A Graduation Party

 I was working at the Archdiocese of Denver when two baby girls were born in 2001. One was my granddaughter and the other was the lady I worked with who gave birth to her baby girl! Today, my friend's baby celebrated graduating from Regis University. Her party was fun with good food, great music, and I got to see people I had not seen for many years. Many of her friends who attended school with her were present at the party, but the people I enjoyed talking to were her parents, her grandparents, and some friends. 

The grandfather, who is a singer, sang a couple of songs in Spanish in honor of his granddaughter and gave a speech dedicated to her. Her mother interpreted his beautiful words to English since there were many present who did not know Spanish. The young graduate has two siblings and I got to meet them. I knew them as tiny tots when the children were born in Colorado. I had not seen them since their move to Maryland, and the young boy, who is a junior in high school, told me he was two years old when they left Colorado. 

The tacos were cooked outside and the chicken, beef and barbeque tacos were perfect! They were tasty and complimented the beans, calabacitas, green and red salsa, chips, and fruit. The desserts were churros, colorful gelatin, and a strawberry decorated cake! 

The music was provided by a D.J who happened to be the graduate's cousin. Before long the young people were up and dancing joined by some of the older folks!

It was fun taking pictures and I marveled at how fast time flies by and how our friendship continues. I liked having the picture with the graduate's Mom because she and I worked together at the Archdiocese of Denver in the Hispanic Office.  Around 2007 she her family moved to Maryland and she works in Washington D.C. I am so happy and proud to know her and admire her way of thinking! Her Bio on the Internet is impressive!

 I was amazed at the three kids who are at ease in either Spanish or English. She and her husband have done a great job in raising their three children. As was said in the grandfather's talk, and later in the graduate's speech, "None of this could have been done without family and friends!"  I thought it was a nice gesture for the graduate to call the some of the girls that are in her graduating class for a picture.

"Success is nothing if you don't

have the right people to share it with;

you're just going to end up lonely."

Selena Gomez

My Brother

 

About a year ago my brother died. He lived in Framingham, Massachusetts with his wife, and even though we did not see each other often, we communicated via phone. As he wished, I did not know how ill he was because he did not want me to know. He didn't want anyone to know! His thought was that he would then be treated differently, and he wanted me to remember him as he had always been, my big, strong, healthy brother! 

I had no clue that he was dying of cancer or that he was on the verge of Alzheimer's. On the phone we laughed, remembered, and he never gave me any reason to make me believe that he was ill.  I spoke to him on April 25, 2022, his 85th birthday. It was a ritual we had followed for many years to talk on our birthdays. For me it was a normal conversation so when I received a call telling me he had passed away, it was a shocking surprise! He died on May 15th, five days before my birthday. I would not be getting a call from my brother and that saddened me. The only consolation I had was that now he was with my mother, father, brother and son. There was no closure for me because there was no funeral. His wife followed his instructions, he was cremated, and his ashes would be sprinkled in the ocean, a place he loved. Happiness for him was being on his boat sailing the sea!

Yesterday, on what would have been his 86th birthday, I missed my brother more than usual. How I would have liked calling him to chat about our lives. He was the last person that would remember how life was as we grew up. Now it's what I remember, and no one can question my memories! But maybe that's okay because our memories never matched. What he remembered, I didn't, and what I remembered, he didn't. It's funny how two people growing up in the same household will have different memories! It was fun when we both remembered the same thing and we could laugh about those memories! 

Growing up we led two different lives. He played baseball but my parents and I never went to a game. He drove to high school and would not give me a ride unless my mother forced him to take me even though we were at the same high school. His friends were not my friends. I liked reading and he didn't. He was an artist and no one knew until there was an article in the paper. He never told us he was the art director in painting a large mural on the cafeteria wall. He won an award for his work on the restaurant called the Sobriety in Larimer Square.

He left home to sell magazines and then entered the Army. He purchased a rosary in Italy and had it blessed by Pope Pius XII for me. On his return he lived briefly in our Denver home. He went to art school, got married and moved to California. From California he moved to New York got divorced and remarried. I look at some of my black and white pictures and see that we are running through the hose in our front yard or sitting on a large rock in the mountains. I do remember many family picnics in the mountains!

When we visited each other, we hugged but never said we loved each other. It wasn't customary in my family to say the words, I love you! I knew we loved each other, and he showed his love by loving my children. Yesterday was a difficult one for me because so many memories flowed through my head and now he is gone forever! I realize that when he died, he took a part of me with him!

