Memories of Belinda Craft

 

                My family lived in the Garden 2nd Ward in Pleasant Grove from November, 2001 through May, 2005.  During that time, we had many interactions with Belinda, and she quickly became a very good friend to me.  I admire so many things about Belinda, and even though we've been out of the ward for 7 1/2 years, I still think of  her kindness and good examples very regularly.  She has made a lasting imprint on my heart that will be there forever!

                First and most importantly, Belinda's incredible faith will always astound me!  I remember her telling me about an institute class she attended, taught by Brother Judd, who said he had read his scriptures every day for something like 30 years.  Belinda took that to heart, and never missed a day of scripture reading as far as I knew.  Maybe she did, (and if so, that would make her human) but her example of striving with all her heart to be faithful has always stuck with me.

                Belinda ADORES her husband and kids!  You could just see it in her face, and in the way she talked about her family.  There was always a twinkle in her eye every time she talked about any of her family.  She truly believed she had the best husband and kids in the entire world, and put all of her energy into being the best wife and mother she could be… and because of her care (and your dad's) you are all exceptional children and wonderful people!   I am positive that she will be a guardian angel over her family now -- she loves you all too much to not be involved in your lives!

                Belinda is a wonderful friend.  Every time she saw anyone she knew she immediately got a huge smile on her face, gave them a big hug, and was thrilled to see them!  She made everyone feel like they were her best friend.  She was always interested in what was happening in other people's lives, and was really sincere in her concern and care for others.  I remember calling her a couple of times asking her for help with homeopathic remedies for my daughter, Haylee's, horrible diaper rash.  Belinda told me about Acidophilus and several other remedies, and spent lots of time on the phone with me making sure she'd explored every option.  Her knowledge helped me a lot.

                Belinda's excitement and energy for life were contagious.  She put her all into everything she did.  I remember how excited she was about the new faux-finish paint job she had done on the kitchen walls in their Pleasant Grove house.  She wasn't boastful at all, but just excited to have done something she thought was really beautiful to make her home somewhere she and her family liked to be.

                I have always looked forward to receiving the Craft family Christmas card every year since we moved away from Pleasant Grove.  They were always so creative and fun, especially the one the first year the family moved to Lehi and bought the farm.  I still remember the family picture with the animals out in the pasture.  I will miss her creative ideas to explain the family's doings for the year.

                Belinda was great at documenting events with pictures!  She always had lots of pictures of fun family events around her home.  I remember the beautiful family picture hanging above the stairwell of the Pleasant Grove home, and the pictures of all her children down the hall.  They were all beautiful and framed in such good taste.  They show how important her family is to her.

                I remember Belinda often talking about her house being a mess, and not very organized.  First of all,  I know it was much better than she gave herself credit for.  But also, if it was messy, it was because she was out serving other people instead of cleaning her own house.  That's what the Lord would want anyway. 

                And on the organization subject, I remember the big brown basket Belinda kept on her kitchen counter with files for each family member, her phone book, and a file of "To Be Filed" papers that needed to go in the file cabinet later.  She taught us in a Relief Society Homemaking night about her filing system, and I bought myself a basket, and still use her filing system in my home today. 

                Belinda had fun with life and didn't take things too seriously!  I remember one time at a ward party we were in the gym and our little Sara and your Joshua were about a year old.  They had been running around playing together, and Paul and I were talking with Stan and Belinda.  The kids came running over to us and I picked up Sara and Belinda picked up Joshua.  With a tiny encouragement from Belinda, they gave each other a little kiss.  It was so cute & a fun, silly memory our family has about "Sara's first kiss."  Belinda helped us with her fun lightheartedness to have a fun experience, and we're thankful for her playfulness. 

                Even before Belinda passed away, I would quite often find myself thinking of Belinda's example when I was making a decision for myself.  I will continue to think of her great examples always, and feel so blessed to call her my friend.  I look forward to being able to see her again someday and thank her personally for all her lasting impressions on me.

                We continue to pray for your family and love you all!

