Sara's thoughts

I have so many memories and lessons learned from Grandma. I looked up to her, admired her and just loved being in her company. I could tell lots of great stories, but I’m going to share just two of my favorite.

Red Rose Tea
I will always associate Red Rose Tea with Grandma. When I was about 10 years old, I started going to my Grandma’s house on Saturday mornings. She was working at the time, so Saturday was cleaning day, and I would come help. We would chat all the while we were dusting, washing floors and doing dishes. Then, when we needed a break, Grandma would make Red Rose Tea and we would sit by the fireplace drinking tea out of pretty tea cups. That image of us sitting in front of the fireplace drinking tea is one of the images that come to my mind whenever I think of her.

Sleepovers with my "Cool Grandma"
My best friend growing up in Crystal Lake was Megan. She was like another member of my family. And, we loved having sleepovers at Grandma’s house. Grandma got right into it like she was a teenage girl, too. We’d watch movies and eat junk food and laugh. One particular night, she had let us pick the movie to rent and we chose Silence of the Lambs. I remember Grandma looking at it and saying, "I like Anthony Hopkins. He’s a good actor, so I’ll bet this is good." Little did she realize that she would be curled up on the side of her bed, peeking over the edge, shocked at the gruesome movie. She watched the whole thing, though. She kept saying, "I’m a cool Grandma. I can handle this!" She sure was!!
So much of who she has been has shaped the kind of person that I want to be. She was an individual. She was a wife, a mother, an artist, an entrepreneur, a student, a teacher, a volunteer and more.

Sara Burhans