The last time I saw my brother was for my son's funeral. There was a special bond between my son and his uncle and now they are together in heaven.

"You went away so suddenly

we did not say goodbye,

but a brother can never be parted, 

precious memories never die!"

Author Unknown

The End of a Special Life On Earth

 In my life I have seen many priests come and go. I have enjoyed most of them for the different qualities they possess; sense of humor, knowledge, humility, kindness, great speaker, presentation, or friendliness. One priest has all those qualities rolled into a handsome face and body! His Homilies are presented in a way that always touch my soul. Sometimes, if he got a bit political, it bothered me, but not enough to stop loving him. About four years ago he retired from regular priesthood duties to take care of his aging parents.  He kept us informed of his life by posting on Facebook and it is always nice seeing pictures of his family.

A few days ago I saw that his beloved mother had passed into her heavenly home. My heart ached for the son, my favorite priest, and for her husband of seventy years. Today, April 25, 2023, was her funeral and I will remember the date because it is my brother's birthdate. A friend and I drove to Mead, Colorado to Guardian Angels Catholic Church. Parking in a weedy and bumpy yard because there were no other parking spaces, we made our way to the church. The church was packed with an overflow of many persons having to sit in the reception hall.

As we entered, there was a table with many items showing parts of her life. My favorite was a picture of both, she and her husband, when they were young. A handsome couple who had been married in England. * Albums showing her life filled me with awe as I looked at pictures from her long life.  

One wall in the church was filled with guardian angels and I had never seen so many angels in one spot. The church is beautiful with a white altar, two large white angels blowing into long golden trumpets on each side of the altar. The background is a dark blue, like a sky at night. The coffin was made of a light colored wood and looked dignified in its simplicity! 

The Homily was given by a grandson, also a priest, and I liked when he said we navigate our darkness into the light and become one with our Lord. The other son, who had been a caretaker for his mother, was the Presider. I wondered how he could proceed in celebrating the mass without crying. Toward the end, his voice did wobble a bit and he had to take a moment to compose himself.

The choir had voices like angels (or what I think angels would sound like in heaven) as they sang beautiful hymns. We were told that twenty-five years ago his mother had heard the choir and had said she wanted them to sing at her funeral, and they did! Everyone participating in the rituals were family members and it was mentioned that there are sixty-one descendants! The offertory had the grandchildren and great-grandchildren approach the altar carrying a yellow rose to place on the altar. I read in the program that a white rose was placed for a member of the family who had previously died. The photo of the large family I borrowed from Facebook.

My friend and I did not go to the luncheon or to the cemetery for the final interment service, yet I was happy that I could be at the mass of a beautiful lady, see her husband and the huge family as they said good-bye to the woman who had loved them throughout their lives! The Eulogy by a daughter let us see the beauty of their mother and seeing the seven siblings on the altar was a touching and moving scene!

I am sure that hearts were aching, though somehow it was a joyous parting because her mission in life was complete, and she was now in the arms of our Lord.

"What we have once enjoyed deeply

we can never lose. All that we love

deeply becomes part of us."

Helen Keller

*From her Obituary

A Great Air Freshener

Today my house smelled terrific. I do not like air fresheners that are sweet or smell like perfume. Sometimes I will boil cinnamon sticks to give my house a smell as if I had just baked cookies or pie! Today my house was smelling how I remember our home when I was growing up. Such sweet memories of my mother cooking and I can see her wearing her apron over a floral house dress.

Today I brought that smell into my house by roasting green chilies. I love the smell! It's sort of a smoky, pungent smell. Sometimes, going past a place where chili is roasting in large tumbling drums, I get homesick for the smell! If you have never smelled peppers roasting you won't know what I am saying, but if you grew up surrounded by the smell of peppers roasting you know exactly what I am talking about!

Today I roasted the peppers in my oven at 400 degrees and when they were dark brown/black, I took them out. Once they were cooled, I peeled the skin off the peppers. My mouth began to water as
I took a flour tortilla, placed one of the roasted peppers on it and sliced some sharp cheddar cheese and rolled it like a burrito. I placed the tortilla into the microwave and when the cheese was melted, I ate my favorite tortilla-chili-cheese treat in my chili smelling home! 

"New Mexico considers roasted 

chili as the official state aroma!"

