Jeff Hajny

    by Jeff Hajny
     On Sept. 9, the nation celebrated Grandparents' Day. This got me thinking about my grandma Velma Hajny and everything she has done for me and my family.
     My grandma Hajny takes great pride in her kids, grandkids and two great-grandkids. Along with this, she takes huge pride in her Czech heritage.
     Velma is probably about the most Czech person you can find. She speaks fluent Czech, has a thick accent, can cook up some amazing kolaches and is an incredible polka dancer.
     Along with this, she has always been the backbone of my family. Every Christmas and Thanksgiving, she always works tirelessly to cook up dinner for the family. She is often the main source of entertainment for the family, playing the funky chicken along with some mean polkas on the accordion at the drop of a hat while we dance the night away.
     Grandma was born on a farm near Deweese. Along with going to school, she had to work on the farm and take care of her younger sister. After eighth grade, she had to quit school to work on the farm.
     She married my grandpa Emil in 1949 and they had four kids together. Sadly, Emil passed away in 2002. Despite my grandpa's death, Velma is still just as sharp and energetic as she ever was.
     Grandma Hajny and I have always been close. I stayed with her for a summer. I was working at a seed corn plant from five in the morning until about six or seven at night. I will always remember waking up at about four a.m. and out she would come trying to fix me a breakfast before I left.
     I would always tell her that she didn't need to do that and she would answer in her thick Czech accent, "I don't want you to go to work on an empty stomach."
     She has always been like that. For my first two years in college, my dorm was about four blocks away from my grandma's home. I would often head to her house to mooch a free meal here and there. She was always willing to find me something and if not, she was always down to go out and eat somewhere. It is almost impossible to pay whenever I go out with my grandma.
     Velma is a huge basketball fan. In high school, my parents and I lived in Colorado and I didn't get to see her too often, but she would always call me after every game to see how it went. The team I played on had the fortune of playing in the state tournament my junior and senior years and she was able to make it out along with my uncle and aunt. I'll always remember my grandma in the stands with her face painted up cheering her heart out.
     When I was little and I would visit my grandparents, there was never a time when my grandma wasn't up for a walk to the park to feed and chase the ducks or for a heated game of Aggravation or Sorry!, where she would usually totally dominate everyone who played.
     Even today, at the age of 85, Velma still hasn't skipped a step. She is still the tough little Bohunk she was when I was little. She is always down for a trip to the movies or to the Hastings VFW for burgers and polish dogs.
     Velma Hajny is one of the strongest, most genuine and down-to-earth people I have ever met. I know she will always be there for me at a moment's notice and I will always be there for her whenever she needs it.
     So this year for Grandparents' Day, I hope you all did something special for those kooky grandparents of yours.
     Gram, this one is for you. I love you a lot and hope to see you soon!!!