Flashback Friday. On my own page, my cousin asked,Who Do You Miss? I thought of my grandma Cecelia. My grandma bore 15 children, my dad being the youngest boy, he is number 14. My grandma lived on the other side of Waianae Elementary from us. We lived Mauka, she lived Makai. Every once in a while my brother and I would go visit her after school. My grandmother was strong in her Catholic faith. In her house was a shelf filled with ceramic statues of the Virgin Mary and other religious figures. I remember sitting on her couch and trying to count them. I would get mesmerized by their features and lose count. Every time we would go visit her she would give us an ice cold can of 7up. It was ALWAYS a welcome treat after school. Weʻd sit with her on her porch and I would lay down on this wooden platform thing that was in her yard and stare up at the plumeria tree in her yard. Til this day if Iʻll reach for a 7up or Sprite before any other soda (if Iʻm drinking soda at all) because it always reminds me of her. Seeing the big bulb old fashioned Christmas lights always makes me think of her too. She had them strung up in the branches of her plumeria tree all year long. No matter what the event was, if we were at Grandmaʻs house, the family would turn on the lights and it always felt like Christmas with all the family there. At family events my brother and I would always stick super close to our mom. Most of our cousins were so much older than us they seemed more like Aunties and Uncles to us. But weʻd always go to grandma. One thing about my grandma. She did not speak English. She was born and raised in the Philippines and moved from Talisay, Cebu, to Maui, Hawaii. She never spoke a word to me in English. She never had to. I understood her perfectly. So hereʻs to ice cold 7up on hot days, and to it feeling like Christmas all year long. And to holding on to your mother tongue and letting love speak for you. I love you grandma Cecelia Parba Cabiles. (Reposting)
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 18:46:04 +0000
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