Maria C Mejia

I would like to start by thanking everyone for being here today as we honor the life of my beloved grandmother Maria Castillo Mejia. I know that my grandma would be happy to see so many familiar faces here that loved her. I read something recently that said: “You may not have gotten to spend the rest of your life with them but they got to spend the rest of their life with you.” While no amount of time with her would have felt like enough, this thought is the only thing that has brought me peace in this difficult time.

I questioned if I had the strength to speak about my grandma with all of you today until I remembered who I am. I am the granddaughter of a strong and resilient woman who lived life on her own terms. Depending on who you ask, some may say she was stubborn but I beg to differ. A woman who always found a way to navigate through the challenges that life presented her with is resilient in my eyes. For those who don’t know, my grandma never owned a driver’s license but that never stopped her from finding her way around. I will say that she was blessed with a family that was willing to drive her wherever she needed to go. Often times it was to doctor’s appointments but her favorite request was a trip to Walmart. She loved going to Walmart to buy clothes but always refused to try them on at the store. I’m not sure how many of you are familiar with the book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” but to sum it up, if you give a mouse a cookie, it is going to ask for a glass of milk. Very similar to my grandma, if you took her to Walmart, she was going to ask to go back only a few days later to return what she bought. We’d be here for hours if I talked about all the things that I’ll miss about my grandma but I will name a few things that I will miss the most. I’ll miss her homemade flour tortillas. I could eat those for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I’ll miss the sound of her laughter, her back scratches, and the way her face lit up when anyone she loved walked into the room. She had a way of making everyone feel special. I’ll miss the feeling of her cold hands on my cheeks as I greeted her and said goodbye.

On the days prior to my grandma’s passing, I was sitting at her beside while she was resting when she opened her eyes and looked at me. I simply said, “hi”, and she replied “hi” back with a smile on her face. I told her, “I love you grandma” and she replied back, “I love you mama” and went back to resting deeply. One last memory that I can hold close to my heart. I spent the rest of my time with her singing worship music while she rested. Lucky for me she couldn’t tell me if she liked my singing but this was my way of finding peace in the chaos. I felt compelled to get on my knees at her bedside and pray for her. I asked God to take my grandma peacefully, with no pain or suffering. I am here today to testify to the fact that God answers prayers. As the gates of heaven opened for her, she took her hands from resting on her stomach and slowly raised them as if someone was taking her by the hands and lifting her out of bed. I’d like to think that this was my grandpa leading her home. My words cannot accurately describe the beauty in her journey home. In the exact moment she took her last breath, we witnessed the most beautiful sunset and moonrise. This took place simultaneously. Present day, she leaves behind 5 children, 19 grand children, and 17 great grand children that will miss her immensely. She leaves us with memories that will last a lifetime. Until we meet again grandma. Give grandpa a kiss for me.