Grandma Ruth Rummage

Have you heard of a Rummage Sale? For most of us it is called a Garage Sale or a Yard Sale. My Grandma Ruth has always called them Rummage sales. This is my Grandma Ruth Larsen. She is my last living Grandparent. Last night we went to have dinner with her and we realized that she has a lot of "Rummage Sale" stuff accumulating in her back room. My mom and I have decided to tackle her back room this week. We are going to organize her things and as Benjy and my mom say, " Toss, get rid of or donate as much of it as possible!" The girls and I have decided to stay with my parents this week to spend some time over at Grandma's house. I have very fond memories of this house. From the time that I was 5 and until I was 14, we lived in Brighton, Colorado. We didn't have any family out there and it was a 12 hour drive to Minnesota to see all of our Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins. It was always such a special time to be able to make memories with all of them. My parents would often leave us in Minnesota to hang out for weeks at a time in the summer. We would stay at Grandpa and Grandma's house. We could always count on a Fried egg with crispy edges, lots of salt and pepper, Tang orange juice and Toast with butter for breakfast. Grandpa would always drive us to the pool...on idle. My cousin, Samantha, and I still believe he never touched the gas pedal. He loved to take his time and wave to everyone he passed. He always said, " A smile never costs you anything." We all miss him so much. Family meant more to my Grandpa than anything else in the world. Grandma would receive our alloted money for swimming pool treats and Cattoors, a local gas station, where we would go to buy icy pops, sunflower seeds and chocolate. Grandma was always very careful not to give us too much money at once. To this day she is the most frugal person I know, hence all of the Rummage Sale stuff! After reading the Ensign from April, (magezine from our Church), I have felt even more gratitude for my Grandparents. President Monson said this in his talk entitled, Treasure of Eternal Value, "Each of us has a heritage—whether from pioneer forebears, later converts, or others who helped shape our lives. This heritage provides a foundation built of sacrifice and faith. Ours is the privilege and responsibility to build on such firm and stable footings." He goes on to tell us not to delay in telling those we love, that we love them. I do not want to delay spending as much time as I have left with my Grandma. What a blessing it is to be in her presence. Grandma was sharing with us lastnight, memories from her childhood. She talked to us about what it was like to live through the Great Depression and memories of feeling so special for getting an apple for Christmas. Benjy told us lastnight, "I could have sat there listening to her all night long." I am so thankful for the love and respect that I have for her. I am so grateful that the girls and I are able to take this time(Thank you Benjy) to treasure the memories I have of my grandma. I love making new memories watching my children learn from their Great Grandmother's wisdom and love.