{"product_id":"9781453568972","title":"Hazel's Century","description":"This little book is for the future. It is a time capsule for our family,  \u003cbr\u003efor Hazel's descendants. It is her legacy in her words, some transcribed  \u003cbr\u003efrom recorded memories, some composed as stories told in third person.  \u003cbr\u003eIt is her message to the future about times past, as she glimpsed it, so  \u003cbr\u003ethat those who come after may share it.  \u003cbr\u003eI once asked myself, among all the lessons I learned from the  \u003cbr\u003ewisdom she dispensed, what was it that stood out. She was creative; she  \u003cbr\u003ewas loving; she was witty; she was resilient; she was honest; she was  \u003cbr\u003eintelligent; she was curious; she was hard-working. Yet, the quality I  \u003cbr\u003ewant to point out is that in the course of her life, nothing was ever lost.  \u003cbr\u003eShe made the most of every moment, of every experience, of every  \u003cbr\u003eacquaintance.  \u003cbr\u003eWhile she did not live on a grand scale, over all those years, in all  \u003cbr\u003ethose places, among all the people she touched, she inherently knew  \u003cbr\u003ethat this was indeed the fabric of her life and that nothing was to be  \u003cbr\u003ewasted, taken for granted, or ignored. Everyone she met remembered  \u003cbr\u003eher because she was always fully present to those she encountered.  \u003cbr\u003eThroughout Mother's journey, her devotion to family and friends  \u003cbr\u003edefined her. She was intensely proud of John's accomplishments, and  \u003cbr\u003eshe doted on her grandchildren, Matt, Julie, and Steve. In addition to  \u003cbr\u003eMartha, in whom she found the daughter she always wanted, many  \u003cbr\u003eyounger women were especially drawn to her. To them she was mentor,  \u003cbr\u003eally, confidante, and friend.  \u003cbr\u003eDoug Haydel  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003e  \u003cbr\u003eHazel was a widow about as long as she was married but she never  \u003cbr\u003eloved anyone else and not a day went buy after Daddy died that she  \u003cbr\u003edidn't miss him think about him fondly.  \u003cbr\u003eThey fit together like two pieces in a jigsaw puzzle with a lot of  \u003cbr\u003eother pieces missing. Daddy was a dreamer and Hazel was an enabler.  \u003cbr\u003eMother gave us a love of learning through her example. She was a  \u003cbr\u003econstant reader and often mispronounced new words because she didn't  \u003cbr\u003eoften have a chance to exercise her vocabulary with her friends with  \u003cbr\u003esmaller vocabularies.  \u003cbr\u003eShe constantly reminded us of the plutocracy of the Haydels in early  \u003cbr\u003eLouisiana and made us feel sort of special; at least our family was maybe  \u003cbr\u003eonce if not now.  \u003cbr\u003eHazel never learned to drive, was clumsy and never screwed lids on  \u003cbr\u003ejars, causing lots of spilling. She often successfully \"depended on the  \u003cbr\u003ekindness of strangers.\"  \u003cbr\u003eShe was a natural cook. She could walk into a kitchen bereft of  \u003cbr\u003epantry supplies and produce magical dishes.  \u003cbr\u003eShe was a beautiful woman. I once overheard his father talking to  \u003cbr\u003esomeone and he said \"my wife is a beautiful women I want you to meet  \u003cbr\u003eher\" I felt sorry for my friends that didn't have a beautiful mother.  \u003cbr\u003eThey are both buried in the Catholic cemetery in Plaucheville, La.  \u003cbr\u003eJohn Haydel","brand":"Xlibris Corporation","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47128746852592,"sku":"9781453568972","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781453568972_p0.jpg?v=1763852526","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781453568972","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}