A week before launch I found out that my great-grandfather was not doing well. When my mom and I found out this news we immediately dropped everything and drove down to California to help in any way we could. The whole ride there all I could think about were the millions of things I have to do before I leave to spend 9 months in the missions field. When we arrived we were informed that my grandparents wanted to move out of their house they had spent 45 years living in. As my mom and I packed up their house I learned lessons that I would carry with me for the rest of my life.
My abuelito was a man of many talents, one of them being that he picked the best women of all time to be his wife. When he met my grandmother she was 15 and he was 27 and head over heels in love. They were married for 67 years. As we placed every article of clothing in a bag my abuelita explained to us that she was the luckiest girl alive because her man made her every piece of clothing she owned. Growing up and watching their love for each other is something I never valued and cherished until I was older. In today’s society, no one stays together so being in a house filled with genuine love is so refreshing.
My grandparents were born in Uruguay but moved here to start a better life. My abuelito moved to the united states first so he could earn some money and get everything ready for the rest of his family’s arrival. He would work and then send money back to my grandmother with letters to let her know that he was ok. Eventually, the postal services caught on that there was money in the letters so they would pocket them. When the letters stopped coming to my abuelita, she went into a great panic. Unsure if her husband was ok or moved on because of his better life she did what every rational woman would do, she packed up everything and set off to find her husband. She was willing to take a risk because that is what her love meant to her.
The last conversation I had with my abuelito is something I know was a blessing from God. I once read a book about how everyone has one last good day before they die, where the pain goes away because you are surrounded by everything you love. For my abuelito, this was two things; his family and Carl’s Jr. We all sat around his bed on the last day before I left and had a “picnic” with hamburgers, belly laughs, and so many stories. As my family laughed at me trying to speak Spanish my abuelito kept telling us tonight he is a king. In our last conversation, he told me how proud he is of me, that all his sacrifices were worth it because he got to see his grandkids full of love and willing to share that with the world.
Last night my abuelito took his last breath. When my mom called me she told me that he was not in pain, he was at peace. Although she meant physically I also feel he was at peace in every aspect of his life. He was loved as a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, but also as a friend. And although it is a time to mourn, to me this is a time to be thankful of all of God’s blessings. I am so thankful for the role my abuelito played in my life and the memories we shared.
