Her Name

Hazel

Brendon's dad's mom. Hazel Fairbanks Holmes.

I adore Grandma Holmes. She has a great love for her family, which is very large. She gave birth to eleven children and keeps ties to each one of them. On top off the eleven children, she can tell you about each of her grandchildren and their families. Her family is her pride and joy. Grandma Holmes is very organized in every way, including how she keeps track of her family. In her home, there is a gigantic list of every member of the Holmes family. Each person is numbered and has a date next to their name of when they became a part of the family. For her children and grandchildren the date is their birthday, obviously, and for those of us who join the family by marriage it is our marriage date. She manages to remember everyone's birthday. Our little Hazel is number 102 on her list.

Grandma is a loving and caring woman. I wish I knew her better and could write more about her. I know that she has a talent for playing the piano and organ--and maybe our Hazel will utilize her long fingers in the same way. She also makes amazing chocolate candies which are always a highlight of the Christmas season. She even mails us a box when we can't make it to California for Christmas. She's thoughtful like that.

I love Grandma Hazel.



Shirley
A derivative of Sheryl Lee, who was named after her Aunt Shirley. Brendon's mom.

From my first one-on-one interaction with Sheryl, I recognized her ability to communicate with people, to touch their spirits, and to be one who is easy to talk to about everything. She is kind, loving, affectionate (in both hugs and tickles), happy, gracious, intelligent, uplifting, and adorable. And I mean every single word in that list. 

Sheryl is a light, an example of a godly woman. She loves her Heavenly Father and Savior, Jesus Christ, and it is evident in the way she acts and speaks. She talks the talk and walks the walk. Even in her times of hardship, she is quick to share her knowledge of God's existence and love. God is her rock and she is quick to acknowledge Him. Sheryl seeks to do what is right and has a strong desire to follow God's will in her life. And she is very obedient to what she feels is His will for her--her eight children being a product of her obedience.

Sheryl serves. Brendon quickly taught me within the first month of being married how important service was to his family and how his parents seized every opportunity to help others. I love that she taught that important principle to her children; it really stuck with Brendon. I know she has served countless people throughout her life because I have seen others jump at the opportunity to serve her and her family. She is very loved by very many people. But at the forefront of her service is her family. She has done a lot to care for her family's physical needs and continues to bless and help her children and their families with babysitting, visits, gifts, time, and love.

If you were to ask her, I'm pretty sure Sheryl Lee would say her most important roles are as a wife and mother/grandmother. She holds those roles dear to her heart. Her relationship with her late husband is so very precious. They truly adore each other and always think of each other. (Still do.) Their love for each other is eternal and a shining example to many, but especially to our family. Sheryl also loves each of her children and I love hearing about and learning from her experiences as a mother. Obviously, she is also a grandmother. And it has been a joy to see her enjoy that role as much as she does. She is a very good gramma. Her grandchildren all adore her. She plays with them, reads to them, spoils them, and loves them to pieces. She soaks up her time with them and although she has never lived close to my children, she always bonds with them on a deep level. They know her well and love her. I always feel like my children knew her before they came to earth.

I love Sheryl.

And I love that our little Hazel can look to these two women as examples in her life. They both love God and their family.