*Bold phrases are in Spanish. Translations can be found below. I sit and write because I’m ambushed by grief, yet deeply filled with love. Holiday traditions remind me of the structure you built for us. We try so hard to keep it going, but it’s just not the same, Mom. The doors rip off the hinges to grief, and they never seem to close. One gust of wind—one memory— and I'm back where it all began and ended: At Kaiser, watching you take your last breaths. I brought you in on a

Nearly four years have passed Since you left this world so vast But time does not erase the ache, Nor soften how my heart still breaks. Yet in the quiet, I feel your grace— A strength in me that knows its place. Your laughter echoes in my soul, Your wisdom keeps my spirit whole. This Day of the Dead, I call your name, With marigolds and candle flame. I build you an altar, tender and true, With all the things that speak of you. Your favorite foods, your cherished song, The sce

You came to me with soulful eyes, A beagle mix, a sweet surprise. A rescue pup, but truth be told— You rescued me, made my heart whole. We walked the shore, the ocean wide, You chased the waves, I watched with pride. The beach became our sacred ground, Where joy and spirit both were found. On August’s end in 2019, the sky grew still, The tide pulled back, against my will. You crossed the veil, so soft, so brave, Yet left your pawprints on each wave. I inked your name upon my