Great-Grandmother María

For Easter Week this year we traveled to Mexico (more on the trip later) where Edwin's grandmother María lives.




Edwin had not seen her in almost 16 years, and the children and I had never met her.

It was incredibly moving and meaningful for Edwin to see her again after so long. I feel so privileged to have met her.



Doña María is 89 years old. She had 13 children, three of whom were killed in Guatemala's war.

She not only has grandchildren...

and great-grandchildren...

...she actually has GREAT-GREAT-grandchildren! One of them, a toddler, lives two doors down.

Here she is with three of her great-grandchildren:


With Edwin, a daughter, and a daughter-in-law:


In general her health is OK. She gets around the house fine and de-grains corn every day. Her short-term memory is starting to fail, but she recognized Edwin and understood who we were. I am very happy that we visited when we did, as the next time we see her (if we see her again) she will probably be less lucid.


On the final night of our visit, she gave each of us a special blessing. Chely's face was shining as Noy María bestowed her blessing.