Yesterday,
I was reminding my mom that in a couple weeks I leave for the cruise.
“I’m going
to miss you,” she said.
“It’s only
ten days,” I responded.
“Who is going
to make me laugh during that time?”
Together my
mom and I are clowns- my sister always complains that we are so lame, she just doesn’t
understand our sense of humor. Like when
mom hears one of those heart-penetrating, Mexican, regional songs she does a
mariachi grito- which sounds more like a cat getting stepped on. Or when she retells a joke she can’t ever
finish it because she’s laughing so hard mid joke. I laugh, my sister gets slightly
annoyed. But my favorite is when she
breaks into dance every time she hears a good beat. She has no rhythm so she
literally dances to her own tune. Daily
she reports on how my dog behaved and how my bird thanks her every time she
changes his food… My dad too is quite silly.
He never calls people by their name- always baptizes them with a new name
that better suits him/her according to dad.
Like when I brought my dog home- dad wanted to know how much I spent on
him because I wouldn’t reveal the price my dad started calling my dog
Dollar. Afraid that my dog would get
confused and knowing my dad would refuse to call him anything else - my dog
became Dollar. Dad too loves to break
into dance and loves imitating how cholos or reguetoneros dance, he has no rhythm
so his attempts are quite hilarious! He
loves making jokes, usually about his bald head and getting implants or letting
the sides grow to comb over the middle…
Together mom and dad are lethally funny!
They are
quite popular around our neighborhood because they are also beyond friendly. Both are simple, humble folk- they have never
read the great philosophers or traveled outside of the USA and Mexico, they
have modest professions, and believe in God as consequence of the handing down
of traditional values. Yet, their faith
is enviable – they don’t need to see to believe they just do. Mom daily pulls away in the afternoon to go
and pray alone in her room and when we leave for work every morning she gives
us her blessing. God is ever present in
their actions towards others. They both
had very little schooling; yet, they are the brightest people I know. I was a first generation college graduate and
as I received my diploma – they were initially afraid that I would be embarrassed
by them. And perhaps I would have been
if I hadn’t had an encounter with God…
University opened a new world to me and at times my family’s humble
background shamed me, but when God rocked my world He showed me what really
matters in this world. People. My family is plebeian – in fact many of the
people that compose my inner circle are simple folk – yet their value is as the
old MasterCard commercials’ advertised PRICELESS. Having material wealth and uber degrees does not
increase a person’s value nor does not having those things decrease it either. We are all worthy simply because God gave us
value, strip us everything and we are worth the same amount. Yet, society lies to us constantly placing a
price tag on each person according to his accomplishments or material wealth. Don’t let them fool you! You are worthy
whether or not you have a job, a house, a college degree or are in transition
fighting to put food on the table and a roof over your head. You are more than enough! God created you in His image and deemed you
good- so good that He wants you for Himself. There’s a song I love in Spanish that
says, “gracias por existir,” in
translation it loses a bit of its poetry but not its beauty: "thank you for existing." Simply, gracias
por existir. To love another simply
because he/she lives is loving like God loves.
That’s how my parents’ love- and how I hope to one day love too.
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