In Loving Memory

Wanda M Hasler

1/21/21 - 10/27/09

Today I said good bye to my Grandma Hasler. It was a hard, sad day. But I can take comfort knowing that she lived a long and full life (with 3 children, 6 grandchildren and 12 great grandchilden) and now there is no more pain. I have also been reminding myself that she is finally back with Grandpa after missing him dearly for the past 12 years.

The drive to and from Indiana gave me time to reflect and so many memories from my childhood keep coming to mind. I want to bottle them all up and never forget... Growing up, my sister and I used to go visit Grandma and Grandpa every summer. We'd spend a week or two "helping out" around the farm and playing with our cousins. Some of the things I remember most - Grandma's sense of humor and teasing - she used to always pinch my thighs and ask why I was wearing such thick jeans. And there was a time when my cousin Brad and I were being ornery, so she waited at the screen door and surprised us with a cold glass of water! And then there was the big blue and white chair in the front room where us kids would sit with Grandpa and he'd read story after story. That was the same chair that Grandma would sometimes fall asleep in while reading her afternoon paper. Grandma's house was also the place to be for good meals. She was such a great cook and if you wanted to show your appreciation for a meal, you had better say "yes" when 2nd helpings were offered. :) Even better, she bought the sugary cereals that Mom never let us have at home (Count Chocula and Boo Berry - yum!), no meal was complete without dessert - even breakfast (my favorite - Swan's ice cream and her molasses cookies) and oh yeah, you are never too old for chocolate milk (she made Grandpa a glass everyday for as long as I can remember). Grandma's is also where I learned that lunch is really "dinner" and dinner is really "supper". Yeah, I loved it all. Lassie and the barn cats, the tire swing, riding with Grandpa in the red pick-up truck, the smell of bacon early in the morning, catching fireflies, playing with Lincoln Logs in the basement... I could go on and on but it's getting too hard. I guess it's really all the little things that end up rolled into one great big wonderful memory.

So Grandma, I hope you know just how much you mean to me and how much I loved those weeks I spent with you and Grandpa every summer. I love you both. ~April Suzanne