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I have been given a gift, a gift for writing and a gift to have my words and stories printed and published. I was very much surprised when Chris and Toni Fresquez offered me a column in The Weekly Issue/El Semanario. Not in my wildest dreams, had I thought that someday I would have my very own column. Now, I think that makes me a columnist. WOW! And at my age (going on 75), that seems like an impossible dream. Now, I have a job to do and these
are the words of wisdom given to me by my mother Florence. “Whatever job you do in life, do it to the best of your ability and that means even washing floors or scrubbing toilets.” My mother Florence was as wise as they come and I will relate stories about her in my future columns. Today, I must in a few words, tell you my audience how I came to be so blessed in my golden years. It was not an easy life getting here. Life threw me some humongous curves and I didn’t always handle them right. Much of my life was filled with pain and anger; and yet happiness and blessings. I did learn early on that it is up to each of us to turn negatives into positives. It wasn’t easy and it took me a lifetime of falling down and getting back up to finally find peace and happiness in my life. The biggest challenge in life came to me with the BIG “C”. Four years ago, August 19th to be exact, I discovered a lump in my breast that turned out to be cancer. August 19th was the day my mother died of cancer and it is also the birthday of my granddaughter, Cristina. An angel named Roy was sent to me to help me through what was to come. He never left my side during chemo, losing my hair (bald is beautiful and liberating), radiation and months and months of recovery. Roy was the one who found the lump and saved my life. I had a mammogram seven months before I found the lump and it was a fast growing tumor. I was fortunate to find it in time (stage two) and get medical attention immediately. I lost my angel Rogerio “Roy” López last year, July 1, 2009.
I had other angels around me besides Roy; I had my friends, Flor, Gloria, Luisa, Marcela, Margie, Ceci, Rose, and my children and family were right there by my side. Of course they were afraid of losing me. I recently told my friend Luisa that cancer had changed my life. She asked how? I cannot put it into words, but I am a different person today. When I wake up in the morning, I praise God for letting me live another day. I don’t take anything for granted. I know I am here because I still have work to do. And most of all, I have a happiness of spirit that I did not have before.
Enough of me for awhile. This week is Father’s Day and my dad, Felix, is gone.
But I have memories. My son, Art recently told me a funny story about my dad and his grandpa. My mom died in 1980 and dad missed her so much. People tried to fix him up with women and he would say, “No one can take the place of my wife.” My poor dad drank too much after mom died and one day my son Art went to visit his grandpa and found him on the front porch in his underwear. Art said, “Grandpa, you’re outside in your shorts. The neighbors will see you.” My dad said to Art, “If they don’t like it, they can go jump in the lake.” At that time my dad’s house was on 48th Avenue and Hooker St. right by Rocky Mountain Lake. Another thing about dad is when I went to visit him, he would sit me down and say, “I know I’ve told you this story a hundred times, but I’m going to tell you again.” And so, I would sit and listen to my dad’s stories about his youth and his struggles to survive as an orphan. I love my dad, I miss you dad. God bless you dad, wherever you are.
I am blessed with two fine sons, Rick and Art, who are both great dads and Rick my oldest is now a happy grandfather. God Bless the great dads of the world.
Straight from my heart,
Magdalena Gallegos
Magdalena Gallegos is a writer, playwright, historian, and publisher (Southwest Magazine).
© 2010 The Weekly Issue/El Semanario
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