You have been the unshakeable fortress, the endless source of support and self strength, my only source of inspiration. During my tough years, you have always been there to pick me up when I fell, always there to push me through difficult situations, and to stabilize me when my balance faltered. You taught me from right and wrong; you taught me how to pick myself up and to not feel sorry for myself, to work with what I have instead of thinking about what I don’t have. You pushed me to the limit and you made me believe in myself. From the days I sprinted to your room in the middle of the night running away from my endless nightmares, to the night I had my first girlfriend. From all those nights you laid in bed with me narrating all of your childhood stories to the night I went away for boarding school, always your support has been endless continuous and persistent and for that I am eternally thankful.
Thanks to you, I have been able to move on with my life, taking risks, and pushing through pains, because I know you are always going to be there when I fall.


Now grandpa is gone and it is my turn. For the first time I saw him cry, it was like watching an impenetrable fortress to crack and fall into pieces like watching an ancient tree to fall out from it’s roots. The shock left me speechless, I ran out of words to say, things to do or think about, because no matter what I say it wouldn’t make the pain and grief go away. Experiencing this conglomerate of emotions left me restless making me feel like my feet were glued to the ground disabling me from any attempt of motion.

During the ceremony I truly did not know what to expect, sitting in the first row with my cousin Diego helped me avoid all those familiar faces that at some point were going to turn awkward. The priest began the ceremony speaking beautifully about grandpa and all my mind focused on was my dad. The priest came down from the podium going down the stairs he approached the front row, where my dad, aunts and uncles were sitting, as he came down he grabbed the picture of my grandpa that was sitting on top of his ashes. At that point I was able to see how my dad’s shoulders and chest shrugged and contracted when the priest turned around the picture revealing the picture on the back. It was a picture of “ Tita” my dead grandmother who I did not get the privilege to meet for she died 20 years ago. Seeing my dad’s approach in the ceremony inspired me greatly. The way he handled himself during the funeral displayed a great deal of self restrain and inner strength by enduring the entire ceremony. As the ceremony proceeded it came to the last part, the end of the funeral, but before it was over my dad had elaborated a small speech, a closing speech about my grandpa. People can think what ever they want about procrastinating and the quality of are when done at the last minute, but it was understood by everybody that no one, had ever summarized the life of a great individual so beautifully, detailed and concrete on a napkin. The words that came out of my dad’s mouth made my grandpa’s spirit to arise from his ashes and fall into our hearts becoming immortal; he described 88 years of hard and unceasing work. 88 years of feeding and providing for 12 children, providing them with all the opportunities in within his possibilities, making sure all his children grew up to be honest and humble individuals who knew how to live, a life of righteousness and tenacity.

It is a strange feeling to have to switch roles with someone like your dad, and become his back support, but to me there is no greater feeling than being needed for your family and being able to be there for them whenever and wherever. The passing away of “ tito” my grandpa left me with a lot of questions but also with some answers about life and death. I learnt that giants also hurt, that giants also need someone to lean on to, someone where they can find shelter and strength.