To My Late-Grandmother: Years of Experience and Wisdom Passed On

This past weekend has been one of the more harder ones... Not only that, but this is the third time this year I had to go through this, these emotional roller coasters (second time for family).  It was Wednesday morning and we had just finished up the first of three jobs of the day cleaning air ducts of people's homes. My co-worker was collecting payment while I was waiting outside with the work truck when my Dad forwarded me a text message he received from one of my uncles, informing us all that my Grandmother, Thayle Beckstead Wynn died. Reading that message made my work day a whole lot harder; I cried for about five minutes but I focused on getting back to the days work ahead and tend to these family matters after I got off work. My parents and I were able to get work off for Friday which we spent half of driving over to Idaho, just in time for the viewing service; my youngest sister drove up with relatives from Provo to join us as well.

Health problems related to age finally caught up with her but she went peacefully, didn't linger, was in no pain, and was surrounded at home with family members. She is now free from the pains of this world and reunited with her parents, siblings, son, and friends... Having lived until the age of 85, my grandmother had a life well-lived, having been through and being a witness to so many iconic moments in the history of the 20th Century. Earlier this year one my uncles (my grandparents' oldest son) died unexpectedly and that was really hard for my grandparents. I'm pretty sure my uncle was one of the very first people to greet my grandmother on the other side, along with a whole lot of others meaningful in her life back in the day. Heaven received an incredible angel.

She served a total of three missions with my grandfather as her companion; first the Eastern States Mission in the late 40s, then the Ohio Akron Mission during the late 80s, and most recently as Family History Center Missionaries in Mesa Arizona around the turn of the century. She also raised nine children, including my Dad. She was also a strong advocate for having good music in the home, which my Dad mentioned in his tribute to her during the funeral services. As a Piano, Trumpet, Baritone, and Ocarina player, the fact I can play these instruments and read music (along with my two younger sisters) is a part of my Grandmother's legacy. I suppose I should also credit her for the fact that I listen to a lot good genres in music, including the things my Dad grew up listening to and not so much with the crap this current generation listens to!

Though she is gone now, it is only a temporal 'good-bye'. I know there were a lot people waiting for my Grandmother on the other side. Though it was a somber occasion, this was a life with an incredible legacy to celebrate. And my grandmother touched the lives of many in the Ashton, Idaho-area. We Wynn's are slightly unorthodox when it comes to handling death and that's usually the result of having the gospel in our lives. During the viewing someone coming to pay their respect said, "We walked in the door and hear laughter down the hallway and we all thought, 'Yep, this must be a Wynn funeral.'" My Dad and my uncles were the pallbearers for the funeral. As we moved from the Church to the hearse en route to the cemetery, the lid of metal casket bearing my late-grandmother made a popping sound. Family members in hearing distance of that sound all had the same thought, at the exact same instant. We all had to bite our lips, not very successfully, a quiet laugh. In an effort to prevent the inevitable, my dad said in a low voice, "Don't say it!" But then there's my ever-so-awesome uncle Sam, in a not-so very low voice said, "I think she wants out!" And that was it, we all lost it, bursting into laughter! Again, "It must be a Wynn funeral!" But we were fine with that because that's how we were all raised. My grandmother would've laughed with us.

The weather for this occasion was absolutely gorgeous. My grandmother would've loved it... And many, many family members were present. The only downside was that my grandmother would have loved to have been among her many extended family members... I was extremely privileged to be part of the funeral service in accompanying the closing special musical number on the piano with my aunt and sister in a flute duet, playing a Hymn well-loved by my grandparents, 'Sweet Hour of Prayer'. According to my Dad, we put the exclamation point on his tribute to having music in the home. Our only regret with this musical number is that it wasn't a flute trio, with my other sister currently serving in the Singapore Mission, but she is where she needs to be and my grandmother would've wanted it that way. I loved what my dad said to my sister in an E-mail detailing the occasion: "I'm sure she's smiling down on you right now and will be another companion for you for the rest of your mission."

It's times like this when your testimony is truly strengthened and you're more grateful than ever for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the promises made to each and every one you in the Plan of Salvation. As my 'favorite' sister missionary in the Singapore Mission so eloquently put it, "The Atonement of Jesus Christ fixes everything that's unfair about life. I was thinking, grandparents are supposed to die. Dads and brothers aren't. Young missionaries aren't supposed to die on their missions. But that's okay because Christ already took care of everything that will ever hurt us." I echo the words of my sister. This gospel is true. Jesus Christ did suffer for each and every one of us so that the very things that will ever hurt us would have less of an impact. The Atonement works; it has worked for our family and will continue to do so. And of course, it can and will work for you as well. Families can be together forever. I leave these thoughts, these experiences, and my testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen

On the left is my grandfather and on the right is my late-grandmother.

Don't wait up for me Grandma! I'll see you on the other side!!!