Hazel's Century (ePub)

This little book is for the future. It is a time capsule for our family,for Hazels descendants. It is her legacy in her words, some transcribedfrom recorded memories, some composed as stories told in third person. It is her message to the future about times past, as she glimpsed it, sothat those who come after may share it. I once asked myself, among all the lessons I learned from thewisdom she dispensed, what was it that stood out. She was creative; shewas loving; she was witty; she was resilient; she was honest; she wasintelligent; she was curious; she was hard-working. Yet, the quality Iwant to point out is that in the course of her life, nothing was ever lost. She made the most of every moment, of every experience, of everyacquaintance. While she did not live on a grand scale, over all those years, in allthose places, among all the people she touched, she inherently knewthat this was indeed the fabric of her life and that nothing was to bewasted, taken for granted, or ignored. Everyone she met rememberedher because she was always fully present to those she encountered. Throughout Mothers journey, her devotion to family and friendsdefined her. She was intensely proud of Johns accomplishments, andshe doted on her grandchildren, Matt, Julie, and Steve. In addition toMartha, in whom she found the daughter she always wanted, manyyounger women were especially drawn to her. To them she was mentor,ally, confidante, and friend. Doug Haydel Hazel was a widow about as long as she was married but she neverloved anyone else and not a day went buy after Daddy died that shedidnt miss him think about him fondly. They fit together like two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle with a lot ofother pieces missing. Daddy was a dreamer and Hazel was an enabler. Mother gave us a love of learning through her example. She was aconstant reader and often mispronounced new words because she didntoften have a chance to exercise her vocabulary with her friends withsmaller vocabularies. She constantly reminded us of the plutocracy of the Haydels in earlyLouisiana and made us feel sort of special; at least our family was maybeonce if not now. Hazel never learned to drive, was clumsy and never screwed lids onjars, causing lots of spilling. She often successfully depended on thekindness of strangers. She was a natural cook. She could walk into a kitchen bereft ofpantry supplies and produce magical dishes. She was a beautiful woman. I once overheard his father talking tosomeone and he said my wife is a beautiful women I want you to meether I felt sorry for my friends that didnt have a beautiful mother. They are both buried in the Catholic cemetery in Plaucheville, La. John Haydel