At first glance I see no strong women in my family tree—there
are no women who owned their own business, or farmed, or became famous, or overcame
great obstacles. But after some thought I have decided that all women are
strong in their own way, because we all have obstacles to overcome, whether great or not. So this
week I’m going to write about a woman who overcame the obstacles in her life,
someone whose birthday we just celebrated, although she is no longer with us to
celebrate.
Sarah Margaret Falk was born the only child of Burton and
Verna Falk in Berwyn, Illinois in 1938. She had a happy childhood, got through
high school, and met the love of her life at Augustana College. She married
Stan Peterson in 1961. They spent part of their honeymoon traveling from
Illinois to Portland, Oregon where Stan spent his third year of seminary as an
intern at a Lutheran church and she taught junior high school English. By the
time they returned to Rock Island for Stan’s last year in seminary, Sarah was
pregnant with their first child.
Sarah’s first obstacle was taking care of a colicky baby in a
small apartment while her husband studied and worked. Her mother was far away and
she had no close friends. It must have been a lonely, scary, frustrating time
for her. However, her inner strength, fueled by her faith and her love for her
husband, must have told her that this was temporary and things would get
better. They eventually did. Stan and Sarah, both only children, ended up with
four children of their own, and by the time the fourth one came along, Sarah
had the mothering thing down pat.
Sarah and Stan spent 8 years serving at a small Lutheran
church in a medium-sized Indiana town. In 1970 Stan decided to continue his
education at Butler University in Indianapolis and spent two years studying for
a master’s degree in counseling. The family of six lived in a three-bedroom
townhouse in a crowded neighborhood of townhouses. The two oldest children were
in school and the two youngest were at home with Sarah. Not long after they
settled into the townhouse, Stan began his first semester of school with
practical work at a rehabilitation center for alcoholics in Madison, Wisconsin.
Every Sunday night he drove 350 miles from Indianapolis to Madison, Wisconsin,
and then on Friday evening he drove back to Indianapolis for the weekend.
During the week Sarah was at home with the four children but without a car,
just a little red wagon to transport the two youngest when they needed to go to
the store or just get out of the house. Sarah knew practically no one at first.
During this time Sarah also had a bout with pneumonia and her youngest child
spent several days in the hospital with croup. There was no money for
frivolities—barely enough for the necessities—and yet her children remember
these years fondly. Sarah took her children to the nearby library
branch during the summer for the summer reading club, she served as cookie mom
in her daughter’s Girl Scout troop, she took the oldest two to piano lessons,
and found solace in the local Bible Study Fellowship. Again she found her
strength in her faith and the love of her husband.
A third major obstacle in Sarah’s life was when her son
developed a brain tumor when he was 29. He was married, later divorced, but Sarah was there for him whenever he called. He lived for 10 years until the tumor
took his life. Amazingly, Sarah delivered a eulogy at his funeral that was full
of warmth and love. She never displayed any bitterness over her loss.
Sarah met the last obstacle of her life when she was
diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Over her last ten years the disease slowly
took her away until she finally succumbed last year. During all that time,
however, she rarely complained or made a fuss. I believe that the depth and
strength of her faith and the love that permeated her life carried her through
those days of uncertainty and forgetfulness. Sarah could not overcome this
final obstacle but she met it with the faith and grace that defined her life.
Because of the way Sarah lived her life until the very end, she is my strong
woman for this week. Thank you, Mom.
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