Part Of Me

What pleasure it is to remember the place and the moment when my mom gave to me a ring on my 12 birthday.

It was at San Joaquin Mexico, In a very humble house.
When she called me to give me the present, she was standing up in the room very close to a petaquilla, and on the top of it was my present. On the wall in front of us was a picture of the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Around the room were three beds, my mom and my dad's bed with a pair of pillows with a crown of purple and yellow pansies she embroidered. In the center of it said. With blue CAPITAL LETTERS." TE QUIERO MUCHO ESPOSO MIO". "I love you soo much my husband". On the other side of the room were my brothers' bed, and the bed my two sisters and I slept in together.

You know what? very close to it was my blue suitcase saving my first communion book, my rosary, some clothes and my red velvet handbag with a little currency.

My mom always made our birthday very special with very simple things. But that day there was a ring, a strong ring, it can stay with me all my life.

Who could imagine she will die six months later? It's why to me to wear my ring it's very significant. I never take it off, I don't see it like a tomar. It is part of me, part of my mom, something she touched.

When I see the ring around my finger, It's like if my mom is surrounding and embracing me, protecting me with her essence, her warmth and her sweet smell. It makes me feel comfortable, secure and safe.

Too Close For Comfort

I remember a tremendous comfort I felt, after my daughter found a little piece of root.

It was eleven years ago.

We already had plans to move to the United States, but that was impossible for me, because first, I had to be, see and breathe at a place I lived so happy with my family when I was a child, before my mom died.She died when I was twelve years old, and I am the oldest of six.

There is a beautiful place I remember! Every summer my dad made a circle fence with barbed wire, just in front of the river were two big wanavana trees. Those were around five feet apart from each other, those made the arc of the door.

In the circle was only one room to sleep, the kitchen was under the trees, like camping. Some times my brothers, sisters and I were eating and we stood up and ran to jump in the river. It was so fun, unexplainable.

At that time, before we came to the U.S.A. I lived in Guadalajara Jalisco Mexico.

My kids already knew about this special place for me, and they wanted to be there too. We took a bus from Guadalajara to Talpa, then other bus from Talpa to Llano Grande, then a truck to the river. When we arrived there, my kids said, "Where is it mom? Where is it?"

"Do you see those big rocks, and those trees?" I said, "There it is!" My kids started to run to be first. Just gotten there my oldest daughter, Lili, bent down and said, "Mom see, look I found it!" It was an amazing dried root, but it is like a circle, it grew back around in it self. I never saw something like that. For me it is very special. It is like a symbol, made together by my mom, my daughter, and me. It's why when we came to Colorado I could not leave it behind. I did not care if I didn't have room in the luggage. My priority was to bring my root.

It is always in the living room, reminding me of the power of God, my childhood, from where I am and who I am.