for My Bisabuela

My great grandmother peacefully passed away yesterday morning at the age of 96. She was quite the woman--feisty and sarcastic, clever to the point that she became manipulative, and benevolent in every which way. She was my maternal grandmother's mother. She was born in Bogotá, Colombia, then lived in various cities in the U.S. including: Miami, New York, and Orlando. She outlived her husband (whom I had the privilege of knowing as well) by almost two decades.  She had a difficult but full life, and I am so grateful to have the chance to know and love her. This weekend, I will spend my time at home instead of in Syracuse as planned. I will honor her life surrounded by family, some cousins of which I haven't seen in at least a dozen years. I will have more than my fair share of desserts; that beautiful woman you see above had a sweet tooth unlike any other. And later this year, I will go to Colombia for the first time, just as I'd hoped.