Laura Jensen

Well here we are. A time and a place none of us wants to be, celebrating and remembering a wonderful woman that everyone of us wishes was alive and healthy. A person that I would dare say every single one of us gathered here and countless others prayed for a miracle and prayed for a cure. But we didn’t get the answer we wanted. We got healing but not a cure. What do I mean by that?

Dr. Carl Hammerschlag-“Healing is having the courage to see ourselves just as we are, and to find a way to come to every day with anticipation and joy.” That’s what Laura did, she lived every day with anticipation and joy.

We prayed for a cure, but God brought healing. And we did get a miracle, just not the one we wanted. Laura lived a year with almost no side effects. She took some of the most intense treatments available and there were only a few days she missed because of sickness. Doctors were always commenting-you shouldn’t be feeling this good. She was a miracle.

As I knew Laura and heard so many people share their memories of her people would mention different scriptures. I mean as I read these doesn’t a memory or a vision of Laura come to mind?

*Philippians 4: 4
4 Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

*Hebrews 10: 23
23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

Isaiah 41: 10
10 So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

2 Corinthians 1: 21-22
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

Philippians 4:13
13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

And did she not live out faithfully the greatest commandment?
30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’[

I could go on and on…literally, but as much as I tried to find another scripture one passage kept coming up in my mind. Every story that was shared would remind me of another element of this particular passage-I didn’t want to use it, but some things just can’t be ignored. And is there a better model for a woman of God to strive for than Proverbs 31?

Proverbs 31
10 A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies.

Laura was truly a blessing and worth far more than rubies.

Her grandfather knew it too and when Laura started dating Peter her grandfather did some checking into the Jensen’s. He wanted to make sure Peter was ok for Laura to date. He called a lawyer friend-Mr. Bass, who just happened to be good friends with the Jensen’s. So in kind the Jensen’s checked up on Laura’s family. I guess everybody checked out ok.

Another story about her character was the first time she met Peter’s parents. They went to a steakhouse. Peter’s dad wanted to check her out in his own way being a cattleman. Laura ordered her steak Med rare-passed test #1; steaksauce? Nope just the steak-passed #2-she was a keeper

But Peter had to work at it. They met on a Blind date for a sorority party-first had to go to Putt putt. He got to go and he in turn took her to his fraternity party soon after.

As they began to hang out, Laura actually had a boyfriend still-he would drop her off at the front door and Peter would pick her up at the back door. She would tell Peter what time her boyfriend would be dropping her off. He liked to take her for coke dates to Guthrie and Perkins because they would be in the car a long time.
And like I said, Peter had to work at it, she dumped Peter over the summer because her old boyfriend had a lake house at Grand Lake. But the summer ended and she realized that Peter was the one for her.

11 Her husband has full confidence in her
and lacks nothing of value.
12 She brings him good, not harm,
all the days of her life.

It was no secret, how much Laura loved Peter. Except maybe the time she had a fever and Peter took her in to the hospital. She told one of her friends who came by to see her-don’t say one nice thing about Peter.

She did enjoy traveling with her family: Disney World, Padre Island, cruises, and of course camping. And not just RV camping, but primitive tent camping as in hole in the ground, no running water camping. She even wanted to do that for their anniversaries.

Laura always made time for family-OSU and the lake and never over committed herself. Everything she did revolved around 2 things-God and her family.

14 She is like the merchant ships,
bringing her food from afar.
15 She gets up while it is still night;
she provides food for her family.

If you were fortunate enough you had the opportunity to experience Laura’s cooking. I count myself among those lucky enough. When her sister-in law asked her the secret she said a whole stick of butter makes every recipe good.
I’ve heard she was known for her Potato Leak Soup.
Some of the family favorites were Italian dishes: sausage spaghetti, Stromboli, and lasagna and of course fried chicken when they went to the lake
Favorite deserts were bread pudding; cheese cake; cakes every week
I’m still upset with Jami for getting that chocolate cheesecake at the auction. It looked amazing. When I asked Laura if it was any good she said I don’t know, it’s my first time to make it.

Cooking was her therapy as she called it, and she had a weakness for one particular kind of food. Loved fair food-Jack 2 weeks old

17 She sets about her work vigorously;
her arms are strong for her tasks.
18 She sees that her trading is profitable,
and her lamp does not go out at night.

We all know Laura was tough, but it seems she’s always been tough.
She was 22 when she & Peter got married
Moved from Tulsa where she grew up laying out at the Country Club-drinking lemon waters by the pool every day in high school
From that to El Reno to be a rancher’s wife where she didn’t know anyone. And she would take the other women under her wing when they came into the family.

