I consider myself to be a very blessed individual! Throughout my life I have always been surrounded by supportive and loving people. Without these people, people that have given me reason to go on. I owe a lot of myself to them who knows what my life could have turned out like. The most important and always at the top of my list are my family. I come from a large family my Dad has nine sisters and four brothers. That seems unreal to me my Grandma Stella had a total of seventeen children but three of them passed when they were little along with my grandpa Horacio he passed when my Dad was only four years old. I would have really liked to have met him. My Grandma Stella never remarried she said “He is my husband and he will be waiting for me” she did love him so. And she waited to join him in heaven. And then you have my mothers side.
My mother Anita had five sisters and two brothers. My uncle Ronnie passed away when I was very young. I vaguely remember him, he played poker with us kids and I remember he had a jar of pennies that we would play with at my Grandpa Girons house, we always spent a lot of time there. The house was filled with beautiful gold framed pictures and mirrors, comfortable rocking chairs, and a classic TV built into a wooden box that sat on the floor with a knob you twisted to change the channel. I always felt it was my home to. That house always smelled so clean mixed with the smell some great meal grandma was preparing and the sound of Grandpa watching whatever boxing match was on TV. My mom was very close to her mom as were my sister, brother, and I. Grandma did also have a way of always babying my father to. She babied me the most, I can still hear the sound of her scratchy voice saying “ Anita you leave her alone” whenever my Mom tried to make me help clean up the dishes or sweep the floor.
My chores usually only consisted of making coffee, tang, or helping my Grandma cook. It was always one of my favorite things to help cook. I spent a lot of time in the kitchen with my grandma, my mother, my sister, and which ever aunts and/or cousins were there. Making everything from empanadas which are fun to make but not one of my favorite foods, to lemon merange pie. We had some great times in that kitchen cooking and talking. I even cherish the memories of when we used to get yelled at my cousin Grant and I, when we would run through the house playing and fighting.
We used to wrestle all the time the older ones picking on the little ones. I think it made us tougher when we grew up. Grant and I were the youngest of all the grand children. And oh how we got picked on. My sister Robin is eight years older than we are, and when you are little that is a lot. We used to have a small linen closet at my house. My mother kept all the towels on one of the higher shelves so I would have to climb up the shelves to get one. This was great for my sister because as soon as I climbed up she would close the door. With no room I would be stuck hanging on until she stopped laughing long enough to open the door. My sister the sweet one! My mother never believed any of the things that she used to do to us because she was so timid and nice, or so they thought.
We get along great now she is my best friend, but let me tell you when we were little she sure had her fun. That is what it is like coming from al large family. We are mean to one another, we fight, we play, we cook, we talk, we run around crazy, and I would never trade any of it. As it is said “Friends come and go but at the end of the day the only ones you can count on are your family!” I truly believe this and without them all I would not be the same person I am today.
