Thursday, August 8, 2019
Life goes on...
My apologies for not sending thank you notes to each and everyone of you. Y'all gave me strength and love in my time of need. A "little late" but this is my effort to let you know how much it comforted me.
I've been away for a while. So many changes. Its sad how one minute you're on top of the world and the next, can't find the forest for the trees.
Its been a roller coaster ride these last few years. I can't begin to tell you when exactly I entered the roller coaster but it picked up speed and didn't stop until May 24, 2019. That's when "my world" made the biggest change. This was the day my sweet, darling husband made his transition to a higher world. Ralph F. Garza left our world to join all the beautiful, wonderful, family members that have gone before us.
Ralph had been ill, off and on, for the last four years or so. It has been a very lonely time for me knowing that something was wrong, unable to do anything. Ralph did all he could, going to doctor after doctor, and in the end everything was too late.
He wanted to be cremated and have no services whatsoever. I wanted to celebrate his life. A life filled with so much love. You knew if Ralph loved you, you could feel it and you could take it to the bank. He made you feel special, like you were the only one.
That part of his life was reflected in all his family and friends who attended his rosary and services. His classmates all the way from elementary school at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Edinburg to his Edinburg High School Class of 1965. Your presence was overwhelmingly full of love. Words could never thank you for thinking of him.
To my Mission High School Class of 1970 classmates who adopted him as one of our own were also in attendance. I can never thank everyone enough nor express the feelings of gratitude for honoring him with your presence. He was loved.
To all my friends and family, Holy Spirit Catholic Church, Deacon David, Father Louis, Dr. Jesus Zavaleta and his staff, for each and every kind gesture and word you gave, thank you. To Monette Guerrero, Leo Rodriguez, Derek Rodriguez, Norma Garcia, and Greg for their kind words and participation at his service. Thank you everyone for your generosity and especially to my daughters and my son-in-laws for knowing what to do and doing it with grace and love. And to those I missed, forgive me, because God knows the difference you made in this difficult time.
His death was sudden, unexpected and unwelcome even though in my heart I know he is in a better place and no longer suffering. My heart still wants what the heart wants, his presence by my side.
For his daughters, his last words were, "Tell my girls I love them..." They were everything in his life, his reason for living, his reason for loving, and his reason for trying to be the very best he could be. He was a wonderful, loving father and spectacular grandfather to Scarlet and William.
And this is where everything comes full circle. When there is death, there is also a birth. Our family has been blessed so much. As some of you may know, Ralph was also a Perez...on his father, Ralph P. Garza's side. So as tradition would have it, Perez meaning pairs, our small little family is happy to announce the anticipated arrival of our 3rd and 4th grandchildren. Samantha and Rory, along with Scarlet and William, are so excited to announce we're expecting twins. Arrival date on or about February, 2020. Out of respect for my daughter, I needed to wait a short while to make the announcement (not publicly anyway.). Ralph is having a heyday although I'm sure he knows...
And thank God for watching over us.
Life goes on...
Monday, July 8, 2019
I woke up this morning...
Hello!
It's me, Diana... Yeah, I'm back! I woke up this morning with the desire to write. It's been such a long time since I've written. So many changes...life changes, additions, subtractions. But this morning, after our morning walk (Ralph and I are back walking our Jack Russell terrier, Peggy Sue.), there was something different. I can't put my finger on it but it was so powerful, I had to turn my tablet on and take pictures.
Everyday, Ralph and I check on our grapes. Poor babies have been in pots all this time and we would watch as their fruit would get disintegrated by the passing visitors, mostly kisskadees, blue jays, and mockingbirds. This year we had the option of covering them with chicken wire before the fruit arrived and it worked. My first morning photograph...
I continued photographing our back yard and was reminded of our patio in back of our home in Mission. Mom and Dad would work everyday on their back yard enjoying their patio...never realizing that one day I would be doing the very thing in my own back yard.
Ralph took it one step further. It's a little different...but the same. Both are tributes to God, nature, and our family. Our back yard, well, see for yourself...
Our grotto...or meditation garden.
My mother-in-law, Aminta Mercedes Lane Garza, aka Bobo (I LOVE her and her name!) asked my father-in-law for a grotto out at Red Gate when they were with us. The land got sold and the grotto was never built...so Ralph and I decided to build our Bobo's grotto in our back yard. I don't know if you can see it but there's a fairly big ferris wheel on the left. The plant (its a palm of somekind) growing smack in the middle, in back, was given to me when Diana was born by my grandmother, Tomasita C. Lopez. I took it everywhere we went until we settled here. It has withstood freezes, hailstorms and all kind of sundry weather...just like she did.
We have fruit bearing citrus trees...valencia oranges, Texas Valley lemons, and Ruby Red grapefruit. and you won't believe the yield!! Its a reminder of my grandfather, Urbano Corpus who was a citrus/produce farmer in Mission. His Texas Valley lemons were the best!!! The plants in the corner are mango trees and if you look carefully at the picture of our grotto, we also have a papaya tree right next to the hoe.
Don't know if you can tell but the green bush up front of the tree is sweet basil...and the pot in front of the pineapple plant is peppermint. I have peppermint in several pots so in the evening when the breeze goes through you can smell the sweet peppermint, plus mosquitoes don't like peppermint...and its great for a tall glass of green tea!!!