Susan Montoya Bryan

A Freezing Wonderland

Winter continued its cold fling

instead of a flowering spring.

The world became extremely white.

Ice wrapped tightly on limbs,

branches coated in snow

spread their silvery arms

over the black and white world.

Sun couldn't poke through 

the sky that had turned into 

a solid sheet of gray,

making a different kind of day.

When God planned this unexpected scene,

beautiful in its whiteness

earth became a frosty wonderland.

E. Moscoso 2023

"A snowflake is one of God's fragile creations, 

but look what they can do when they stick together."

From the Internet

Different Kind of Pizza

 I belong to a group of ladies who meet for coffee, dinners, or going out to eat. One of our group volunteers her home so she has become our hostess for all of our get togethers. We try to get together two or three times a month for different occasions and many times we dress up according to the holiday we are celebrating! 

This evening we met for a pizza party because one is leaving for Croatia, Slavania and other areas! Because one of the group is watching carbs and another needs gluten-free food, we needed to prepare special food. I purchased a cauliflower crust and because they were small we did two of the crusts so that each of us could have two pieces. There was no flavor to the crust but with the toppings the pizza's turned out okay. Not super great, but passable!

Black olives, two different kinds of cheese, tomatoes, green chile, mushrooms and onion topped the cauliflower crust so we knew we were eating healthy. The dessert was delicious made with almond flour, peanut butter and chocolate!

What I have come to realize, is not the food we eat, but the conversations and comradery we share that make our gatherings so special!

"Cauliflower crust will never 

make a pizza taste like a pizza!"

E. Moscoso

Go Fly A Kite

 Not sure if I attended the very first Kite Festival in Arvada, though I do remember going to some park to watch people fly kites. At that time, the first 25 people were given a navy t-shirt with colorful kites on it.  When the flying of the kites was moved to Stenger Park I went to three of them and today was my fourth Kite Festival at Stenger. I was surprised that it has been around for eighteen years so I must have been around sixty-seven years of age when I went to my first kite festival. The difference between then and now is that now it has become a huge event. Many more people than in past!

Today was a day of surprises for me. The park opened at ten in the morning, and I arrived around eleven and there were a jillion cars with no place to park.  I followed the line of cars also looking for a place to park, and finally found a spot. It was quite a distance from the flying kites so I began my long walk to the main area. I recalled that when my son, and then my grandkids, played soccer on those fields, there weren't as many fields as I saw today. I had no idea that the small lake, that some would call a pond, existed! Every soccer field had people flying their kites, but I wanted to get to the main area with the food trucks and vendor tents.

I could tell that some people are experts at flying kites because they kept their kites up for longer than the least experienced who had their kites flopping to the ground. The weather seemed perfect though it was cool, but the sun was shining and there was plenty of breeze to fly kites. Walking across the fields, I was surprised at how large the fields are and marveled at soccer players who run up and down the length of the field when they play. 

The 12 food trucks were lined up and I saw barbeque, chicken, turkey legs, popcorn, fries, funnel cakes, and cheese for sale, plus other goodies. Leaving the trucks, I made it to the vendor booths and saw psychedelic t-shirts, kites, baseball caps, jewelry, tattoos, cheese bread, water bottles, crochet stuff, coffee, brownies, hammocks, clothing for martial arts, and a sign: Everything you want and you didn't know you needed! There were dog walkers with different breeds, lots of babies in strollers, toddlers excited as parents flew their kites, people standing around tall, round tables eating, and many trying their luck at flying a kite. There were kites in the air or on the ground, and I noticed Minne Mouse, dragons, octopuses, butterflies, and turtle kites. 

I got a kick out of a tiny tot as she chased the ribbons on the ground and I think she thought she was flying a kite!

I enjoyed watching all the activity but when my knee began to bother me, I headed to my car. Reaching the car, I had clocked 1.4 miles on my phone.

The next Kite Festival I will go early and take my own chair to sit and enjoy watching the people and the different kites.

 

"The optimist pleasantly ponders how high his kite will fly; 

the pessimist woefully wonders how soon his kite will fall."

William Arthur Ward

Gaucho Parrilla

On Monday about a month ago I drove to West Arvada to check out a restaurant owned by Oscar Padilla and winner of the National Food series called "Chopped." It was closed on Mondays so today I visited the Argentine eatery, Gaucho Parrilla, again. It is located at Freedom Street Social and it is an upscale food court.

