Remembering Our Lovely Family

Our Family is the greatest people in our lives. They may not be perfect, funny, wise, professional or outgoing, but no matter how they are, they are our treasure. A treasure we love and care for very much.

Here is my family. Humble people from the mountains of Puerto Rico. Not rich in money but rich in wisdom, farm land and unconditional love.

This is my Mother Maria at 20 years old when she met my Dad. A lady with a mind to write beautiful poetry. She has written over 800 poems and is currently on her 3rd daily devotional spiritual poetic books. She published 1 poetry book after receiving her award for The Golden Poet of the Year in 1983. She is currently in The Poet's Hall of Fame and she was also inducted into the National Library of Poetry. She is an avid runner and currently at the age of 78 she is still running 10 miles a day. She has won many medals and trophies in this sport. She is my Mom and she is my hero. 

This is my Dad Quintin when he met my Mom. He was 19 years old. My Dad was an army man in the Korean war. He was also very wise man with money. He could make money grow in many ways. He owned his own grocery store for over 40 years and yes he made tons of money, so much that he had money in 4 different banks at once.

This is my Dad when he was 15 years old.

Here is my Mom and I when I was about 1 years old.

and here is Mom and I when I was about 7.

 This is my maternal grandma Carmen, I didn't get to see her very much since she lived far away from me, but the times I did see her, she only gave me hugs. Those to me are treasured memories. I did meet my grandfather Pedro, he was a farmer and a very hard worker. He grew coffee, plantains, sure cane and potatoes. That was the way he earned his money. They were very poor, but they were very much in love, not only for each other but for everyone else also.

This is my paternal grandma, she was the light of my eyes and the lady I loved dearly. I never got to meet her husband but my grandmother Maria was one of the sweetest and most loving grandma anyone could ever desire. She had no education, so she did not know how to read or write. While I living with her in Puerto Rico for 7 years, I got to know who this lady was and I even taught her to write her full name. I spent many afternoons making her write over and over her name in print like a first grader until she learned it by heart. She loved to write her name and her notebook was full of her accomplishments...she was so proud of herself. I would read to her the scriptures every day in Spanish and I would also read to her many Spanish first grader books she understood well. I remember how she shared with me so much of her life and the hard strict upbringing she experienced from her parents. Today I treasure those stories so much that I am writing them down on a journal to pass them down to my son. I miss my beautiful grandmother very much. 

I hope everyone can take many moments of their busy lives to unite themselves with their grandparents. They would not only learn how precious those moments of love and learning would be, but to know who they really were can be a gift they will treasure forever. Once these relatives are gone, its too late...today is the day to call and visit those lovely grandparents. Take the time before its to late and if you can record every conversation you have with them, it will be a treasure for you to pass on to others.