I would like to go on record to say what a wonderful human being Lisa Teiliwr is. I gush often about how amazing she is as a wife and mother and a Gigi to our grandbabies, but just once, I want to brag on her for being one of the most admirable human beings I know.
She is not only brilliant, with a sharp mind, speaking multiple languages and constantly pushing herself to study new topics deeply (from neurological issues to cultural and historical ones) yearly, but she is also one of the kindest and most service-focused people I know.
She has willingly given up space in our home several times to those in need of a place to stay -- not family but often strangers to her. She has sacrificed her time for those needing language assistance and help becoming U.S. citizens. She often asks me how much can we donate money to a person we don't know personally online who needs to make a house payment or pay for an emergency room visit or medical care.
Her first reaction is almost always that of "What can I do to help?" rather than "How bad will this inconvenience me?" Sure, her own issues may cause her to live in her own mind with her own demons 24/7, but she doesn't allow that to turn her into a self-focused or self-absorbed person. She always is concerned about the other more than herself.
In all of this, she is the most Christlike person I have ever known. Like me, she has struggled with how the church at large that she grew up in has changed from a place of "love your neighbor" to a place of "fight for political power," but that has never led her outside the family of God. She has kept her faith, she has run the race, and one day she will be told "Well done, my good and faithful servant."
I love this woman, and I will defend her with every breath. You speak ill of her, and you answer to me. You come for her, and you find me in the way. You attack her, and you'll find me there to take the blows on her behalf as much as she'll allow me to. I say that because in spite of her worries and self-consciousness, she remains one of the strongest people I know. Period.
Lisa, you are not weak. You have not been seduced by liberal evil. You are not brainwashed. If you avoid one side it is because you don't see Christlikeness there. If you favor one side, it is because you see Christlikeness there. You are the Christlike rock (Petra) on which our family is built, and you are the reason I can still believe as I do.
Thank you for being here for me.