My mom and I went to a graveside funeral service on Wednesday of this week for an old friend of hers. The Strands moved into the Granada Hills Ward in the late 50's. Belle became expert at floral arranging and ran a business from her home. Ken was an amateur photographer and took the pictures at our wedding. Ken died in 1983, and Belle died on September 8th of this year.
The Strands had 7 children and their ages intersected with several of my younger siblings - and the oldest daughter was a year younger than me.
But that isn't what stuck in my mind when I read on FB that Belle had died. Instead I remembered a long ago road trip that I took with my mom and 2 women from the ward - and one of the women was Belle Strand.
Mom and I drove Alice up to BYU. I was staying home one semester to earn the money to go to France on a Study Abroad program. The two women rode home with us. I sat in the back seat with Belle. I'm sure I dozed - I was 20 and didn't really have a true care in the world, so I could fall asleep easily!!
I did wake up but didn't indicate I was awake, because the women were talking - and I was intrigued listening to their tales of life and love and pregnancy and child-rearing and getting along. They eventually figured out I was awake and became more guarded in their conversation. I guess they thought 20 was too young to hear adult themes spoken out loud! (You need to remember that this was 1965!)
Belle began addressing her conversation to me, and I appreciated her interest - and her commendation to me for going on an adventure! All three women in the car had married early with little or no college and had had children early and in often quick succession. (I learned about Irish twins from Belle!)
So when I read about her passing, I was glad of the opportunity to attend the service, re-connect with her children, and remember a long-ago road trip. It was a lovely service. She lived a rich, full life, and the stories they told were heart-warming and insightful.
And you really only need one good photo from your wedding reception!
