As you are reading our March issue of Search Parker Magazine you
may be wondering why it came out so late this month. I would like to apologize
to all of our readers for this. Life sometimes throws you a curve ball and this
month is no exception.
As we were preparing for our March issue we received a phone
call that moved our priorities around. My wife took the call from my mother who
informed us that my Grandmother was being given her last rights and that she
probably wouldn’t be with us much longer. One day later she passed.
Family is the top priority in my life and we headed to New
Mexico to honor her death and celebrate her life. This was a great time to
re-connect with family and to share our experiences with Grandma.
Carmen Baca Waid was the oldest of seven children. She also had
seven kids and my father was the oldest of them. I am one of 23 grandchildren
and, at her death, she had 33 great grandchildren. She was a very special woman
who touched so many people in so many ways.
As I shared stories with my cousins at her funeral we remembered
so many little things about Grandma that were special to us. I remember sitting
at the "kid’s table" making tortillas and waiting until Grandma
would fry them up. I still have one of the make-shift rolling pins that she gave
us grandkids and it is very precious to me.
We talked about how she used to put dish soap and water in a
small bowl and give us an old wooden spool to dip in it so we could blow
bubbles. Something as simple as this kept us busy and happy for hours on end.
This was Grandma…happiness to the very end.
In recent years as her Alzheimer’s left her with very little
memory of who I was, however I was fortunate enough to play cards with her for
several hours last year. She would look at me and ask me the same question over
and over but always shared a smile and a warm touch. I will hold onto those
memories for the rest of my life.
Grandma passed on the morning of Valentine’s Day. I could not
think of a more fitting day for her to rejoin the love of her life than on that
special day. I know she and Grandpa are up in Heaven enjoying each other again.
I hope our readers can bear with me and the tardiness of our
magazine this month. I do have one request, however. Make a point to call at
least one relative today. Don’t wait until this weekend, but do it today.
Share some stories and share some love. Those memories are the most precious and
will last a lifetime. ◊
