Grandma

My maternal grandmother died in the early hours of the morning this morning. I have know for a while that she wasn't doing very well and that recently she'd taken a turn for the worse. Still, when my mom called me at 2:20am to tell me the news I wasn't ready to hear it. I'm sad that I didn't get to see her more often in recent years. When we lived in California growing up we spent a lot of time visiting my grandparents at their house. I remember lots of birthday parties, Christmas parties and just anytime family gatherings there. They had a backyard I loved to explore and lived in a quiet cul-de-sac that I loved riding my bike in. They even had a rope swing set up in their garage so we'd be entertained even on the rainy and dreary days.

I have some very fond memories of my grandma.When I was little I couldn't pronounce the Spanish word for grandma well (abuela), so I called her "wela." Even as I grew older and could technically say it correctly, the nickname stuck and she's always been "wela" to me. She is the most amazing cook ever! My entire life I hated Mexican food (I know, what kind of Mexican am I?) but I always loved anything my wela cooked. She had magic fingers or something, because I always loved her Mexican food even though I wouldn't touch anyone else's. She made the best Spanish rice around - even my mom, who hates rice, liked her mom's rice. I remember watching her make tortillas from scratch (and sometimes letting me help) and she knew exactly how I loved them best - toasted in a pan, smeared with butter and rolled up like a burrito. She would always indulge me and let me eat as many of those tortilla treats as I wanted. And no Christmas celebration was complete without Grandma's tamales. They were so labor-intensive that she only did them at Christmas time and would make dozens and dozens and bring them as her gift to the family at the Christmas parties. I also remember that she always left the butter out on a dish on the table at her house. Butter was one of my favorite things as a little girl and I'd always be excited to have access to the butter there! I'd scamper up onto the table and just eat the butter straight from the dish.

Aside from being a wonderful cook, she was also a wonderful mother. She had 8 children and I always loved hearing her tell stories about my mom and aunties (and the trouble they got into) when they were younger. She raised my mom and I happen to think I have the best mom around, so she did an amazing job. I've never lost anyone this close to me before and it's a bit of a shock to the system, even if it wasn't totally unexpected. I'm grateful that she isn't suffering anymore and that in her last days she was surrounded by her children and grandchildren. She was a patient, strong, kind and loving woman and she will be missed greatly.