It seemed that Grandma was always doing something for someone. She touched so many lives with her selfless service to everyone. It seems everyone has a story of a way that Grandma had served them. From feeding the missionaries regularly (all four sets at once) to mending and making various cloths items to offering ice cream sundaes at any time of the day to sending you home with a loaf of bread or cinnamon rolls. The one thing we know is that one way or another she is serving right now. Here are some stories of those she has served in their own words.
As I was sitting down to start sewing on my roommate Penny’s temple dress tonight I remembered one day going over to Grandma Nellie’s house to have her alter yet another article of clothing. I remember watching her sit down to the sewing machine and before making one stitch bowing her head and saying a simple, silent, humble prayer. I sat and watched her in awe. She explained that she always said a prayer before sewing for other people. Just to insure that everything would go well. She assured me that she did have the occasional problem from time to time but was able to quickly solve the problem and fix the article of clothing without too much trouble. I learned volumes that day as I watched a humble woman pray for assistance with something that she’d been doing for the majority of her life. I thought about how many prayers had been offered as she sewed before making one stitch, along with asking for assistance with my sewing I thanked Heavenly Father for an amazing example of humility and service.
Sunny Wadsworth
Nellie was the only person I know that would bring you sausage and sauerkraut to you when you were sick. Many times she would bring it to me because she knew that I liked it and that no one else in my family would eat it.
Pam Streeter Wadsworth
Grandma would invite 10 or more people over to her house for dinner at a time. “You can feed 10 people just as well as you can serve 5” she’d always say. The table never seemed to look like it would have enough food on it to feed all the people she’d invited. In the end, though everyone was STUFFED, there would still be leftovers! It was like the loaves and the fishes at Grandma Nellie’s house.
Nicole Wadsworth
Mom could sew anything. so many times I would simply draw a picture of a dress I wanted and she would make it. it was always exactly right! I remember her sewing all night for me so I could have that special dress for....I can't even remember exactly what. Homecoming? Anyway, many years later I told her how much it meant to me that she had stayed up all night to finish the dress. she said..."I didn't even think you knew" That was mom...serving with no expectations of reward or even acknowledgement
Linda Wadsworth
When we got married our apartment wasn’t ready so we stayed for a week at the Armstrongs because they were on vacation and when they came back it still wasn’t ready so we had to move into Dave’s old bedroom. It was this long skinny thing and the bed filled the end of the room and all of our wedding gifts were in that room. It was a small room to begin with then we moved into it. I remember coming home one evening and it was around 10 o’clock at night and I was really tired so he (Dave) said “Let’s go to bed.” Well his folks weren’t home yet. I said “Let’s not because they’re going to wonder where we are” He said “No, We’ll go to bed.” And we no more got into bed when we heard the car drive up. And the moment she got in the house she’s going “Dave, Pam, where are you? Dave, Pam…” I said “Dave would you go and tell them.” And he said ” No, no let her be she’ll know” And I could hear her running through the house “Dave, Pam…” Pretty soon the door opened and she said “Oh!” and shut the door quickly. I thought “ oh shoot.” And said “ Dave, say something to your mother” He said “We’re in bed” Then she said “ Oh, ok I was just wondering where you were” Then came a small knock on the door and she asked ” Is there any laundry I can do?” I said “ No, I don’t think so. I really don’t have much.” She said ok but then shortly thereafter the door began to creep open a crack and I see this hand reach in like a flash and she said “Oh there’s something!” And whipped the clothes out of the room and closed the door. Then she was satisfied now that she had done something for us.
Pamela Streeter Wadsworth
As a youth leader in Grandma’s ward, there were lots of times we would like to go to Grandma and do service for them. We would rake and pick up sticks and mow the yard. It seemed however, that no matter how hard we worked grandma outdid us. While we were working in the yard, grandma was feverishly working in the kitchen making a snack or some food to reward us for out efforts. She squealed with delight at the amount of work that was done, but it seemed like we always left feeling like she served us more than we did her.
Holly Wadsworth
Soon after Mom’s passing, I was going through some of the items that were hers and came upon a little spiral notebook. Upon investigating further, I found inside a note titled
“Things to do”. The list itemized not “things” but rather “people”; people she knew needed assistance of one kind or another. Her desire was to help people, not acquire things.
David Wadsworth (first child of Nellie and Cecil Wadsworth)
We were listening to some church music and they were playing “Let us all press on” and she said “That’s the song I want sung at my funeral…that was two days before she died… she said “ But not that fast of course” Isn’t that interesting.
Charlene Wadsworth Miller (second child of Nellie and Cecil Wadsworth)
*As told at the family gathering the day before her funeral
She very frequently transcribed baby blessings as they were being given in her scrawly long hand. Afterward she would give these notes to the parents of the child so they would have a record of this important day in the life of the new baby. I kind of knew she did this but it never really had as much impact on me until while my dad was going through some of her old papers and found my baby blessing that she had written down and kept. It was so special and amazing to read the words that were said in my baby blessing and to see how those promises had been fulfilled and reiterated in later important blessings. I was further impressed by what she did when I tried my hand at transcribing blessings. It is not an easy thing to do. I am so grateful that she took the time and thought to do this. It is invaluable to me.
Sunny Wadsworth
You know when I met with Bishop Jones he said " I called the sisters to let them know that Nellie wouldn't be visiting teaching them anymore and he said every sister had had a visit that month and four had had two visits." I said "How many was she visiting teaching?" And I think he said 17, could you imagine ( I seem to remember 14 or 17 something in that teens - David Wadsworth) Yeah it was some huge number and he said that the bishopric was praying that 8 really energetic women would move into the ward.."
No comments:
Post a Comment