                                                                                Alison Holbrook

   Belinda has been with me in every thought every day for several
weeks. All of the things I do, I know she loved doing also for her
family. They are the common things of  wife and mother. Things like
grocery shopping and cooking, cleaning, talking to kids on the phone
and in our home, doing the laundry, and planning get-togethers.
Belinda excelled and thrived on these kinds of things.
   I so loved any time that I was with Belinda. She was always so
uplifting and positive, so centered in Christ, so right on track to
eternal life. It was fabulous to work with her in Relief Society and
to see and feel her exuberance and love for the sisters and anything
that we could do for them. She loved visiting everyone's homes and
getting to know them and offering to help in any way. Everyone could
feel her love right from their first initial contact with Belinda.
   She was never afraid to take on a huge project. One Christmas we
made advent candles for all the sisters in Relief Society. It seemed
like an enormous project to me; hand painting each candle, wrapping
them, and delivering them. To her it was all just fun; the more she
could do, the better.
   One summer Belinda and I decided to help our boys earn the
Citizenship in the Community merit badge. All the scouts were invited
and we had a group of about 8 or 10. It took several days to get in
all the activities. We had fun at the Public Works office learning
about the bridge that was planned to go over the train tracks in
Pleasant Grove on State Street. We also took pictures of the boys at
all the"famous"  or historical places in PG and made a little Pleasant
Grove presentation. All of us learned a lot about our community and
with Belinda, none of it was boring. Everything was a great adventure.
   One day our family went to the Crafts for dinner, which was
delicious. Then we played Sardines: hide and go seek in the dark. It's
a little tricky to play sardines in your own house; in someone else's
house; it's hilarious. We were in the basement which was pitch black,
just stumbling around trying to find everyone. I don't think I had
ever been in their basement with the lights on, so this was a big
challenge. But again, for Belinda it was all fun;  the crazier the
better. Any fun activity with her family was appreciated to its full
extent.
   Another thing I noticed about Belinda was her flair for style and
her beautiful necklaces. She seemed to have a necklace all the time,
even to dress up jeans and a tee shirt. She was just darling.
   I am missing Belinda so much but she has clearly shown us how to
have fun and live a very fulfilling and Christ centered life. She was
the  greatest friend to all and she knew how to make everyone feel
special. Heaven will be truly blessed having her there, but we will
have to travel on without her and endure our sadnesses. My thoughts
are always with her family.
   I love you, Belinda, and look forward to a happy reunion. Sending
much love to your family and a big hug heavenward.
~Nancy Judd

A TRIBUTE TO THE LIFE OF

BELINDA WILDING CRAFT

August 23, 1963 to December 31, 2012

She was so vibrant, so vital, so alive, so beautiful, so inspiring, so charming--and in a random moment of ordinary, scheduled corrective surgery--she was so gone.  The fragility of life was proclaimed in such stark terms.  Unlike a bad dream from which we can awaken and dispel the image, we cannot command this reality to go away.  A pulmonary embolus, with deadly intent and pinpoint design, had snuffed out the remarkable life of one too young.

Belinda Wilding Craft radiated light and enthusiasm wherever she went.  She was always the one who seemed to make the remarkable difference in every situation.  She was an amazing mother, a noble wife, an adorable daughter and sister, a caring friend and an accomplished teacher and homemaker.  How can we possibly condense the amazing, comprehensive nature of one so talented, so giving, so alive with wonder into a few inadequate words?  Hers was a full life, well lived, graciously shared.  Can we ever possibly comprehend the depth and breadth of her influence?  Our regrets only mount as we think of the missed moments, the intended visits, the unspoken words.  But her radiant goodness sustains us in our moment of grief.

My dearest encounter with Belinda occurred on the other side of the world.  While we were serving as a service couple at the Jerusalem Center for Near Eastern Studies, Belinda, Stan and their daughter Angela came to the Holy Land to celebrate Angela's high school graduation.  Their tour group had scheduled two Shabbats at the Center so we had the wonderful good fortune of spending some valuable time with them.  Their family was so amazingly talented that they were "recruited" to present a major part of the second week's sacrament meeting program--talks by Stan and Belinda and a vocal solo by Angela.  Word was received during the service that a parent of the tour director had passed away.  Belinda's comfort and concern were immediate as she encircled the director and his wife with her love.  The decision was made that he would complete the tour.  Belinda and Stan were stalwart in their support of the group--impressive and all-encompassing.  Her expressions of love and caring were so genuine.  She seemed to gather others to her and to reach out to everyone.  She was always smiling, always positive, always a delight to be around.

