Grandma Ruth Olsen

Grandma Olsen was a wonderful Grandma. She taught many lessons and made many memories with me over the years. She is a great example of enduring to the end. Grandma's life was not easy it was filled with a lot of trials and struggles with her health. When she was 39 years old she got rheumatoid arthritis. This enabled Grandma from doing a lot of things on her own. Simple things in life that we all take for granted. I can't recall a time when Grandma asked "Why me" no matter the lot she was handed she took it on knowing things would work out. She went through a lot especially in the past few years. I remember about two years ago when she got pneumonia the doctors told the family that they may want to make a trip to come and see her because he didn't know if she would make it or not. But then he said knowing Ruth and her history she will most likely pull through because she is a fighter. Anyone else I wouldn't expect them to. And she did. We still made a special trip to come and see her just in case and to just remind her how much we love her.

Grandma was a great example of service. She provided many people the opportunity to serve. She taught her family the importance of working and not complaining about it. That is something that I think we all could have done better. There were times especially when we were younger and didn't totally understand how hard it was for Grandma to have to rely on others to live, to help her with a helping smile. I think the trials she went through was a very humbling experience for her to always have to ask someone for help. We all like to be independent and do our own things but she couldn't. Not only did she provide us with opportunities to serve her but she was also provided us with services. When I was getting ready to go on my mission my parents and I talked about what they would cover and what I would cover and I had the money for my part, but when I went to give it to my parents so they would have it to for each month they told me that Grandma covered my part so I could save my money to help me pay for school for when I came home. While I was on my mission she wrote me very faithfully every week. The gospel was an important part of Grandma's life and she loved the missionary work. She couldn't serve a mission because of her physical limitations so helping to pay for our missions was her way of helping us serve missions. These are just a few services that she did but probably the ones that made the biggest impact on my life.

Grandma always had a project going on. She couldn't do the majority part of the project but she would always volunteer her children and grand-kids to do the parts she couldn't. It seemed like growing up there was always a craft that she and Grandpa were doing, then after Grandpa died she kept up with the crafts. She gave away the things they made to family and friends. I remember the butterflies Grandma and Grandpa made for everyone in 1988. There were so many and it seemed like there wasn't a one that was the same. Each one was painted different. A lot of hard work went into these butterflies. Here is a picture of my butterfly on my living room wall. Thank you Grandma for many decorations.
I remember painting the wall in the back yard a few times I love painting. I also remember painting the fire hydrant Grandma liked to be creative. I wish I had pictures of the different ways she had us paint the hydrant. I don't think the hydrant in their yard was ever the traditional red for very long. A few of the hydrant colors were polka dots, checkers, blue, red and white, and a soldier. I am sure there were more but those are the only ones I can remember. She kept it painted up till the last 3 years when the town redid the roads they also put in new hydrants and said they have to stay red.

One of my favorite things to do when I was younger was freezing corn. I remember we would fill up Grandpa's black truck full of corn some years we would husk the corn on the farm of where we got it from and leave the husks for the farmers pigs or we would take it all back to Grandma's house and back the truck up to the carport and get to work. Some of us would be husking the corn; some would be washing the corn, and then came the messy and fun part cutting the corn off the cob. We all got so sticky during the freezing the corn day it was so much fun. Not only would we cut the corn off the cob but you also had to scrap down the cob with your knife to get the last bit of corn and the juices of the corn. (That is what made us all so sticky because it would get every where.) If I ever cut my corn off the cob just to eat it I still have to scrap down the cob to get the rest of it something just stick with you forever. We would all have cookie sheets or cake pans on our laps that we would cut the corn into once our pans got full someone would come and collect the corn, it would then be cooked. Once it got cooked we would put it into freezer baggies and the baggies would get the date written on them. Then the corn took a trip out to the wheelbarrow where we have the hose running cold water to cool off the hot corn. Once the corn was cool we would put it in the freezer. After it was all done everyone would take the corn their family would need for the year. To this day homemade frozen corn is still my favorite. I looked forward to the assembly line of freezing corn every year.

Another memory I have is every year for Christmas when we were little we would have to wait for dad to get home from work. Once he got home and cleaned up we would call Grandma, Connie, and Norma to come down. They would watch us open our presents and then we in turn would go down to Grandma's house and watch them open their presents. Sometimes Grandma even let us help her open her presents how nice of her to share her gifts. Aunt Connie is the one who would take foreeever in opening her presents. I think she wanted to save every piece of wrapping paper. But boy did it make fond memories. I remember staying for breakfast and having orange pancakes and orange syrup at least once if not a few times but that tradition didn't
stick because not too many of us liked the orange pancakes. I really liked them. yummmmm!

