My Grandma Nunez

I found out last night that my grandma is going to pass away. She had an accident that left her brain dead. She is on life support. My dad and 2 uncles think that they should not sustain her on life support, but one of my uncles doesn't want to see her go. I can't blame him. She would have been 90 in October.

As I reflect on my Grandma, there are a few things that stick out in my mind. One, she made the best sugar cookies. It was always fun to go to her house because we knew she would have warm cookies for us. The second thing I remember is how she served her family through cooking and cleaning. She was a whirlwind of activity when she would come and visit us. No cabinet was left undusted, no hiding place was too good. She would whip through the house in a flurry of cleaning and washing, cooking and cleaning some more.

Her house in Kingsville was filled to the brim with pictures of her family. She added photos of them any chance she got. Her house was small, but it is where she reared 5 boys alone. There was only 1 bedroom in the house and 1 bathroom. I remember going to visit grandma when she worked at the tortilla factory. She lived during the Great Depression and her life reflected the hardships that she endured. Her life made her tough, so she wasn't always a sugary old lady. She was gruff, but she always remembered her grandkids. I could count on $5 for every birthday, no matter how old I was getting. The money was always accompanied by a letter of love.

I am amazed that my grandmother was able to raise 5 boys alone. My dad is the oldest. She outlived one of my uncles. Boy did her boys love her. I remember that every mother's day, we would all meet at her home in Kingsville. Her sons would chip in and get a mariachi band to serenade her at the break of dawn. "Estos son las mananitas, que canto el Rey David..." How I disliked the early morning songs because it disrupted my sleep. My grandma would smile so much. She was so proud of her boys.

I used to love the shed in the back of her house. Who knows what treasures are in there, but the one that I remember was a little fisher price school house. I loved to look at it. I don't know if we ever got to play with it, but it was there.

Grandma, I am sorry that we couldn't spend more time with you as you got older and our lives took us away from Texas. I have 2 wonderful sons that I wanted to take to meet you this summer. We were planning on visiting you after we moved from Utah. You would have adored your 2 great grandsons. Both Samuel and Joseph look like your son. I love you grandma. I know that we haven't seen you since Joe and I had our reception there, but you were always in my heart. God be with you till we meet again....