Belinda brought light and energy to every situation--it was her nature.  She was sincere and real in everything that she did.  She put others first and made those around her feel so loved and so included.  She will be so missed.

  

                                                                               Janet Chapman Cox

                                                                                January 3, 2013

As I contemplated Belinda Craft's life, a William Wordsworth poem that I have known since my college days seemed to so appropriately describe her that I thought that I would include it.

She Was a Phantom of Delight

William Wordsworth  (1770-1850)

She was a Phantom of delight

When first she gleamed upon my sight;

A lovely Apparition, sent

To be a moment's ornament;

Her eyes as stars of Twilight fair;

Like Twilight's, too, her dusky hair;

But all things else about her drawn

From May-time and the cheerful Dawn;

A dancing Shape, an Image gay,

To haunt, to startle, and way-lay.

I saw her upon nearer view,

A Spirit, yet a Woman too!

Her household motions light and free,

And steps of virgin-liberty;

A countenance in which did meet

Sweet records, promises as sweet;

A Creature not too bright or good

For human nature's daily food;

For transient sorrows, simple wiles,

Praise, blame, love, kisses, tears, and smiles.

And now I see with eye serene

The very pulse of the machine;

A Being breathing thoughtful Breath,

A Traveller between life and death;

The reason firm, the temperate will,

Endurance, foresight, strength, and skill;

A perfect Woman, nobly planned,

To warm, to comfort, and command;

And yet a Spirit still, and bright

With something of angelic light.

This is my favorite picture of Belinda and I…sunny colors…warm light…she’s looking beautiful, a bit goofy…and I’m happy. I was always happy when I was with Belinda.

It’s been terribly cold this week, the lowest temperatures of the winter thus far. I’m completely convinced it’s because Belinda’s soul is no longer here on this planet. I suspect it might always be just a bit colder now, without her presence.

I’m sure most everyone has heard the story. The details are long and complicated. In short summary, my sweet and dearest friend Belinda Craft passed away Monday morning due to complications following a simple knee surgery. A few devilish blood clots traveled from her legs to her lungs, and just like that, shut her system down. Ultimately, the cause of death was brain trauma. Her oldest daughter, who had been keeping me up to date on Belinda’s condition during those horrendous couple of days, simply texted me these words…”I’ve lost my mommy.”

I’ve never been so devastated in my entire life.

There is simply no way to make sense of an event like this. So far I haven’t wanted to waste too much energy trying to make sense of it. Even though I am terribly, terribly sad, my spirit is being gently taught that everything is as it should be. If I know Belinda (I’d say I know her better than I know most people), I’m certain that she is happy and safe, already rolling up her sleeves and jumping with both feet and all her heart into the next phase of her existence. I’m sure there is concern in her heart for those of us she left behind who must now struggle to get along without her (it won’t be easy); but with her simple, solid, unwavering, faith and her new-found perspective on the nature of eternity, I’m sure she knows that we’ll be alright in the long run.

And we will be alright, because Belinda didn’t leave us empty handed. She left us with an abundance of her incredible love and hundreds and hundreds of happy memories. Those memories and that love is what I have been trying to focus my energy thinking about these last few days. What an incredible legacy my friend has left behind. She never wasted a minute of her precious life!

I know that everyone will agree with me when I say that Belinda spent most of her waking hours (and I suspect even some of her sleeping ones, if that’s possible), giving of herself to others. One of the greatest and most precious blessings I have ever been given in this life was to have been the recipient of an abundance of service, love, and friendship from sweet, wonderful Belinda.

Just a few examples….

-Many years ago, when I was overwhelmed with sadness because my grandmother had passed away and I had been banished to bed rest waiting for my twins to be born; Belinda was the first at my door with a gift, a card, and long visit of sympathy and concern.

-When those twins grew up a bit and they were making me question whether I would survive until my next birthday; Belinda was at my door once again, taking those twins on adventures for the afternoon, and sending me off to a pedicure appointment she had arranged and paid for.

