One very important part of her life is faith. It means so much for her to attend Mass weekend after weekend, to be present to Jesus Christ in the Word and in the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ. Faith is a gift she received that she passes on to me.
As part of my preparations for Confirmation a dozen years ago, I had a conversation with Abuela about the Holy Spirit's gift of reverence, choosing her for this interview because I felt that she displays much reverence in the way she lives out her faith. She told me she has a lot of reverence for God "because He is Almighty". While her parents instilled the ways of faith in her, she has committed to continuing in these ways in adult life, and passes this way of life on to me.
In many respects, we operate on a similar wavelength in the manner by which we appreciate the profundity of life, even in the little things.
I think my Abuela can be defined very much as a person by what she takes pictures of, which is something she enjoys doing. At family gatherings, she likes to take pictures of various groupings of people, like grandma and grandchildren, cousins, parents and children, etc., in addition to group photos of everyone. I even remember looking through the pictures she took at my Valparaiso University graduation, and she took pictures of the serving staff at the reception.
She also takes pictures of flowers and other scenery, seeing a special kind of beauty in them, revealing a sense of what life is. Sometimes, I'll show her pictures I've taken and she'll notice that sense of beauty in them.
My Abuela is also defined by her abundant spirit of generosity. She eagerly invites me to come over and visit her, because she values spending time with people. I think of this reality in especially regarding her sister, my Great Aunt Carmen. Though they live nearly 1000 miles apart, they call each other frequently, and travel back and forth to visit with each other with regularity.
She enjoys serving food when I come, and pouring forth her wisdom, insights, and advice unto me. And I often leave visits with her with something to take with me that she has given me as a gift.
She doesn't limit her generosity just to family and friends, though. One story that stays with me strongly was the time about 10 1/2 years ago that she and I went to Chinatown on Chicago's Near South Side, where we shopped. We were riding the Blue Line back to the Northwest Side. At the Clark/Lake Station, a number of passengers boarded the train, carrying luggage, bound for O'Hare Airport at the end of the line to catch flights. She randomly struck up conversation with the various people boarding, in keeping with her penchant for engaging with other people, even those she doesn't know.
She then turned to a man and asked him, "Where are you going?" He shared that lived in the Pilsen neighborhood and was on his way to catch a flight to Mexico where he would be married. The two of them kept the conversation going for a while. Abuela was so delighted to hear of his getting married. In her bag, she had two sets of wind chimes that had various words like "Happiness", "Peace", etc., printed on them in Chinese characters and Spanish words. She bought one for someone in particular, and planned to figure out who would get the other set. But feeling such joy while in conversation with this man, she reached into the bag, pulled out the wind chimes, and handed it to the man as a wedding gift.
Indeed, she thoroughly enjoys celebrating special occasions in grand style, which are among my most cherished memories, especially La Buenanoche on the night of December 24, and birthdays, too.
I always look forward to March 16 rolling around every year, and getting a call from Abuela, who, upon hearing me come on the line, strikes up "Las Mañanitas".
Well, it's now time to return the favor and sing her "Las Mañanitas" on this joyful occasion of marking 80 years of her presence gracing God's Earth.
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| In the picture above, I am just about 7 months old, being held by Abuela. Below, Abuela and I are standing out on the walkway in front the house she lived in for over 30 years. Most likely, I was middle school-aged in this picture. |
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| Above, Abuela poses with me after the graduation ceremony at which I received my MLIS, on May 8, 2016. Below, Abuela and I are together in downtown Cripple Creek, CO, this past summer of 2016, when we joined a family celebration of my Great Aunt Carmen's birthday. |
Note: The link to the YouTube video above for "Las Mañanitas" is slightly different from the version Abuela sings for people's birthday, referring to one's "saint day". It is a traditional Mexican birthday song.
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