This past week has been full of memories, tears, and unfathomable joy, as we celebrated the life of my sweet Great Grandma, Margaret Paskett Wells. Grandma slipped away peacefully from this mortal life, Saturday January 28, joining her eternal sweetheart and several other family members. She left an amazing and beautiful legacy of faith, strength, determination and LOVE. Her sweet spirit has blessed my life for the last 20 (almost 21) years, in so many ways. I couldn’t be more grateful for the 20 years that I have had with her in this mortal life, and to be able to learn from her example. It still doesn’t feel real, but the knowledge of the Gospel makes losing her just a little bit easier to bear.
There are so many memories I have with and of my sweet Grandma. I remember listening to her stories, watching movies and TV with her, and reading her awesome poetry. She has always been such a great storyteller, and always brings just the right amount of emotion. I for one, am grateful for the talents and gifts I have been given, just as Grandma was blessed with so many talents. Her poetry helps her spirit live on in our hearts. She, as well as my Great Aunt Renee, are just two of the many reasons I choose to write, and write from the heart. I have always loved sitting with her son Sherrill, and my dad’s cousin Sherri, sharing many stories and laughs with them. I’m pretty sure I met Sherri, because of the time I spent with Great Grandma.. I now have a deeper love and connection to Sherri, because of the time we spent talking to Great Grandma, or playing with the kittens that would often scamper around her yard.
Grandma has always been a great listener. There would be times I would have something to share with her, and she would sit and listen to me talk about life and family, or anything else that might have been on my mind for the time being. I remember taking meals to her in the later years, sitting down next to her just to listen. feeling of her special spirit, even if no words were said.
Since a lot of my summers during my 4-H years were spent in Oakley, I spent quite a bit of time with Great Grandma, and sometimes when Grandma Carol and I had exhausted all of our efforts on a sewing project that just wasn’t working out, we would surrender my project to Great Grandma, to be taught by the master. After intense study of the shimmery silk fabric, it seemed the project had won us over, but Grandma wouldn’t stop until she knew for sure there was nothing she could do to help. It was only then that she would return the fabric to us, to figure something else out. There were other times that Grandma gave me luxury access to her extensive button collection, granting me permission of picking out cute buttons for use in some of my 4-H projects, which often involved sharing fun stories. Or the time I was granted special permission to one of her beautiful gold necklaces, that became something I cherish.
One conversation my Aunt Carrie and I had just a few years ago, still remains close to my heart. The story involved something Great Grandma had told her, when she was struggling to know who she should marry. Grandma mentioned, “Carrie, you’ll know he’s the right one, when you’re no longer asking for anyone else’s opinion.” Every time I am struggling to find peace in this crazy world of college life they call “dating”, I am reminded of this tender and simple conversation, and find that everything really is going to be okay.
While working on my Great Grandma’s house in the summer of 2015, I came to a recollection of stories of the cute little house that Grandpa Pete and Grandma Margaret chose to make their own. I love the story that her quaint little house and the land around it has to tell. I love the old wooden steps leading up to her kitchen door, and the opportunities to spend time by the kitchen stove fireplace warming up, looking out over the farm. Everyone in our family always mentions how much we have loved the willow trees that hang over the country dirt road, across the street from her house. While helping grandpa with chores, or driving to the cemetery to clean and water the grass, I can still remember the breeze from those trees, glancing toward the big picture window of great grandma’s kitchen, to see if I could catch her waving. If I had a favorite memory of this sweet lady, it would probably be the memories of her cute house, sitting in her kitchen, or watching the hummingbirds come and feed, quickly flying away soon after.
Along with the summer spent working on her house, probably the most tender memory I have of my grandma is the chance I was given on Christmas day of that same year, along with my aunts Sally and Carrie, and Uncle Peter. We went up to her house to visit her and give her gifts, and to visit her for just a few short minutes. My grandpa suggested we sing a hymn, with which we all chimed in singing, ““Away in a Manger.” I for one shed a few tears, not knowing at the time that it would be the last time I would see her. It remains one of my most cherished memories, as the veil thinned, and we could feel of the spirit so strongly surrounding her bedroom that winter night.
As we celebrated the life of my beautiful angel Great Grandma, I have tried to put into words my thoughts and feelings, which only leads me to think about the life and legacy she has left ME, personally as one of her many great-grandchildren. The stories and memories that were shared by so many loved ones gave me more incentive to write down my own special memories of the great grandma I remember, to cherish for the future. The tears flowed so freely at the funeral, when I glanced around the room at all of her many posterity, many of whom I knew as well as the new faces I had yet to meet. There were many words said about the great example she has been to so many people. Several people mentioned her smile has blessed peoples’ lives the most. I began to realize that I have the opportunity to share that same smile she gave me, with those around me. She has blessed our family with our smiles and happy dispositions, so that we have the chance to share our smiles and cheerful attitudes with others who may need them.
The grandchildren and great grandchildren were given the opportunity to sing “I Often Go Walking”, which I feel embodies grandma perfectly. While singing, I was reminded of Grandma’s love for kittens and cats, where she could often be found in the raspberry patch, or feeding random stray kittens that would wander around the farm. They seemed to be drawn to her, and I can see why. She loved all manner of creatures, and loved to educate us about them. An incredible feeling of peace came over me, surrounded by the sweet spirits of her posterity. I discovered that Grandma wouldn’t leave us comfortless. We wouldn’t be left alone. It was her reminding (Me) that she would be with us, even though she is physically gone from our presence.
It was also mentioned that great Grandma counted her blessings, more than once. As a member of the Wells Family, we have so very much to be grateful for. We were blessed with goodly parents, just as Grandma was blessed with. We have been given the opportunity to have the gift of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. We have all been touched by the example of this beautiful lady, as a Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Great-Great Grandmother, and friend. I can only hope that I can live up to the legacy she has left. I am forever blessed because of her love, her example, and her sweet spirit.