-When I did miraculously make it to my next birthday, she made that birthday extra special by covering my lawn with colorful signs and posters. Written on each sign and each poster was a reason why she loved me. There were dozens of happy balloons too!

-When I complained to her that I was stressed out of my mind anticipating spending a week in the dry wilderness with a group of teenagers for Pioneer Trek (something she would consider a exciting adventure), she stayed up into the wee hours of the night sewing a dozen or so cooling, comforting neck bands that would bring us all welcome relief in the sweltering sun.

-When I told her that I had a horrible fear of four-wheeling so had never experienced a mountain excursion on ATV’s, she arranged a couple’s weekend for the four of us (Mike and I, she and Stan) at Daniel’s summit. We cruised around the mountains in the moonlight and then the sunshine. It’s one of my happiest memories ever, and I did conquer my fears.

-When we took our daughters on a weekend getaway (her idea of course), Belinda was the one who brought all her supplies and let us all relax on the couch while she worked diligently giving each and every one of us a luxurious foot bath and foot massage. She had the most healing touch.

-At my house one day she looked around and became concerned that Mike and I didn’t have a professional, up-to-date photo of the two of us together. She immediately arranged things with her professional-photographer daughter to have our portraits taken. Now I will have beautiful photographs of Mike and I to treasure forever, courtesy of Belinda. In all those beautiful photos we are smiling at her because of course she was at the photo shoot.

-The day Belinda passed away, I asked Mike to figure out how to retrieve all my Belinda texts from my phone so that I would always have them. When he downloaded them all there was 75 pages of texts from her! Most of those texts are filled with words of encouragement, laughter, excitement, praise, and service. And that’s only texts. Countless hours we’ve spent talking, discussing, laughing, analyzing, listening to, learning from, lifting, and encouraging each other.

I could list so many more large and small acts of service that I have received over the 13 years I have known Belinda. The most amazing part of this is that I was just one of the dozens and dozens of people she was serving in this manner all the time. Almost everyone she knew could make a list like this. Her funeral tomorrow will be standing room only, because of the many lives has she touched with that rare combination of a supremely generous heart and boundless energy. Belinda never took away, she always added upon.

For years I would make up excuses to go to her house even if that reason was just to help her with her dishes or let the boys feed the chickens; because whenever I spent time with Belinda, I went away feeling happy, secure, loved and lifted. Oh, how I will miss my dear friend!

I wrote her a short note to go with her Christmas present this year…

Dearest Belinda:

How do I even begin to tell you how much you have blessed and enriched my life? 

You’re example and encouragement is priceless to me.

Thank you for your example of following in the footsteps of the Savior. You serve

and bless and teach and love everyday. I want to be you when I grow up!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas holiday, full of the spirit of the Lord.

Love you,

Jill

There is a well-known scripture…Moroni 7:48….

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he has bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons (and daughters) of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen.”

Belinda has this love. She was indeed a true follower of Christ. I know that when she saw Him, she saw Him as He is because she was like Him. I know she will be made pure, even as He is pure.

I have so many reminders of Belinda all over my home. She left her footprint all over my life and I’m so glad, because I never want to forget her or the lessons that she taught me. I want to make sure I honor her memory by the way I live my life.

Thank you Belinda for loving me, for being my friend, for leaving me much better than you found me.

I moved to Pleasant Grove from a difficult ward in Provo (sadly, they didn’t know how to deal with single mothers).  To my eternal gratitude, I ended up in the Garden 2^nd Ward.  I was pretty gun-shy and scared of revealing much about myself because of the terrible judgment I had endured already.  I expected more of the same, and really struggled with attending church the first time in our new ward.

And Belinda was there. She was so loving to me.  She was my daughter Krista’s YW leader, and is a tremendous light and strength to her.  When Krista was having a tough time and couldn’t see Stan’s love, warmth, and concern (he was our bishop at the time), Belinda saw what was going on and spent extra time with her.  She went the extra mile (or two, or three, or four), but to her it was never any trouble.  She was a truly  Christlike woman.

