How excited you are!

You have arrived at the age.

You are a young lady now.

It’s a magical age,

Where everything is possible,

And everything is beautiful,

Where everything is joy and happiness,

And tears are unknown,

Where pain and worries,

And sadness cannot enter.

Go now.

Stay on your path

Because you have stepped into

The kingdom

Beyond time,

Beyond thought,

And imagination.

Keep on that path.

Stay on the trail.

Arm yourself with the

Spirit, and plant your feet on

The other side of the horizon.

Mexicali, Baja California

December 30, 1989

Olga Hurtado is the name of my niece. That’s her standing between me and my boy Carlitos. Olga was adopted by my brother Roberto. I am not sure if that means if we are related or not. In either case her children and grandchildren accept me as their relative so I guess that is good enough. That’s me sitting. My niece Soccorro to my left. That’s Olga, standing next to my son Carlitos.

 I moved away from my children. I did not want them to fuss over me. I wanted them to live their own lives. The cancer that took my Christi from me did it in such a terrible, painful, and vicious way that I did not want to put them in the same situation with me when my time comes to leave this world.

I have Roberto’s clan to take care of me, here in Mexicali. They all drop by my place every day to check in on me. I drop in on them on a regular basis. I pay Olga’s daughter Soccorro for doing the shopping and cleaning and other things like that.

On this day in 1989 the family took me to the quinceañera of my niece Janet. A quinceañera is a celebration of a young woman’s coming of age. She is no longer a girl and it is time for her to put away childish things.

The day started with  Misa at their local church. Janet was dressed in white like a bride. She carried in her hand a huge bouquet of white flowers.

Her father escorted her to the altar of the church as he will again when she gets married. All their friends and family were there. The church was filled with people.

After the church service we went to the reception. When we arrived at the hall the musicians were already playing their music. There were photographers flashing their bright lights in everyone’s faces.

The dancing began. It seemed like a real wedding. There was a lot of dancing and a long line waiting for a chance to take a turn with Janet, the Queen of the Night.

(I thank Joanna Villarreal for the use of her pictures)