The Threads That Hold Us: A Legacy of Love
Today is June 6th 2025. This post is dedicated to my abuela Miriam who’s birthday is tomorrow on June 7th. My abuela stepped in to raise and care for me when I was a little girl while my father was drafted and in many ways I consider her my first mother. I don’t have many happy childhood memories but the happy ones, that I do remember, were with her for as far back as my memory takes me. I keep every single letter she sends and we find ways to keep up in this digital world but I do wish we lived in the same state. Luckily we have been planning a trip come the end of summer.
There is something about a grandmother's cooking. Each meal is made with a warmth that only they can add. This summer I'm hoping to get two of my favorite meals written down by her and frame them here in our home. No matter where I have gone, no one serves up these traditional Puerto Rican meals the way my abuela does. Her cooking and her hugs carry the same steadiness and care that take me back to my best early memories. She is, in all, the legacy of love that I want to carry on and send forth with my own children.
Her love is a constant no matter the time or space away. It shows in how welcoming she is even when I get caught up in motherhood. In the details, in her quiet sacrifices she made in her youth, moving from Puerto Rico to a northern state for a better life, in how she prepares a meal for anyone who visits, in her listening ear. I see all the pieces of her in how I want to mother, how I want to move forward in my life and home, how I want to comfort and love my children, and one day the type of abuela I wish to become. My abuela raised me and loved me so well when I needed it the most, like extending the thread she began weaving long ago… she is my first mother and her story will continue.
Today is June 6th 2025. My Abuela's birthday is tomorrow. Our darling baby girl shares the same middle name as her… Genevieve Esther McCandless graced us at 9:27am, 8lbs 1oz, yesterday on June 5th. As she grows I’ll continue to share the stories I remember, continuing my abuela’s legacy of love.