I didn’t get to spend as much time getting to know her as I would have liked, but it was a great relief to me when this lovely lady, that everyone clearly looked up to and admired, took the time to welcome me, talk to me, walk our babies together (my 2 youngest are the same ages as Jacob and Joshua), share with me the trials of the miscarriages she had suffered, and, well, just be there. 

I never felt “less than” when she was around, like I so often did with women I admired.  I have a hard time loving myself, so I tend to see women that I look up to as being impossibly better than me – but not with Belinda. She was a genuine person, there was nothing fake or feigned about her.   She loved everyone, with a real and genuine love. 

 

Donna Harris

It has often been said of Belinda that she can make friends with a bum on the street as easily as with dignitaries and other important people.  This is true—at times in my life I was unemployed, discouraged, and with a loss of my dignity felt like a bum on the street, at other times I have been at the top of my game and in the company of pretty important people—and either way she has loved me and treated me just the same.  She truly exemplified the statement in Rudyard Kipling's "If", "If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch."

In 2007, I had just finished my first year of law school, and I moved myself and family of 8 from Omaha, Nebraska with the slim hope (but with a feeling) that I would be able to transfer to the University of Utah's law school.  A couple of weeks before classes started I learned I was denied (this was the fourth year I had been rejected by the University of Utah).  I was devastated, burdened with debt, without a job to support a young family, in temporary housing, and my wife was working 5 12-hour shifts a week just to help us survive.  Shortly thereafter, Belinda and Stan invited me and my family to go 4-wheeling and rafting with them.  We had a large family, so we were not usually invited to do activities with other families.  For one day they allowed me to relax and have fun with them and forget about all my discouragements and failures.  I had the time of my life.  They gave me a break from my problems, which allowed me to have a fresh perspective. 

Eventually, I did overcome that episode of failure—I found a job to support my family and transferred to the University of Utah the next year and graduated in the top 20% of my class.  Now, I practice as a patent attorney and converse and work with some of the brightest minds in the world on their inventions.  I have acquired some success in my profession and personal life.  Belinda doesn't really care about how important I may have become, she just still loves me for the same brother she always had.  It doesn't matter if I am struggling or excited.  When I am struggling, she listens to me and prays for me.  When I am excited, she listens to me and encourages me on.  Regardless, we always have a great conversation, and I walk away with a new perspective. 

I am not really sure I really understood Belinda, and I am not sure she really understood me, but that was never a requirement for us to have heart-to-heart talks.  She was accepting of me, and she was real with me.  Belinda allowed me to feel like a big brother, even though I was always her younger brother.  She did not treat me like the little brother.  She even allowed me to video the birth of her first daughter, Brittney, when I was a senior in high school—wow, that is courage.

I could never figure out how Belinda did arithmetic when it came to service.  She seemed to always remember what you did for her, but had amnesia when it came to what she did for you.  This last spring, I helped Stan and Joshua build their pine wood derby car.  Luckily, the car turned out well, and Joshua won the derby.  She was grateful and wanted to do something for us.  I assured her that she did not owe us anything.  I did not do anything that she would not have done for me or had already done for me.  Belinda insisted (I've learned not to fight her on this), so I indicated that I wouldn't mind having some eggs from her chickens.  Apparently that was not good enough and Stan and Belinda took Amanda (my wife) and I out to dinner at Tepanyaki's Japanese Steak House (which is not a cheap restaurant).  We thoroughly enjoyed our time with them, as we usually do.  And she still gave us the eggs.  Last month when I went to pick up eggs, she was so sweet when she said, "When will I have repaid you and stop owing you eggs?"  I told her I never thought she owed me a debt.  I was glad to pay for the eggs again.  She forgot about all those dinners and parties at her house and all the service she did for me.

Belinda is irreplaceable to me.  She was a great sister to me.  Although my life will go on and I will talk with countless other people in my life, I will miss the love I felt from Belinda, I will miss conversations we had together, and I will miss her perspective.  I look forward to the day when I can embrace her again, talk to her again, and see her smiling face.  I love you Belinda, Stan, Joshua, Jacob, Benson, Spencer, Brittney, Angela, Randy, John, Little Belinda, Katie Marie, Caleb, Oliver, and Alvin.

Love, your brother, David Wilding