Lucille Marlene
I have often told your Mother
that she comes from good stock,
and it is true.
She was birthed into a world
with mighty women
looking over her,
watching to make sure
she understood her value;
telling her that her
dreams, hopes, and wishes
rested in her hands,
and not someone else’s vision
of whom she could or should be.
You will never meet them,
the two commanding women
whose name you bear;
but I knew them both,
and let me tell you Miss
you too come from solid stock.
They were strong, stout, and stalwart;
not the kind of women who fall apart
when the world turns against them
or who break
in a gusty wind.
Life was not easy for these women,
they had to fight battles,
which you,
thank God,
will never need to know.
An education,
one of your many birthrights,
was not promised to them,
they had to demand
a seat in the classroom,
where they mastered and conquered;
but that was not enough
for either of them,
they devoured
the written word
and sought knowledge
on every turn,
which life presented.
When they stepped out
into the world,
to earn a living,
it was not assumed
that they were capable and competent,
the world was not their oyster,
yet they made their mark
nevertheless,
and not just for themselves –
they worked impacting others,
leaving the world a better place
than they had found it.
These were women
who valued people,
the most precious commodity
we have on earth;
they loved their families and friends fiercely,
gaining from their interactions with humanity,
and giving generously
to the souls which they encountered,
bearing their burdens
and always seeking to understand
what can so often be an un-verbalized need.
There was never a point of enough
for these women who
sought to see the seven seas
and then some;
they lived thinking
about the unexplored horizons
and planning for their next adventure,
while making sure
those other elements
of life were not ignored;
because to them it mattered
if their husband was ready to face his day,
if their children’s homework was done,
and if their neighbor needed help.
You neither need to fill their shoes,
nor follow in their footsteps,
that is not what either of them
would have wanted for you;
you will find the shoes
which suite you best,
and create your own path,
that will lead you to the place
where your dreams and hopes are fulfilled,
but always know Miss
that you do not walk alone,
they and the many
who have come before you,
will always be with you,
enlightening, encouraging, and enabling you
to go forward and make your mark,
as only you can,
for the contribution you are about make,
can be made by no other.
Welcome to the world Miss Lucille Marlene!
~ Cristina Jill Mosqueda ~
(Great Auntie Jill)
Photograph take by Caroline Mosqueda Gregan (Proud Grandmother)
