Corazón...Por Siempre En Mi Corazón

"Corazon." She would often address my sisters and me in this manner.

It means heart in Spanish.

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Wow, did my sisters and I ever feel her love as soon as we stepped inside her house. With every trip back to our homeland that is El Salvador, a sleep over at our cousins' house was a must. The cousins I'm referring to are "Las tres Marias" or the three Marias in English. They are three sisters who each carry the name Maria in their full name. My sisters and I have always looked up to these cousins. The youngest one Guadalupe or Lupita as we call her for short, is a year older than me. Steph, Natalie and I have been in awe of their external beauty, big hearts, generosity, intelligence, kindness, authenticity, fashion and fun since we were little. Their dad is my mom's oldest brother and he married a wonderful woman that we called tía Any (aunt Annie).

She passed away 9 years ago on April 15th from the terrible disease of cancer, after spending the previous 6 years battling it off and on.

My aunt excelled as a mother and homemaker. Her cooking in addition to my own mother's food was my favourite. She had famous dishes that she was known for such as her delicious turkey sandwiches. I can still picture them. She LOVED to feed us, and I mean LOVED to feed us. She's like my mom in that she would cook with love, serve generous portions, always tell you to have more. In fact, she would insist on it. It was her love language.

My aunt was nurturing and had such a sweet voice. She would take us in as her own when we would go for sleep overs. She would make sure we had everything we needed and would tell us often what a good job my parents did in raising us. She frequently expressed her love for us and we believed her because like I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post, we felt her love as soon as we were in her presence.

The absence of her presence continues to weigh heavily on my heart. Her passing was the first significant loss I encountered in life, and it was profoundly painful. It remains so. Grief, after all, ebbs and flows like waves. Time doesn't erase it; instead, one learns to coexist with the sorrow. Yet, it lingers quietly in the backdrop. Thankfully, I see so much of my tía Any in her daughters.

I would like to encourage you to seek out someone that you love and give them a hug. Let them know how much they mean to you. If I were in El Salvador, I would buy three bouquets of flowers for my beloved Marias, sit with them and embrace them.

Photo by Dekler Ph on Unsplash

To love deeply and be loved in return...what a gift that is.

With love,

Raquel