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Through the Eyes of her Grandchildren: by Erica Brasseuxhere is the Legacy of Betty Carlisle Sluder House
Grandmother, Grandma, Grandmama, Gran & Gan Gan
She answered to many different names, and wore many different hats, but to all 6 of her grandchildren, she was the quintessential grandmother.
Grandmother was Nurturer
As babies, we all fell asleep to a quiet melody of the “clickty-clack train song” as she rocked us in her antique rocking chair. As we grew too big for her lap, she eased us to sleep by tickling our back or arms, as we laid in one of the many “color themed” bedrooms or one of the cots she pulled out when things got especially crowded during the holidays. After a bath, she would wrap us up tight in a towel and call us her “little papooshcas”. We were her very pride and joy, and we knew it
Grandma was a Nurse
WichHazel or Hydrogen Peroxide could fix just about any booboo, and if you were sick enough to stay home from school for whatever reason, you could count on the finest of treatment. Sprite and Saltine crackers, a comfy “sick bed” on the couch, and any movie you wanted to watch – Ewoks, Annie, or Wizard of Oz.
Grandmamma was a Teacher
She taught us all to appreciate nature. From the flower garden she took such pride in, to the various humming birds, blue birds and the like that frequented her feeders, she never missed an opportunity to point out the beauty right outside her back door. Even the front yard promised adventure. We collected sap and locust shells out front, and the brave grandchildren could climb up to the top of the magnolia tree. She taught us to save our money (Kristina’s Spain story), to take good care of our neighbors and to think twice before saying a naughty word (that lesson came with a little help from a bar of soap). We learned popper manners, etiquette and grammar. We learned about branches of our family tree that we didn’t even know existed, whether we wanted to know it or not. Most important, she taught us to pray, to read and learn from scripture, and to live by Christian values. I think we all received our first Bible from Grandmother & Granddaddy.
Gran was a Kid at Heart
Some might say Gran had the “kid heart”, but as a child Will thought of it more as a "Kid Brain". It kind of means the same thing as kid at heart, but he once told her that she had a kid brain because she could think like a kid, and she really liked that and always referred to it when they spoke throughout the years. Old Maid, Memory, Spoons, Scrabble, and Pick-up-Sticks….just a a few of several games she would sit on the floor and play with us. And the big red firetruck…. What grandmother in her right mind buys her first grandson the biggest, loudest, most obnoxious sounding fire truck on the planet, only to have to endure the horrific sound for 5 more grandchildren! Somehow she thought it was wonderful, and in fact, she truly understood and appreciated young children. She would get us to talk or sing and she would record our voices on blank tapes so we could listen to them later on as adults. We found these treasured tapes in your room yesterday, Grandma, & we look forward to listening to them.
Gan Gan was a Chauffer
Whether Gan Gan was taking us to or from school, running us to an orthodontist appointment, or helping out some other way, you traveled first-class in the Buick. If it was a morning errand, you could get orange juice and a bagel wrapped up in foil to keep it hot or cold respectively. And after school, a Dr. Pepper (again, wrapped in foil) awaited you. Should she forget to pack a breakfast or after school snack, it’s a good thing there was a Dairy Queen close by. She made sure we never, ever went hungry.
Grandmother was an Artist
If you didn’t make at least a dozen paper mache creations at Grandmother’s house, then you really got robbed of a childhood experience. From Santas to Easter Eggs, we enjoyed the gloriously messy art of paper macheing & painting. She gave us sewing lessons, and taught us to make pillows or pretty much anything else we could dream up. We each treasure our tooth fairy pillows, wedding garters and scrapbooks that she lovingly made each one of us. As a mom of two busy boys myself, painting, messy art projects, and sewing fall way down at the bottom of my to-do list. I’m sure Grandmother also had dinners to make, dishes to clean, laundry to fold & the likes, but somehow, her calendar was completely wiped clean we her grandchildren were around. She knew how important that time was, and now, as mothers & fathers ourselves, we know that no matter how difficult it is to slow down & create that special time to just play with our children, the memories are well worth it.
Grandma was a Master Chef
First you must know, that to a “grandchild” you don’t have to actually cook anything to be considered a master chef. When sitting & brainstorming about our memories of Grandma, non of us boasted about the Brussels sprouts she made every Christmas, or the buttermilk she made us all taste at least once, but we DID unanimously brag about the roasted Christmas pecans (extras for Stephen, of course) , the homemade Popsicles we enjoyed poolside every summer, along with the kiss cookies, snow cones, and pretty much any other frozen goody you could get from the friendly neighborhood Schwann man. We’re quite certain Dairy Queen would have gone out of business years ago if not for Grandmother. When you have a hankering for a Queeny Burger, Blizzard or a Dilly
Bar, nothing else will do, and I know I cannot drive through a Dairy Queen without thinking about my Grandma.
Grandmother, I hope you are proud of the Legacy you leave behind. 3 beautiful children, 6 grandchildren and 8 great-great grandchildren. You have helped shape each one of us into the people we are today. We know, thanks to you, how to be the best spouses, mothers, fathers, neighbors, friends, and Christians that we can be. Your Legacy continues to live on. Thank you for everything. We love you and will never forget you.
Love, Stephen, William, Natalie, Erica, Kristina and John David
