Hello mom:
Although this letter is for you, mom, I cannot start without first thanking God for his love and favor. Choosing the womb of a beautiful and exceptional woman like you to be my mother is proof of how important I am for him from the beginning of my life.
You are not only physically beautiful; you have a heart that is full of love and compassion for others. I consider you a strong and decisive woman. Your strength helped us not to crumble in times of adversity. Life was full of complications and you were our rock.
Your journey started early in life and like many of us, you had your share of mishaps. One thing is certain, you did not give up. You did the best you could with the limited resources you possessed in your early twenties. It pains me to know all you went through. I remember the times I saw you working hard and looked tired. You had the responsibility of a family that you inherited by marriage, along with my brother and me. You were almost a child yourself. Not only you managed to keep the house clean, dinner ready for us and the farmworkers. You made sure we stayed well dressed, wore shoes while playing. You did not want us to get hurt (well, many of us did anyway). They may be little things and, what is expected of a mother, some will take it for granted. That is sad. We were privileged that you stayed and did not leave us. It was too much and too hard.
I remember how you regretted early decisions before you and I joined this family. Oh, you cried so hard! There was some controversy when you arrived. You and my new dad stayed together for over thirty years before he went to heaven. That is testimony to all the ones that doubted your capacity to sustain this home. I admire your strength and commitment. I praise you for never getting bitter, and for cultivating a sincere friendship with the neighbors we grew up to love so much. I never heard you complaining or spreading rumors. I am so proud of being your daughter.
We had so many memories from childhood to today. Yes, I am blessed to still have you in my life. At 82, you are a beautiful, clear-minded, strong will, always looking sharp and keeping your home clean and neat as you always did.
Among the things we reminisce sometimes are the trips to town, and your negotiations with the store clerk, it was so funny. I may or may not had mastered that art. I must laugh now!
The teatime was our personal ritual. I miss it every night now that you are living in another part of the country. I share this ritual with my granddaughter, and I hope she gets to share it with her own daughter one day. It provokes my pleasure to also call you when I am drinking coffee and listening to you moving in a hurry to make you a cup. There are things we can still share despite the distance.
Thanks for helping me raise my older son when I was so young to know what I was doing, and I was alone. I got the opportunity to enroll in college because you stopped working to attend to the baby’s needs. You also came running to my aid on multiple occasions when I needed you the most. I will never forget that mother.
My kids grew up with you by their side, they are as blessed as me. They turned out great. I know I owe you part of their success too. They also love and appreciate you. Through you, they learned what is to be a warrior and conquer a position in life. They manage to have a great career and own kids. The oldest one just retired. I know they make you proud. We succeeded in life because we have an example in you. You never back down although life treated you rough at times.
There is so much I can say but, for sake of time, I will mention one more thing. I still have the gold cross, a symbol of the faith we share and the Lord we serve. I remember listening to this song live while we were in Puerto Rico. I will post the link here for others to listen.
I love you mom, thank you for everything you have done for us. I pray everyone can recognize and appreciate all your efforts and forgive you for the mistakes and some decisions you made along the way. You had no help; you had no experience and more important you did not have another choice. We do not have the right to judge you, we all had made plenty of mistakes ourselves.
All is in God’s ordained. We must plow our own destiny sometimes with limited resources as it happened to you. You are forgiven, He cleans your sleight, you are a new creature, made in His image. He loves you so much, he has preserved your life so you can be complete, happy, accomplished, loved, treasured, and supported. You planted the seed and now you can harvest the fruits of your labor. He provides for all your needs and wants. I bless you with a long, and healthy life for years to come. I love you, mom. ❤️
Corazón Samaritano 