Holiday Memories...

I remember how much the holidays meant to me when I was a little girl. Its because of my upbringing that I love the holidays so much still today. Coming from a large family the holidays were our time to rejoice and feel Blessed. As children, the adults tried their best to show us the happiness of family unity despite the fact that we knew things weren't perfect. But at Christmas and New Years the negative undertones didn't matter.

My grandparents house was the meeting point for all my tia's, tio's and primos. We would get dressed up at home and my mother always cooked something. I can still smell my dad's cologne. He wasn't shy at all about wearing his cologne! While we opened gifts and had breakfast at home we all looked forward to arriving amongst the chaos of mama and papa's house. When we got there the usual quietness of the street was taken over by all the family cars. Me and my sisters would race from the car to the house and when we entered the living room we always felt like we were stepping into our own personal Christmas wonderland. The living room would have so many gifts we could hardly sit or walk in there. And then there was the food! Mama was a genius en la cocina and the aroma would melt in your mouth like cotton candy.

The constant chatter in the house. The hugs and kisses. The sound of gifts being opened and thankful reactions. The music. Turning the basement into a nightclub. The food. The love. The respect. I would look around the house at all the people and knew that every single one of them was family and I'd feel so Blessed. Through the rain our family still had sunshine. Today we reflect on those we've lost. #1 The Queen of our family, MAMA. And although she is no longer here with us in the physical sense, I swear I still smell that aroma when I walk into her house. #2 The realest man I've ever known...ELIA, my cousin, my friend. And to Nori, Abuelo, Dereck Von Winkle, Renaldo Goosby, Damaris Irrivary, and Randy...although you're no longer with us we all feel Blessed to have known you. May God Bless Your Family's and Friends.

My family's legacy continues on with the next generation...Glenn, Kevin, David, Manny, China, Andrea, Darius, Jay, Rolando, Genne Benny, Natalie, Ilyana, Nicholas, Julissa, Lorenzo, Z'Maya Summer and many more.