Raquel Y. Jaime

Raquel. Raquelita. Raquelito. Hermana. Quito. Chula. Munequita Linda. Linda. Perla Preciosa. Those are some of the names you may know her as but to us she was either Mama or Grandma. Raquel Y. Jaime was born on March 30, 1932 in Durango, Mexico to my Great Grandparents, Maria Villarreal and Salvador Yemha. She was the eldest of seven children, a mother of seven sons and daughters, a grandmother of six, and a great-grandmother to two. She was our matriarch, our fearless leader, señora de negocios, a kind-loving woman, and she was ferociously dedicated to her family. Family, is what drove all of her decisions. She wanted to make sure that all of her loved ones were taken care of, even to her last breadth.

From a young age my Grandma had a close bond with my Great Grandpa. When you hear the phrase, “Daddy’s Little Girl”, this is exactly how I would describe the relationship they shared. At the age of eight, she began to be home schooled in order to assist with the family store by helping my Great Grandpa. It was during this point of her life when she learned the Islamic traditions from him, and even learned Arabic. Unfortunately, this relationship would not last long. Her father passed during her teenage years which is when she began to run the store full time with her sister. This was when she truly learned how to become a señora de negocios, and became like a second mother to her siblings. A few years later she would meet this tall, handsome, Mexican-American man, from the streets of Downtown LA, that somehow made his way down to the city of Durango. The story goes with just one glimpse of her crystal blue eyes, he fell helplessly in love, and only communicated with her via letters that he would leave hidden in the store in the sock aisle. She would later marry this man, and he would forever be known to me as Grandpa. When the time came to move to Tijuana, she told my Grandpa she would not leave without her Mother and her siblings. Having no other choice in the matter, my Grandpa obliged.

The following years would consist of motherhood and household obligations. Being a mother of seven she had to make miracles happen. She would put her sewing skills to use by making dresses for her daughters and their dolls. She would make elaborate cakes for each of their birthdays. I now know where my Mom gets her cake making skills. She would also make fresh tortillas de harina on a daily basis. They shared that one of their fondest memories was coming home from school and enjoying a warm freshly made tortilla con mantequilla. She always showed great pride in her children and loved them very much. Following the rules was very important to her and she wanted her children to do the same. She taught her children to respect others and treat them as you wanted to be treated. Be kind to everyone because you never know what they are going through. Although she may have had some challenges in making the miracles happen she never complained. My Grandma was never a complainer even up to her last days. She always saw the good in the bad and made the best out of every situation.

As she and her children grew older her role of motherhood shifted to that of a grandmother. My Grandma helped raise my sisters and myself. She was always there to welcome us with open arms and a big kiss. I remember that she would attempt to teach us how to crotchet, but I never did get the hang of it. We would sit around her kitchen table and talk to her about our personal life, work, whatever we wanted to share with her; she was always interested in what was going on in our lives, especially if we had any new romances. She would always know if they would last or not but she always hoped for the best and wanted to see us happy. When my Aunts and Mom would ask her what we talked about she would never share, as she valued our privacy. My Aunts dubbed her un tesoro de secretos. Even though she wouldn’t agree with everything we would do, she never judged us or got angry with us. She just loved us, unconditionally. My Grandma was a very kind and loving lady, however, she was an enforcer of rules. She had a very strict no eating in the living room policy. At the time we did not understand why we couldn’t play in the living room but she taught us how to respect boundaries and the importance of an everyday clean house.

Being someone who was very private, she would not always share everything with everyone. Now here is a secret that many may not know; she was legally blind since 1999. For twenty years she fooled us all letting us believe that she could still see. Although she was blind, her other senses became her guidance and she was proud that she could be independent. She always knew how much money was in her bolsillo, she continued cooking for the family whether it was making tortillas or making tamales, she even attended the School for the Blind. She never let her impairment stop her from enjoying life. On any given afternoon you would find her sitting at her dining room table studying her Braille, listening to audiobooks, and crocheting. She even insisted on going on her first plane ride to South Carolina at the age of 76 to visit my older sister. She was a fighter.

