Memories of Clara Pederson: Clara was one of my mom’s favorite people. I would say she was my mom’s first friend when she moved to Madison. Clara enjoyed life and was very happy in finding joy in the journey. I remember when I was young she would babysit us when my parents went out of town. I remember that I would do anything she asked with cheerfulness because I didn’t want to displease her. (Unfortunately, I can’t say that cheerfulness was there when my mom asked me to do the same chores). As far as I know, Clara did not own a vehicle but would ride a 3-wheel bicycle everywhere or would walk. She was the best lefse maker around…maybe it was because she was 100% Norwegian. She was diagnosed with a brain tumor, received a blessing, and when she went back to her appointment the doctors could not find it. I once mentioned that experience to my mom, saying that Clara must have had such great faith. My mom shared that Clara’s faith was like the childlike faith we are asked to have. A couple of other reasons my mom loved her so much were because she did not have guile and she never said bad or negative things about other people. It is to this last sentence that my thoughts have turned to Clara of late. When I was in high school I would help Clara’s niece Ila who has MS. I loved taking Ila out in her wheel chair so she could enjoy the sunshine. There were times that we would visit Clara who only lived a few streets away. On one of those visits, Clara and I had a discussion about gossip. She shared with me that she did not feel that gossip was worth it, mentioning that gossip usually lead to someone’s unhappiness. I have thought about that conversation at different times in my life but have forgotten about it for a long time now. It has only been recently that I have been thinking about Clara’s lesson. I sometimes wonder as I have been trapped in gossip lately how my life would be different if I did not participate in it or when I hear things about myself, finding a way to let it go. How would the relationships that I have with family and friends be different? I am grateful for the reminder of Clara’s lesson and hope that I can follow it better. 