Fruitfulness of our Lives

Echoes of Love from My Maternal Heritage

Our family tree is rooted in resilience, creativity, and devotion. The women of our lineage, my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother, have passed on fruits unknown to themselves, shaping our identities and influencing the lives we live today. Thank you for your fruitfulness.

My great-grandmother, a sweet entrepreneur, is a testament to human resilience and resourcefulness. Our great-grandfather passed early on. She found herself having to be creative and enterprising. With a spirit unwavering in the face of adversity, she sold from-scratch corn tortillas from her house front door, a practice that served as her livelihood and brought warmth to the community. Each corn kernel, soaked under the South Texas sun until swollen, was a labor of love, a tangible testament to her determined spirit. From here, I received the seed “creativity lives within constraints.”

Her devotion to faith was another treasured legacy. My mother recalls her grandmother walking down the road at dawn, moving towards the church with a sense of purpose, her faith echoing in the ringing of the church bell. Her unwavering faith and devotion passed on to my mother. My mother’s grandchildren witness her endless faith, which strengthens their own.

My grandmother’s legacy is one of stoicism and deep-down tender-heartedness. She wore many hats, including a devoted wife and a loving mother of six. Yet, her most profound gift was expressing love through the simple act of cooking. It was through her food that she communicated her affection and thoughtfulness. This gift of expressing love through cooking is a fruitfulness I’ve gratefully inherited, a tradition I carry on with the same warmth and enthusiasm. To cook for my extended family warms my heart.

My mother, a devoted and faith-filled woman, is also a lifelong learner. She gave me the desire and interest to learn and grow constantly. Witnessing her perpetual quest for knowledge made my commitment to learning a natural path. Her unwavering determination to learn and evolve has significantly influenced my life trajectory, shaping me into the person I am today.

While I may not have my own children, I am a “Loli” (Lol-li) to four sweet grandchildren. Loli is my mother’s childhood nickname living on through me, extending my mother’s name and the sweet memories to another generation.

As we express our love to the women who carried us and helped raise us, it’s also good to remember the women who raised them. Their lives were fruitful, and they planted seeds of love, resilience, and wisdom within us that we now carry forward.

On this Mother’s Day, let’s honor all the women who helped bring us to the present. Their spirits and gifts continue to blossom within us, their love nourishing us and their lessons guiding us.

We remember, we love, and we celebrate you today.

To all the EAF readers, have a wonderful weekend filled with warmth that only love can bring.