Spotlight {Susan Ruske}

Hello Sisters!  My name is Susan Ruske and we have been in the Katy 3rd Ward almost 5 years, since August 2007. 

I am a native Houstonian, having grown up in the Spring Branch area.  At 18, I joined the church and went to BYU-Provo

and then Rick's College studying Interior Design.  I moved out to Katy 28 years to have an affordable home to raise

my 3 young children in.  About the time I was ready to go back to school and finish college, I met my dear husband,

Ralph Ruske, at a single's family home evening in November 1986.  We were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple on March 24, 1987.

Together, we have 6 children, 2 sons and 1 daughter in-law and 5 beautiful grandchildren.   Our oldest, Billy Mower

 and his wife, Kristine, live in our ward with their three children - Bailey, Elizabeth and Brody.  Our daughter, Melissa

and her husband, Alex Esquivel, live up in Dallas with the twins - Logan and Alyssa.  Our daughter, Jennifer and her husband, Chris Seckinger, live out in the Memorial area.  Stephen is at Camp Pendleton serving in the Marines.  Michael is at Louisiana Tech finishing his degree and our youngest, Cyndi, just left the ward last August to go to College Station.  Yes, there is a

17 year time span between our oldest and our youngest.  Sometimes, life just works out that way.

I miss being with my children now that they are grown, but I am so proud of the people they have become.  I love being a grandmother.   My grandchildren say and do things which remind me of my own children when they were that age.  Grandchildren fill the void that was left behind when your children have grown up.  Grandchildren put the joy and laughter back into a home that now stands quite most of the time.   Modern technology allows me to stay in touch with each one of my children and be a bigger part of my grandchildren's lives no matter where they are.

Ralph is Senior Vice-President of Trust at Frost Bank.  I am President of the Board of Directors for Fort Bend Municipal Utility District 35, our water board. It's an elected official position.  I resigned from my regular job as a Marketing Specialist over a year ago to undergo 2 total knee replacements.  Now the shoe is on the other foot.  I am helping my 85 year old mother recover from a hip replacement she had in February.  Years ago, I went back to school and learned Multi-Media.  Currently, I am looking for a fulltime job which will use the many skills I have developed over the years.

I am a very creative person.  I love to take an idea and turn it into something real.  I have had many callings over the years,

I have been a primary worker, young women specialist, activities committee, primary president, stake primary counselor, enrichment committee and a relief society counselor.   I have been able to take the skills I have learned through serving in many of these callings and use them to advance myself in the workplace.  Currently, I serve as the 17-18 year olds Sunday School teacher.  To the parents of these youth, I absolutely love teaching your children.  They are a delight to be with each week.

One of my favorite scriptures is, Ecclesiastes 3:1 "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven."  Life is ever changing.  At times, I see myself aging gracefully.  Then there are times,  like medical struggles,  I felt I was kicking and screaming along the way.    Age is now a matter of perspective, not the number of years gone by.  One of my favorite scripture stories is the Ten Virgins.  Most people can see a little of themselves within each of the virgins.  The scriptures can open your heart and allow your eyes to see with an eternal perspective.   Reading the scriptures, along with sincere  prayer can provide the tools you need to guide you through your life.  Who else knows us better and knows what is best for us than our Father in Heaven!  He knows, He loves us and He wants us to be happy and succeed in this life, so we can return home to Him.

When I grow up, I want to be a writer.  Raising a large family has always come first.  Now that they are grown, some day I might surprise even myself and actually find "A Round To It" and put on paper all the stories I've had bottled up inside my head for all of these years.