Adios, querida abuelita

Yesterday afternoon at 4:20pm Chi Chi passed away. My little brother woke me up from my nap to tell me. I wasn't as sad as I thought I would be. After all, she's been very sick for a while now. Also, a little over a year ago she lost her husband of 60 years. Basically, she gave up on living. I don't blame her. She is in a better place now. She's with Grandad, Tio Dave, Tio Mike, her parents, brothers and sisters and Drew. I can hardly imagine their reunion.

I'm saddest for my dad. He's lost both of his parents in a little over a year. He comes from an extremely close family. His parents were wonderful to him. I know that he knows that families are eternal. It's just hard to lose a loved one.

I'm going to miss Chi Chi. No more tortillas, tamales or empanadas. She was a superb cook. No one could cook like her. She could make anything and didn't use recipes. She just threw stuff together and it came out wonderful. Thankfully, she's passed on a bit of her knowledge and talent to us. Whenever I make a meal out of my head I think of her. Everytime I hear Julio Iglesias I'll think of her. I'll hear her singing along in her high pitched, slightly off key, sweet voice. I'll hear her slippers sliding along the linoleum as she danced to music. Those are memories that I'll always cherish.