True to her character she left this world in peace, nothing left unfinished, unafraid, no debts unpaid, and no journey incomplete. She leaves behind a legacy of anecdotes, a lifetime of memories. She has penetrated into every one of us - buried herself deep in our hearts where she will forever smell like rose petals and be wearing her soft, weathered house gown, sneaking in a cigarette or a piece of dark chocolate, wearing her glasses she no longer needed but wore as an accessory, and her sky blue eyes. Every time I see the color blue I will think of her. As her favorite poet, Amado Nerdo, once said, “Vida nada me debes. Vida estamos en paz”. Vaya con Dios, Grandma. Nos vemos pronto.

HASTA ALGUN DIA MADRE NUESTRA

Raquelita, tan solo queremos decirle sus hijos Nancy, Graciela, Carmen, Roberto y yo, Carlos, que llegó el momento que menos queríamos, pero sabemos que a los planes de Creador no les podemos ganar porque El, ya le tenía preparada su morada en su Reino Celestial. Esto lo veíamos venir en cada ingreso al hospital, porque cada vez era más frecuente. Todos nosotros, incluyendo a sus yernos Jorge y Ricardo, a sus nietas Georgina, Jennifer y Raquel, a su nuera Angélica y a otras amistades muy íntimas, cuando hablábamos con la aflicción de nuestros rostros, porque veíamos su debilidad y su cansancio y aunque le preguntábamos si tenía dolores, nos respondía que nada le dolía, y esto nos provocaba sentimientos encontrados. Esa tristeza que sentíamos llegaba a transformarse en quietud y alivio cuando veíamos que usted mejoraba, mas no nos negábamos a descifrar el mensaje en el que Diosito nos decía: “váyanse preparando” porque Raquel ya está llegando a la meta, ha cumplido su tarea en este mundo.

Mamá, todos los recuerdos de nuestra infancia y de otras etapas de nuestra existencia se agolpan en nuestras mentes y en nuestros corazones. El saber que por su línea paterna teníamos un abuelo libanés que llegó a México recorriendo caminos y trabajando duro con la pequeña y novedosa empresa de la plantación del tabaco turco y el saber que enfermó y falleció muy joven y que por ser usted la mayor, con apenas doce años de edad, la circunstancia la llevó a tomar parte de la responsabilidad, junto con su mamá, para sacar adelante a sus hermanos. Este girón de su vida, nos ha hecho comprender su temple y su tesón para enfrentar con tenacidad los retos.

Raquel: su nombre de por sí tiene dos significados que concuerdan con su personalidad: uno quiere decir “oveja de Dios” y el otro es: “mujer con criterio para gobernar”. Estos dos aspectos fueron los que usted nos enseñó en el caminar de nuestras vidas: nos educó con ternura y docilidad. Y además, fue la gran compañera de nuestro papá a quien animó a emprender prósperos trabajos para que nunca nos faltara, además de su cariño, los estudios superiores como el mejor patrimonio y herencia de parte de ustedes.

Mamá, eternamente le estaremos agradecidos por habernos enseñado a buscar a Dios en todas las circunstancias de nuestras vidas. Gracias por habernos inculcado los valores cristianos y por habernos perdonado todas nuestras fallas. Gracias por haber sido nuestra mamá.

Podríamos seguir escribiendo miles de cosas sobre usted y sobre nuestro papá, don Ignacio, para animarnos y alentarnos buscando la conformidad con la voluntad de Dios. Tenga por seguro que cada uno de nosotros los estaremos recordando y también estaremos escribiendo en nuestras mentes y en nuestros corazones, en compañía de sus hermanas y sus hermanos, con todos los miembros de su descendencia, todo aquello que Dios ya lo sabe y que usted ya se lo ha entregado en buenas obras, como ofrenda, a nuestro Padre Dios.

Raquelita, le decimos ¡hasta la otra vida!, ¡la verdadera vida!, recordando que hace casi cinco años, pues tan solo faltan cuatro días para que se cumpla el quinto aniversario de la partida de nuestro papá. Buen signo, no cree? así cobijamos nuestro dolor con el gozo de saber que ya se ha encontrado con su esposo. ¡Ese es el mejor de los designios de Dios!

Gracias, mamacita chula. Ruegue a la Virgen que nos bendiga con la bendición suya.