I ordered empanadas and my friend ordered a Bison Burger and we were both pleased with our choices. The prices on the menu range from $12 to $23 and the food is arranged in such a beautiful way that they look almost to pretty to eat! I spoke to the owner and he recommended the grilled cauliflower, so I will have to return to try it. The food is served on metal trays covered with old newspaper or in in a skillet.

The chef prepares the dishes in front of the wood-burning grill. Everything is prepared as it is ordered using fresh food. On weekends, they serve brunch and the menu looked like they have more interesting items. Not only does the food come out looking like art, but it is very tasty. The decor is a mish-mash of different items which to me, gives it a homey feeling. 

There are about eight vendors other than Gaucho Parrilla.  Pressed Coffee and Vinyl, Lea Jones Hot Chicken, Johnnie Good Burgers, Sushi Kuro, Osito, Asian Grill, Giordano's Pizza and Jeremiah's Italian Ice.

See my blog of March 7, 2023, called "Chopped, Winner in Arvada for my first impression of Freedom Street Social and the food court. Experience something new and different at 15177 Candelas Parkway in Arvada!

"Empanadas are stuffed dough pockets,

deep fried or baked, filled with

sweet or savory stuffing"

From the Internet

Can Sadness be Beautiful?

 I became friends with a lady who traveled on a couple of trips that I planned. She passed away a few days ago and even though we weren't close, I liked her for her strong will. She was younger than me and told me she had many health issues. I admired her because even though she had problems walking she insisted on living her life to the fullest. She had traveled with me to Branson, Missouri and to San Antonio, Texas and her question was, "When will there be another trip?

Today, April 12, 2023, was her funeral at the Shrine of St. Anne in Arvada. I arrived early because I know how scarce parking spaces are at that church and already there were many Italians in the church. As I looked around, I saw two persons I knew; the Deacon from Spirit of Christ Catholic Community and a close friend of mine. Other than those two, everyone else was a stranger. The casket was in front of the altar surrounded by colorful flowers and people walked up to the coffin to say their goodbyes. They would then offer condolences to the family sitting in the front rows. There were lots of hugs and a sadness for her and her family filled my heart.

The rosary was led by the Deacon and mass began. The priest gave a wonderful eulogy using three symbols. A large wooden spoon, a hairbrush, and a crucifix. He made everyone laugh when he held up the spoon and said that every Italian kitchen has a spoon to stir the pasta sauce, or to threaten a misbehaving child! Many nodded or laughed out loud. The hairbrush represented forty-five years of being a hairdresser and as she became a confessor, advisor, maker of making people feel good, keeper of secrets, she made many friends as she worked on their hair. The crucifix was for her strong faith and how she loved her religion. Her daughter's eulogy was a beautiful and personal account of her mother's life. The grandchildren also took part in saying goodbye to their Nonna. 

The cantor was a lady with a sweet, clear voice who sang Amazing Grace, Ave Maria, May the Angels Lead You, and On Eagles Wings. She was accompanied by a piano player and the songs were perfect for saying goodbye to a loved one.

She was only seventy-one years old and that made me sad. So young to leave a world she knew and enter a different world. After mass there was a sea of black and white outside the church. I had to maneuver through the crowd to find my friend and I could hear a lot of Italian being spoken. The gathering outside the church lasted for about half an hour or longer and then the two long, black hearses headed for Mt. Olivet where she would be interred.

At the mausoleum of St. Francis of Assisi there were many persons crowding around the Deacon as he said the final prayers. The coffin was raised to where she would have her final resting place.

Everybody dispersed to the Sons of Italy for a lovely reception with delicious food of salad, chicken, sausage, pasta, and garnishes. The dessert table had cannoli and Biscotti sweets.  I met a few persons who remembered my nephew and it was nice thinking about him and talking with his friends. I am sure that if you are Italian, you know most Italians in the Denver area. The people I sat with had stood up for my nephew's wedding and another couple knew the three siblings who are all in heaven along with their parents.

From beginning to end the service and reception were beautiful and I prayed that God help the family get over their grief and sadness. I am sure she would have been pleased with her send off! Somehow, the sadness I had been feeling disappeared at the lovely ceremony and words spoken at the mass and at the cemetery.

"A friend is never truly gone.

Their spirit lives on in the

memories of those who loved them."

Amy Hoover