25 She is clothed with strength and dignity;
she can laugh at the days to come.

Laura was known as being warm, hospitable and extremely personable. She was described as Jesus’ love is bubbling over. Which is interesting because that was one of the things she prayed for-that the Holy Spirit would overflow from her onto others around her.

She never met anyone she couldn’t like-unless she was in the hospital and then she met lots of people she had a really hard time liking:

It was no secret how much she hated being in the hospital.

We remember when she pulled the covers over head and called one doctor the devil.

Or the Truck driver nurse who asked are you getting your yearly exams? To which Laura responded-Well no.

Something else Laura did not like was surprises
16 surprise party she was so upset she went in the other room

I think that there was even a subconscious part of her that would not allow others to be surprised. Pregnant with Jack-her dad wanted to be surprised of the gender-went to Tulsa for a visit when she was about 6 mos pregnant-“want to feel your grandson kicking?” “Oh I’m so sorry.”

26 She speaks with wisdom,
and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

Her church was important-loved FCC-she had found a home-and built her love for God into her own home.

She was a natural teacher-Sunday School and women’s bible studies

Grew fast spiritually-always doing bible studies-as Elizabeth pointed out she did them early in the morning-730am

I know that lots of people will miss her amazing advice. Whether it was telling Steve to ask Ellen out, telling her sister-in-law to throw away those baby books and listen to what Dr. Laura Jensen says, or helping her friends, Laura gave a lot of advice to people. I haven’t met anyone yet that she didn’t impart some wisdom too. Seriously, someone will share a story, and then say you know what she told me?

Mostly the stories seem to revolve around parenting and being married. And she was a good role model for both.

Naturally gifted for parenting-she had an openness and understanding

Gave some of the same advice that her grandmother gave her-you may hate your husband for 1-2 years, but stay with him. Laura shared this story with me that a long time ago her and Peter were fighting a lot and she said we’re not getting divorced and Peter said I know. Then why are we fighting? And from then on everything was ok.

When her sister-in-law called her and said that her husband was feeding the baby all wrong-let him do it and don’t say a word, the same with changing a diaper-he’s not going to kill the baby, if you get onto him he’ll never do it again.

27 She watches over the affairs of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.

She was a great decorator and everyone knew it was Laura’s house. Even the nephews and nieces referred to it as Aunt Laura’s house-Peter was the sidekick.

She kept things in order. She did her “once over “ cleaning up the house every day before Peter got home-put on lipstick-she didn’t want Peter to stress

28 Her children arise and call her blessed;

Good mother
Stern with her kids-expectations are high I think because she remembered how she was when she was younger-her dad shared a story with me

14 or 15 years old she would sneak out her father’s sports car-RX-7
Ride around while she was watching her sister
Never got caught in fact she just confessed about a year ago-I heard the look on her dad’s face was priceless

But her kids know how much she loved them:
Sack lunches for Jack every day from 7th-9th grades often bringing him hot lunches to school
Purred vegetables for Elizabeth so she would eat them

If I had to guess I bet the only reason she was the lunch lady at Sacred Heart was for her children. It’s funny too I heard that the lunch count went way up while she worked there-teachers, and even the priest and other church employees would come and eat.

Peter shared her journal with me-there’s just a few entries and her #1 worry was not her, but Peter, Jack, and Elizabeth. She was worried about you all. If you haven’t read it-there’s a page in there for you 3-March 22-when you are ready.

her husband also, and he praises her:
29 “Many women do noble things,
but you surpass them all.”
30 Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Honor her for all that her hands have done,
and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

You know we always talk about how we would live life differently if we knew we only had a short time to live. We talk about the trips we would take and the way we would live life differently. But Laura lived this last year just like every year before that…loving God and loving family.

And there is no doubt for me as to where Laura will spend eternity-in heaven with her heavenly father.

Laura didn’t want to be defined by cancer or the focus to be on her or the cancer. Her prayer is that people would see God in her. I know I did. I saw it in her love for God and the way her life exemplified scripture.

And her love for God and love for family is what I will remember and cherish from her life.

I thought I would finish up with words from Laura’s journal she wrote in March.
“I’m not sure because I tried not to hear, but I think I should be dead by now. I can tell you I don’t feel dead-I have never felt more alive really.

I just read Eph 1-“When I believed I was marked in him with a seal.”
Signed Sealed Delivered I’m Yours-those song lyrics just popped into my mind. I am God’s possession to the praise of his glory. I am his and he will not carelessly cast me off like an old pair of shoes. He is everything Good, true, and right that we are not. He will take better care of me than anyone here on earth. I am so thankful for all of the blessings I have.