Lassahn’s compassion knows no boundaries
HELPING HANDS — Becky Lassahn of Ellendale holds a ceramic angel she has on display at her home, which is a whirlwind of activity raising foster children, doing daycare and finding a way to help others down on their luck. (Star Eagle photo by Kathy Paulsen)
Editor’s note: This is the first in an ongoing series of stories in the Star Eagle focusing on people in the NRHEG area who make a positive impact in the lives of others.
By KATHY PAULSEN
Staff Writer
It's doubtful anyone would dispute the fact we live in communities of kind, caring and philanthropic people who ease the pain and problems of others.
Many acts of kindness, and a flow of needed funds and hands, find a way to help where and whenever they can. Ever so many can and should be named.
Where does the empathy that reigns so true originate?
From the hearts of people like Becky Lassahn.
To those acquainted with her, you know there is nothing she wouldn't think of or do to help others. Where most of us will feel empathy and think, "What can I do to help?" and even do, it is not the same. Becky just does it and more!
She has a knack of bringing people together in a positive way. Becky is always thinking of ways she can help others.
Even the air seems charged with enthusiasm when you are around her. It is contagious. It is uplifting. Her intense feelings show. Her eyes sparkle. She has a glow about her as she talks non-stop. Her mind is constantly in motion, thinking about how she can ease the pain of others.
It isn't that she doesn't have enough to do. Her house overflows with activity attached to the children in her care. She cares for her own children and her love overflows for those who need the stability of a good family life.
God, family and people are all very important to her. People are her passion.
Becky gives a lot of credit to local churches, Vibrant Life in particular, because it seems to be a stabilizing center for so many young people who need a place to be, in a supervised, stable environment. She gives credit to her family and others for supporting her.
How many benefits has she organized? Probably a couple dozen, but she is not concerned about her efforts. Instead, she’ll tell you about the people who have contributed to her cause and how kind they are.
Picture the four children who are also now her family. She and her husband, Richard, spend time and money to protect the rights of these children she loves as deeply as her own.
Her house overflows with children given to her care just because they needed her and she was there.
“The kids are our main priority along with attending church and church activities,” said Becky. “Keeping Jesus in our hearts comes first.”
Sporting activities the children are involved with come second. Becky thanks the coaches and friends who help transport them.
"The kids’ Uncle Johnny helps out as well, as well as their Great Aunt Mary," said Becky.
She knows these children are theirs on loan and someday they will be gone (except in her heart, as they will be there forever). While they are in her care she will do everything in her power to make them good citizens of the world they live in.
She also expects them to act responsibly. When one remarks about how nice the children dress and behave she says, "It is something you do every day so you learn respect for others and occasion."
Are Becky and Richard foster parents, day care providers? You might say that, but they are much more. For her, children asking questions and vying for attention, a land phone that rings incessantly as she plans a benefit, is like second nature.
What would drive most people a little stir crazy is just an ordinary day in her life.
But she has no complaints. Becky says, "That is what I am here for."
As a child, times were different and there was less of everything.
Becky said, "We didn't know there were stores where you could buy clothes because people gave us clothes that got handed down from one child to another."
Having exceptionally good parents that provided for them in a loving way taught her the ways of living and loving a large extended family and helping other people down on their luck.
She credits her husband, who she has been with for over 30 years, for her "sheltered life." He taught her how to write a check and chuckles that once she learned how she didn't know how to quit.
Becky grew up in a household with no running water. It had to be carried in and then back out again when it had been used. All water for taking baths and washing dishes had to be heated. Baths were taken in a large washtub, each using the same water, one after another.
Drinking water was kept in a bucket on the counter with a tin dipper they all drank out of.
Said Becky, "No one ever thought of being sick."
Washing clothes was a big deal because there were seven kids in the family.
"I wouldn't change a thing," said Becky.
In her eyes, her family was rich because they had a big vegetable garden and enough food to eat. She was the youngest in this close-knit family who all had fun together.
At age 54, she admits to never having to put gas in a vehicle. She wouldn't know how. Gas stations used to offer "full service," but when that ended her husband took over that job and he keeps everything filled in her car.
She wishes she could write a book because she overflows with knowledge and experiences. However, she is satisfied with the way things are and considers herself the luckiest person alive. She emphasizes the fact she has been able to meet and work with so many beautiful people in her life and is so in love with them all and with her busy life.
Becky has many cards and letters, accolades from so many, scattered throughout her home. Some are reminders that the life she lives is what God intended for all of us.
There is a special Christmas card she received that contains a verse by Amanda Bradley that seems to fit her perfectly.
"Some people bring joy wherever they go,
they brighten the lives of people they know...
Their words are so cheerful and so reassuring,
their feelings for others, so warm and enduring.
Some people bring joy wherever they go...
and mean more to others than they'll ever know."
That is Becky!
Editor’s Note: If you know of anyone in the NRHEG area who “makes a difference” and should be featured in a Star Eagle article, please call (507) 463-8112.