It's a jungle out there. Believe it or not...the majority of our plants are gifts. The big schefflera was a gift from a birdie. One day I saw a little bitty plant growing in a pot and now its this huge plant. Others were gifts when my girls were born, when family members passed away, some are from birthdays. Each is a gift of love. And when a branch broke free, Ralph or I would stick it in another pot and, well this is how it happened.
The crucifix made of mirrors was a gift from our oldest niece, Norma Flores Garcia, aka Stormy and the small church fronts on the wall are gifts from a friend, Javi Limas.
The picnic table was made by a friend and co-worker of mine, Roberto Martinez, who taught woodshop at McAllen High School. It also reminds me of the last time our cousin, William "Billy" Zamora, came to visit us for a barbeque. The back yard was still dirt but Billy made us laugh. I still remember the laughter, Billy.
My back yard is a reminder of family, friends, acquaintances, and all the celebrations we've had throughout the years starting from when it was a field of dirt and burrs.
Being in our back yard is so peaceful. There's a big live oak tree that was given to us by my father-in-law, Ralph P. Garza. It was about three feet tall when he gave it to us. That was in the year 2000. It has been the corner of our foundation. The shade it provides is awesome. The picture I'm posting does not give it justice. But every time I sit under Pande's tree, I feel the love, peace, protection, most of all I feel the all embracing love only our God can give.
I hope you enjoyed my tour. I realized my back yard WAS different from my parents. All of my family and friends are all represented in my back yard. Maybe back then it was, too...back then, I just didn't see it.
It's me, Diana... Yeah, I'm back! I woke up this morning with the desire to write. It's been such a long time since I've written. So many changes...life changes, additions, subtractions. But this morning, after our morning walk (Ralph and I are back walking our Jack Russell terrier, Peggy Sue.), there was something different. I can't put my finger on it but it was so powerful, I had to turn my tablet on and take pictures.
Everyday, Ralph and I check on our grapes. Poor babies have been in pots all this time and we would watch as their fruit would get disintegrated by the passing visitors, mostly kisskadees, blue jays, and mockingbirds. This year we had the option of covering them with chicken wire before the fruit arrived and it worked. My first morning photograph...
Ralph took it one step further. It's a little different...but the same. Both are tributes to God, nature, and our family. Our back yard, well, see for yourself...
Our grotto...or meditation garden.
My mother-in-law, Aminta Mercedes Lane Garza, aka Bobo (I LOVE her and her name!) asked my father-in-law for a grotto out at Red Gate when they were with us. The land got sold and the grotto was never built...so Ralph and I decided to build our Bobo's grotto in our back yard. I don't know if you can see it but there's a fairly big ferris wheel on the left. The plant (its a palm of somekind) growing smack in the middle, in back, was given to me when Diana was born by my grandmother, Tomasita C. Lopez. I took it everywhere we went until we settled here. It has withstood freezes, hailstorms and all kind of sundry weather...just like she did.
We have fruit bearing citrus trees...valencia oranges, Texas Valley lemons, and Ruby Red grapefruit. and you won't believe the yield!! Its a reminder of my grandfather, Urbano Corpus who was a citrus/produce farmer in Mission. His Texas Valley lemons were the best!!! The plants in the corner are mango trees and if you look carefully at the picture of our grotto, we also have a papaya tree right next to the hoe.
Don't know if you can tell but the green bush up front of the tree is sweet basil...and the pot in front of the pineapple plant is peppermint. I have peppermint in several pots so in the evening when the breeze goes through you can smell the sweet peppermint, plus mosquitoes don't like peppermint...and its great for a tall glass of green tea!!!
It's a jungle out there. Believe it or not...the majority of our plants are gifts. The big schefflera was a gift from a birdie. One day I saw a little bitty plant growing in a pot and now its this huge plant. Others were gifts when my girls were born, when family members passed away, some are from birthdays. Each is a gift of love. And when a branch broke free, Ralph or I would stick it in another pot and, well this is how it happened.
The crucifix made of mirrors was a gift from our oldest niece, Norma Flores Garcia, aka Stormy and the small church fronts on the wall are gifts from a friend, Javi Limas.
The picnic table was made by a friend and co-worker of mine, Roberto Martinez, who taught woodshop at McAllen High School. It also reminds me of the last time our cousin, William "Billy" Zamora, came to visit us for a barbeque. The back yard was still dirt but Billy made us laugh. I still remember the laughter, Billy.
My back yard is a reminder of family, friends, acquaintances, and all the celebrations we've had throughout the years starting from when it was a field of dirt and burrs.
Being in our back yard is so peaceful. There's a big live oak tree that was given to us by my father-in-law, Ralph P. Garza. It was about three feet tall when he gave it to us. That was in the year 2000. It has been the corner of our foundation. The shade it provides is awesome. The picture I'm posting does not give it justice. But every time I sit under Pande's tree, I feel the love, peace, protection, most of all I feel the all embracing love only our God can give.
I hope you enjoyed my tour. I realized my back yard WAS different from my parents. All of my family and friends are all represented in my back yard. Maybe back then it was, too...back then, I just didn't see it.
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