirk, and Anne, you are loved.
Michael
