Received word early Tuesday morning that my Grandmother had passed away in her home in Mexico City.
Her passing wasn’t exactly unexpected… she suffered a severe stroke in early 2012 and my immediate family has been quietly working through the many emotions one endures when a keystone member is lost.
Regrettably, I did not have a chance to see her in the last 12 months.
If memory serves me correct, I saw her in my late teens and there was a weekend in 2006 where she came up to visit my Mom in South Texas, but I had just moved to San Antonio and we put off seeing each other for another time…
After making some arrangements at work, I drove down to my parents house w/my sister and her daughter to spend time with my Mom as she mourns the passing of her mother.
I can tell that my mom is working through a number of emotions inside that will one day possibly come out through dialogue. It’s been great to just hang back and see her play with her Granddaughter and hear her tell me stories about how my Grandma used to spend time with both my Sister and I when we were toddlers.
I spent a lot of time on my drive down yesterday thinking about my extended visits at her home in Mexico City. I thought about her love of birds and helping her feed what seemed like 60 various types of parrots she kept as pets.
What I remember most was this unique fragrance she had that I could only describe as “La Doña Güera" an affectionate nickname that she never quite cared for.
That and this song by Cafe Tacvba that has always reminded me of her.