What are you grateful for?

Tyler's story is still reaching many lives! His blog recently hit 60,000 visitors!! With Thanksgiving around the corner, please comment and share what you are grateful for OR take a moment to tell someone why you are grateful for them.

"The Star" by Racquel Olsen

People have been asking about the poem that Tyler's sister, Racquel, wrote and gave at his service. 

Racquel gave permission to have it published on the blog. 

"The Star"  by Racquel Olsen

Once upon a time there lived a brilliant, shining star. This star lived in a distant galaxy that sat in a far corner of the universe, sadly, he was thousands of light years away from all of the other stars and he often felt quite lonely. He would look out and see his star brothers and sisters twinkling in the distance and if he listened hard enough he could almost hear their tinkling laughter. After millions of years wishing he could be somewhere else, he decided there was only one solution: to die and become a black hole. This way his gravitational pull would suck in the nearest stars and he wouldn’t be alone anymore. The more he thought about it the less he could think about anything else and he finally decided it was the only thing he could do. Just as the star had predicted, as he died, his gravitational pull was just strong enough to suck in the nearest stars. They almost burst with sadness when they realized what was happening. “We have been waiting to know you” one star exclaimed. “We have always loved you, and have wanted to be close to you” another expressed. “You have endured so much pain and suffering, but now you are free.

Tyler's Life

Here is a video of Tyler's Life. Thanks to all the family members who helped put this together. 

Tyler you are very much loved. Enjoy! 

"My Soul Is Pained No More"

Wendy Pinson writes about her thoughts from Tyler's service. 

Tyler and his dad were our home teachers for years. To date, they are still the most consistent home teachers we've ever had. Tyler gave the lesson every other month and my kids especially loved having him.

At the funeral, I greatly appreciated the music. I came 45 minutes early and was touched by the pianist and violinist that brought the spirit during that quiet time. As they played, I read Mosiah chapter 26 - 28 with thoughts of Tyler and others that struggle with mental illness.

Mosiah 27:29 reads:
"My soul hath been redeemed from the gall of bitterness and bonds of iniquity. I was in the darkest abyss; but now I behold the marvelous light of God. My soul was racked with eternal torment; but I am snatched, and my soul is pained no more."

With mental illness as my perspective, this is what I wrote in my scripture journal:
"This is how some of us feel on earth with mental illness. Jesus Christ has overcome the world. He's overcome and healed the illnesses and pains of this world, including mental illness. Those pains of mental illness remain with this world as we move on to a higher sphere. There we can continue to progress without the debilitating illnesses of the body."

I was Raquel's visiting teacher for a few months after she completed high school. She came with me to a Matt Townsend fireside. She came with her notebook & pen in hand. I asked what she liked about it and what her hopes were for the future. She said she loved psychology and would love to study it in college.

I was touched by her talk regarding her brother. She spoke of the same scripture in Mosiah that touched me. She shared a heartfelt poem about a star that felt lonely and distant from the other stars. He could see them, but couldn't feel their warmth and love. And so he turned into a black hole so he could draw them near.

I could feel Raquel's love for her brother and her understanding of the pain he was going through. She expressed many things she learned from him about forgiveness, never judging another's heart or intentions, and choosing to see the good in others. I could see that Raquel has a great ability in the field of psychology and I hope she pursues that dream she shared with me that summer after high school.

While listening to Karen's talk, I learned that I want to gain the ability to "like" my kids in their difficult behaviors. That's not easy, especially with persistent difficult behaviors. When I came home from the funeral, I asked my kids if they knew what I liked about them. This question led to a deeper conversation about my love for them. Thank you, Karen, for your example of a mom who sticks by her son in difficult times.

From Becky and Raquel, I learned that siblings can easily know more what they like about each other. So, if I have a hard time remembering what I like about my kids, (because of the weight of responsibility of parenthood) I can always ask my other kids. They'll remember the times they played together and the relationships they built.

