Laura Lee Clum rose to Glory on December 29. How's that for a beautiful opening line on an obituary? Laura Lee and her husband Elmer were an integral part of the South Albany Community Church family when we started attending there in 1982, and I have so many wonderful memories of them. My favorite memory immediately came to mind when I heard of her passing.
She went to Glory just two days after her 90th birthday. So I do the math. How old was she 22 years ago, in May 1991? At the time, I thought she was pretty old. But if I've got the math right, Laura Lee was 67 years old (which doesn't seem old at all to me nowadays!) that Sunday afternoon in May 1991, when she and Elmer stopped by to visit us at the home we had just moved into. I was great with child. (Nick would be born 6 weeks later.) Moving is hard work any time, but when you are great with child and have two more busy little boys…wow. I was feeling overwhelmed, exhausted and discouraged, and was resting in bed, trying to store up some energy for the dreaded task of a final thorough cleaning of our previous house the next day. I got out of bed when I heard them come in. I was happy to see them, but I suspect I didn't look so good. They wanted to know how they could help us. Laura Lee declared she would come with me to clean the house the next day. She worked so hard, and that house was spick and span in no time. I think what I appreciated most was that she cleaned the bathtub. Do you know how difficult and awkward it is to clean the bathtub when your belly is enormous?! I was humbled and somewhat embarrassed that such an old lady would get down on her knees to scrub my bathtub (which to my shame had been somewhat neglected due to aforesaid huge belly), but she insisted! I was so amazed and grateful that she would do this for us! And even better than having the previous house cleaned, I was no longer overwhelmed and discouraged about the magnitude of settling into a new home before the new baby arrived!
Anyone who knew this couple would not be surprised by this. It's typical of their serving hearts. Laura Lee and Elmer were two of the most inspiring examples of serving others in love that I have ever known. Definitely pillars of the church, and so much fun to be around besides! She always had gifts for our boys at Christmas. I have a set of three Christmas balls with bells inside that she gave them one year. (My little nephew Jamie nearly drove us nuts with all the noise he made with them a few weeks ago!) I wish I hadn't already put them away so I could include a picture with this. I also still have one little plate that remains from a set of baby dishes she gave Nick, and my grandbaby will use it some day!
I wish I was more like Laura Lee. She was not just a talker, she was a doer. She did much more for me that day than simply cleaning house.
I look forward to seeing her in Glory.
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