Today is literally a day where I don’t even know where to begin this piece. There has been so much going on that I had to take a deep breath and slow things down. I’ll begin by saying that I am sorry…sorry for being rude. Earlier this week, as I sorted through the countless emails that I receive on a daily basis, I came across one from a special-interest group with a political mission. Since I consider most special interest groups with political agendas to be divisive, I refuse to publish their press releases. It is why in college I stayed away from groups like MEChA, or any other group that portrays itself as oppressed and tries to convince people that they are special. The email I received was from a group fitting a similar description. I will not say their name as to avoid what they want, which is publicity. What I will say is that my response was not the kindest since organizations such as the one that sent the email, and MECha, are more divisive than anything. So asking them to stop sending their “hate-mongering” message was not the nicest way to ask them to stop emailing their propaganda. In thinking about my words, I can hear my grandma’s voice, my mother’s voice and my aunt Sofia’s voice telling me not to be rude. So to them, I am sorry.
This morning, when I woke up at 5:30 a.m., I received a phone call from my mom that an aunt of mine had passed away. My aunt Raquel had been sick for years and has been severely ill for several months. Dialysis twice or three times a week was her routine for years. In the pain of her death is the grief in my heart for my cousins Fernando, Eddie, Tony and Frank (Raquel’s grandkids), as well as their mom, my aunt, Lupe (Raquel’s daughter). My dad and aunt Lupe are cousins (their parents are siblings) and in most families of Mexican decent, that makes anyone older than my aunt Lupe that is related to her my aunt or uncle. It’s a confusing system. However, it’s not hard to understand that we are a very close family. So knowing that my aunt Lupe and my above mentioned cousins are grieving makes it difficult to deal with at times.
At the same time, I am trying to wrap my head around the fact that my thesis has been submitted and accepted. My days as a graduate student are over. I am done with school. Next month I will receive my Master’s Degree. What a week…