From John, I learned that it's ok to be open when among friends. True friends will always love and support you.

The hymns of praise at the meeting brought the comfort of the spirit in a powerful way. "Sweet hour of prayer" reminded me of the power of prayer to save us from the cares of this world. The cousins singing, "Child's Prayer," confirmed to me that Heavenly Father is real and he does hear and answers the prayers of all his children. I don't have to feel distant from his star (kolob). I can feel his warmth and closeness as I turn to him in prayer. Tyler's cousins and family are going to need this closeness as they continue to process their grief and pain.

The closing hymn was hard to sing. Everyone was crying. The violin and piano played a verse of, "If I could Hie to Kolob," in a duet while we listened and let our feelings set in. Then the chorister stood and had each grieving friend of Tyler's sang five verses of hope and knowledge that there is no end to the goodness and glory of God and his care for his children. On the last few verses, the organ added its deep richness to that message of hope. I know there is no end to Tyler's ability to progress.

As the bishop's closing remarks suggested, Tyler (and we) shed the difficulties of this world as we pass into the next. We even lovingly pick up some new difficulties because God's work and his glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. God's work is to progress his children through his plan of salvation.

I love the Olsen family. I hope my thoughts bring them comfort and insight to the thoughts and feeling of friends who witnessed a powerful testimony of Gods love for his children as we attended Tyler's funeral services.

Love,
Wendy Pinson

Tyler's Service

Here are some photos from Tyler's service that was held today. Tyler, you are missed and very loved.

Tyler's Obituary

    Tyler John Olsen, born on December 23, 1993 in Orem, UT, passed away August 3, 2016. He spent the first few years of his life living next door to his grandparents in Manila, UT. He loved to follow his Grandpa Olsen around the farm and help with the chores. When he was three, the family moved to Orem, UT, where his sister Racquel was born. They have been best friends ever since they were young. When he was five, his family moved back to the Manila area, into the home where he has lived most of his life.

    Tyler was known as a kind, smart, handsome young man. He enjoyed playing sports throughout his life, but especially soccer. He played for American Fork High School and the Rangers FC, and enjoyed the friendship of his teammates. He was smart and was an avid reader. He was fascinated by technology, and loved to listen to music. He took a lot of pride and satisfaction in his job at Emergency Essentials, and really enjoyed the people he worked with. He loved going to the movies.

    Tyler was a kind and gentle soul. Although he lost a hard battle with mental illness and his physical injuries, we are grateful that he has finally been able to move on and find peace and relief to his pain. Along this journey, many of us were blessed to experience tender mercies from the Lord.

    Tyler is survived by his parents, John and Karen Olsen, and his two sisters and two brothers: Racquel, Rebecca, Joshua and Zachary. He is survived by his grandparents CJ and Boni Jones, Highland, UT; Roger and Floris Olsen, Mapleton, UT; many loving aunts, uncles and cousins.

    Funeral services will be held Tuesday, August 9 at 11:00am at the Manila Stake Center located at 850 N 900 E, American Fork. A viewing will be held at the same location Monday, August 8 from 6:00-8:00pm and Tuesday morning from 9:45-10:45am. Interment will be in the Pleasant Grove City Cemetery.

    Tyler’s family would like to express their gratitude to the many friends, neighbors, Search & Rescue crew, family & loved ones and all of the many medical personnel who helped extend his life so that we could enjoy being with Tyler for a few extra years. A special thank you to Bishop Swenson’s BYU 181st ward for the miracle they were in Tyler’s life.

 http://www.premierfuneral.com/obituaries/Tyler-Olsen/ 

Favorite Memories with Tyler

Tyler and his cousin Alex

Do you have a favorite memory with Tyler? If you would like to share those memories, please share them on "Write to Tyler" or email them to info@davidbcluff.com (if you would like to attach a photo of you and Tyler, those are also welcomed). You may also leave a comment on this post.

Thank you for all your support!
David Cluff (Tyler's Cousin)