My Lovely Godmother

I am a person that doesn’t like to show affection, but I was very lucky to have my godmother with me for 27 years. She is the person who taught me to be grateful and to value every minute of my life and the family.

She was born in 1946. She lived with her parents, but when she was 10 years old, her father was murdered, so, in 1961 she left her home and went for her dream. She worked as cook for 5 years and paid for her studies as a preschool teacher. She loved her students, but she felt that she wanted to help more, so she started to learn sign and braille language because her dream was to help children with disabilities. She was working for 40 years and this taught me to be grateful. She always helped the whole family, and her house was know as “Hotel tia”. She loved everyone, and she always said to me that in life I need to give back some privileges. She called it blessings.

In 2017 she was diagnosed with cancer, so this taught me to value every minute of my life. Whenever we visited her, she was waiting for us with a big smile. She was very strong, and she traveled with me for the first time on a plane and a cruise, even though she was afraid. She told me that for her the most important thing in the world was her family, and when she could see us, she was so happy. For Christmas, all family met because this was her last wish. One day after, she died.

Finally, she was not only my godmother, she also was my aunt, and thanks to her, now I live more aware of the importance of helping those who need it. I value every second in my life and try to do things that make me happy. And I also love my family.

By Karen Ramirez-Perez