Grandma was a great example in her testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. She was always studying her lesson and she was always prepared for the lessons on Sunday. At the first of the year when we would get a new manual for Relief Society before we would get through with a few lessons Grandma would have already read the whole book. She had a great love for her Savior and her greatest desire is to have us all be together as a family again. I was talking to her on the phone when she was in the hospital a little over a month ago. As she was talking to me she was saying to as she was laying there in the bed she was trying to remember the things we say along with our covenants we make in the Temple. She said she was having a hard time remembering it and she wanted to be able to go to the Temple one more time. She had planned on going with Connie and Norma that week but since she got sick she had to stay in the hospital till the following week so she wasn't going to be able to make it with them. But she was able to go the week before she died. When she went she knew it would be her last time there. The Temple reminds me of another service she did for me. When I went through to receive my endowments she was not able to make it. She did however buy all of the things I needed to go through the Temple so I could have my own things from the start.

Grandma loved the mountains. We would go and have picnics or go fishing up on the Big Horns and Grandma always came. While we did the fishing she would sit in the car and wait for us. After she died my Mom, Connie, Nan, Norma, and Randy were talking about how good a fisher she was. To me it sounded like she could hold her own in casting her line and catching a fish.

Cleaning the China Cabinet was another fond memory of my childhood with Grandma. She would have us come down and take everything out wash it and wash down the shelves and clean the glass. As far as I remember we never used any of the things in the China Cabinet but Grandma always made sure they were clean. She has a lot of things in there and it would take us hours upon hours to clean it.

When Grandma got the news that she had squeamish cell carcinoma I wanted to make it back to see her. When I was booking my flight I was trying to decide upon the 26th of August through the 31st or the 2nd of September through the 8th so I could take advantage of the holiday. But when I was getting ready to book it I had a strong impression the September dates would be to late. The morning I was flying out my mom went to Grandma's and reminded her that I was coming to see her. My flight arrived at into Cody at 10:30 my mom and I arrive at Grandma's at 11:30pm. Aunt Nan said she went to bed around 4:00pm and has slept since. We went into her room and I talked with her, we tried to wake her up but she was in a deep sleep. I talked to her about my trip and my flight home. I gave her a hug and told her that I love her. I could tell she was struggling to breathe. Her chin would quiver with each breath she took. And a short 6 hours later around 5:30am on the 27th of August she passed in her sleep. Even though she wasn't awake to tell me back that she loved me I know that she does and I could feel it the following morning when we went to see her after she was gone. My mom, Elizabeth and I went to Grandma's shortly after we got the phone call that she had died. As we were standing in her room I could feel her love for us all.

Not long after we all arrived we had a family prayer and we all gathered around Grandma. Not to make light of the situation but this event reminded me of a time I was sleeping over at Grandma's house. Connie, Norma and I all gathered in Grandma's room to have prayer before she went to sleep. She was lying in bed as we were all kneeling around her I started laughing. Connie and Norma asked me what was so funny. I said I feel like we are praying over the Dead. We all got a good little chuckle out of it even Grandma laughed about it. Now that event was very real as we prayed and thanked Heavenly Father for sending such a wonderful women to be a mother and grandmother to us. Thanking him for her great example and the many lessons she taught us all.

She looked so peaceful lying there; I was holding her hand and crying, my mom was also holding her hand as she was holding me too. We talked about how grateful we are to know that her spirit is perfect and she has straight fingers and straight legs and feet. She could walk off with Grandpa and not need help from anybody. I am so grateful to know that death is not the end it is just the next step in life. I am also very grateful that she held on for me to make it to see her while she was still alive. That was such a great blessing to be able to be there with her. I am grateful that Heavenly Father prompted me to go when I did rather than waiting for the next week. Grandma you are loved and always will be. We will all miss you but I know that you will be here with me through the important events in my life. You may not be in a physical body but your spirit with be in attendance. I can only imagine the excitement she had to finally be with Grandpa again after missing him for nearly 17 years. I am sure there was a mass of people waiting to see her. I think there was a great amount of Joy she felt while she got to greet them one by one giving each an embrace. That is how I imagine it will be like when we pass to the other side. True Joy and True Love will be shared amongst those we love. I look forward to the day I will be able to greet my family with open arms, once again.