08/27/2026
Yesterday was my grandmotherās birthday. It became a quiet day of reflection.
She was one of the most influential and significant people in my life, and I feel so fortunate to have watched her in action and to have been the recipient of her love and sunshine.
She was always in motion. Working, helping, caring for others; and was a true matriarch in the fullest sense of the word. She was there for everyone in our family. She tended to the sick, comforted those who were grieving, was a companion to the lonely, and somehow always seemed to appear at your door when you needed her most. Caring for others was simply part of who she was.
Much of that was learned from having spent years of her childhood by her motherās side, caring for her through an illness that no one had been able to diagnose. When her mother passed away, she was 12, and although she was the youngest child, she became the mother of the home, helping care for her 5 siblings and supporting her father through his profound grief.
Her life would be filled with loss. She lost her husband as a young woman and was left with the financial responsibility of caring for the children. She went from homemaker to becoming a working mom, at a time when women stayed home with their children. Then followed by the heartbreaking loss of her son, her granddaughter, and eventually all her beloved siblings. Yet through it all, she remained strong and resilient, grounded by her deep Catholic faith.
During the last decade of her life, she lived with Alzheimerās. And yet, she still lived a happy and remarkably active life.
Even with the horrible disease, she remained in motion until the last year of her life. Her daily routine included a 45-minute walk in the morning and another 15 or 20 minutes in the afternoon. We kept her mind engaged with daily exercises, math, writing, games, playing ball, and especially cards. She loved playing cards, and remarkably, she could still beat just about anyone.
She went everywhere with us. Over time, she went from being my grandmother to becoming like a very young daughter. She was my bebita (little one).
There were difficult moments, of course, moments of worry about her safety and moments when she seemed to disappear deeply into another world. But somehow, her sunshine continued to uplift us. And we all enjoyed her so much.
As Alzheimerās took away so much, in an unexpected way it also took away worries, fears and her spirit of duty; allowing her to be carefree and develop childlike wonder and excitement about everything. She went to the beach, enjoyed the swimming pool/spa, attended concerts, operas and plays, went on rides, sailed, and tried so many things she never would have imagined doing earlier in her life. And we had the joy of experiencing those moments with her. She had a childhood after all; it just came at the closing chapter of her life. Such evidence of how every trial has a silver lining.
Sadly, at 101, she developed ovarian cancer. She passed away at 102, in our home, loved and held by us until her final breath.
Thank you, Grandmother, for giving me my faith, for teaching me kindness and devotion, and for giving me some of the most wonderful years of my life.
You were my grandmother, my bebita, and a mother too. Most of all, you were one of the finest human beings I have ever known.
Happy Birthday, Grandmother. Your love and sunshine are still very much with me.
The photo was taken on Motherās Day, while my grandmother was undergoing treatment, and just three months before her 102nd birthday. Even during treatment, her sunshine never left her. AI was only used to remove others from the photo and not to enhance the photo in any way. This is Authentically Grandmother!
āRejoice alwaysā¦ give thanks in all circumstances.ā
ā St. Paul, 1 Thessalonians 5:16ā18
