LEIDA KIRST
22.01.1930 – 05.11.2022
With deep reverence and gratitude, we say farewell to you today, dear Leida – our beloved mother, grandmother (and great-grandmother), sister, teacher, friend, companion, and a fiercely strong woman of Muhu.
Life, for all of us, is a path of trials and endless choices. To you, Leida, was given a gift – one you had the wisdom and the will to nurture, to share, and to bring to life. Thanks to you, many have discovered their passion for handicrafts: for Muhu embroidery, for painting, for drawing – and, above all, the ability to see and cherish the beauty of nature all around them.
Your daily line of poetry – “know how to carry beauty within” – flowed naturally into the life that surrounded you. There were few who did not pause to admire the thoughtfully designed, beautifully tended flower beds at your summer home in Muhu. And you were able to create that beauty even in harder times – when the children were still small, and there always seemed to be more “important” things to do.
Your dignity and deep sense of justice – in life and at its end – were truly admirable. Even in your final years, when we visited you at the care home in Muhu and your memory had begun to fade, your most pressing question remained: “Are you getting along well with your partners – and not ordering up quarrels from one another?” And every evening, before falling asleep, your little ritual of wishing all the very best to your dear ones brought us peace of mind – a quiet assurance that all was well with us.
All is well with us, thanks to you, dear Leida – because without you, we would not be here, and we would not be even half the people we are today.
Thank you for being with us!