On November 18th, my grandma, Mamamia passed away. It's hard to believe it's already been a week. Over the last 7 days we have cried, laughed, and celebrated her wonderful life and memories that she has left us. I'm thankful to all of my friends and family that have prayed for us and kept us in their thoughts.
The following are some stories I shared at her funeral this past Sunday, on what would have been her 87th birthday. Fortunately, Maria was able to meet Mamamia. I hope that as she grows up she can read these stories and know the beautiful spirit her great-grandma shared with us.
"Growing up, I think I experienced two versions of Mamamia. As a kid, when she would babysit us, she was the strict disciplinarian. You could only take one toy at a time from the toy room - and when you were done with it, you had to put it back exactly where you found it before grabbing another. For a kid it was tough, but for her it was the only way to keep a house full of kids that she babysat neat and tidy. For my sisters, my cousin and I there was also the issue of the notorious "flecos" - the fringe things at the end of the Persian carpet that she had in the den. Don't even dare try to touch them or mess them up! I remember if they were the slightest out of place, she would get her broom and make sure they were neat and in place. These rules though still didn't stop me from being sneaky. She had a purple ceramic cookie jar in the shape of grapes in the kitchen and if I knew that she or Papamio were in another room, I would sneak in there and carefully lift the lid - careful to not let it even tap the jar so that I could sneak a cookie - usually a yummy vanilla finger.
What I saw as "strict" as a kid, was really a reflection of how she treated her home and those she loved - with much pride. When I got married Mamamia told me that she was always dressed nicely and kept herself looking all put together for Papamio and that a woman should take pride in doing that for her husband. These days that may sound old-fashioned, but really I liked the advice (not that I always follow it!) and it was neat that she did take pride in that.
But Mamamia the disciplinarian really wasn't the woman that she was most of the time or to most of us. Growing up I mainly remember Mamamia always having a "cup-half-full" attitude, always laughing and a sneaky mischievous side that made her fun to be around. This jokester was also "amiga de saber" - she loved chisme and always enjoyed finding out the latest scoop about what was happening to whom - no matter if it was someone she knew or a celebrity.
On the softer side, Mamamia was extremely nurturing. As a kid she would show us how to bottle feed her cat's newborn kittens and she would wrap and hold them as if they were a real baby. I cherish the moments I got to spend with her in the kitchen, learning her "from scratch" recipes that I would try to convert to measurements to that I could replicate them again - my favorite dish her natilla.
She really was a social butterfly. Up until she had her first stroke, she was still invited to and attended many of her friends' social gatherings. When I'd be at her home, I was always amazed at how many times the phone would ring! It was so fun to see my Grandma, in her mid-80s receiving calls and talking like a young school girl.
And she helped us celebrate our birthdays in style. For my 13th birthday my parents rented a big van and we loaded up a bunch of my friends and headed out to my grandparents ranch in Newberry Springs, where they spent much of their free time. When we pulled up, there were balloons all over the place and a sign reading "Feliz Cumpleanos Alina!" - they knew how to make these moments special. Her home in Torrance was always open for celebrations. We celebrated our baby showers, several New Years eve parties, and I was able to celebrate my 30th b-day party there, where Greg and I happily announced to family and friends that we were engaged.
She loved to shop! I remember after Papamio died she would ask me or my sisters to take her shopping where she would love looking with me to find a new outfit. We always had fun gathering a big pile of clothes and heading to the dressing rooms to find her perfect outfit - which we always managed to do. And of course, these outings always ended with her treating me to lunch at the Red Robin.
After Papamio died, Mamamia stayed strong - both for herself and for the rest of us that were here with her. But there still always remained a deep sadness and void that you could almost see in her eyes. Despite difficult situations like that, it was her young spirit, childlike smile and laugh that would light up her eyes when she was surrounded by family and friends - and that's what kept her going.
She loved so strongly and I know that she felt that love reciprocated 100 times fold. Today on her birthday, I am glad that she is no longer in pain and that she has finally reunited with Papamio who she adored. But I cry because I will miss her presence in my life. I am proud and lucky to have had her as my grandma, my mamamia.
Gilda Eulalia Bueno
(November 22, 1922 - November 18, 2009)
Rest in Peace
As a schoolteacher in Cuba
With Papamio
On the beach with Papamio and Papi in Cuba
At Mami and Papi's wedding
Goofing around with me and my sisters
Celebrating graduations, weddings, and new babies
At Mami and Papi's weddingGoofing around with me and my sistersCelebrating graduations, weddings, and new babies
With her great-granddaughter Maria
The night before, Maria helped Daddy make the jack-o-latern and Mommy make pumpkin spice cookies. She didn't let herself get too dirty with pumpkin carving. When we'd try to put her hand in the pumpkin, she would stick it in about 3-4 inches and say "Nothing" to mean that she felt nothing (no seeds or pumpkin guts) and then take her hand out. She did enjoy mixing the seeds and guts in the bowl that Daddy filled as he cleaned the pumpkin. 
She had a lot of love for the red teletubby. Kid has no fear of these strange creatures.
We rounded up the Halloween festivities with a gathering with Cousins Aidan and Bella - Snow White, the Cowboy, and Abby Cadabby.
Here the two fairies/princesses mix something up with their wands while the handsome cowboy keeps watch.
Later in the day they decorated cookies. Maria went straight in to eating the cookie without decorating it; Aidan piled on the frosting, and Bella decorated her hair with it! :)
...and finally some quiet time with Stellaluna - a current fave of Maria.
