| Current mood: |  depressed |
| Current music: | the anniversery song |
just to depress you..
this is my dad's eulogy that he read at my grandmothers funeral..that i couldnt be at! anyway i think its amazing..and if you have time just read it.
Julia Ramirez Garcia
A son’s remembrances…
It isn’t easy being the youngest son of a well known and highly admired business woman and the little brother of two older brothers who walked on water, according to Mom and most definitely believed to be true by me.
Mom was a woman with very high standards for the three sons in her life. Standards set by her father, our grandfather, “PapaLino” as well as her older brother, our Uncle Joe. She would constantly remind me of the virtues of both of those men and how much I was either like them or not, depending on the issue for that day.
It wasn’t easy growing up knowing the responsibilities of Mom’s chosen career which demanded long hours of her time, helping families deal with the loss of a loved one or with the community, building monument’s for our local Veterans or making sure a community project was for the best interests of the Brooklyn Avenue residents. This left little time for her to attend my school sports events, plays, teacher conferences or junior high school graduations.
It wasn’t easy when I would be late for the school bus and I would be driven to work in a black limousine or on the back seat of a police escort’s Harley Davidson, depending on who was available from that mornings funeral, the other school kids were sure to notice.
But all in all, Mom taught me three things about life and how to make it in this world…
First, ”know your place, who you are and where you come from and never disgrace the family name.
Second, Never ask how much a job paid, just be glad you’ve got a job and third, Charm and a well written letter can move mountains or if you ask for something at the right time, you will never get a No”
The First lesson, “Knowing your place and not disgracing the family name” has stuck with me for over 50 years, to this day I always make sure the towels and beds are neatly stacked before I leave a hotel room whether I am staying at the Ritz Carlton or the Comfort Inn. Mom, made it quite clear that, Class, came with good manners and up bringing would always put you in high esteem with people you come across.
She also taught me that our family name was so closely linked with knowing Jesus Christ at a very close personal level that doing what is right and treating others as our brothers is the only option to us.
The second lesson was a little harder to swallow….”don’t ask how much the pay is, just be glad you have a job” This lesson came when I got my first job at the mortuary, no it was my second job, washing the cars was my first job, riding shot gun on first calls with Jerry Cavazos was my promotion, believe it or not I asked Mom, how much do I get paid? Shucks, Jerry should have asked for a raise since he was really only baby-sitting me on those rides out to the general hospital or to the county recorders to file a death certificate!
What I didn’t know then that I know now is she was putting me in a training position, I was learning how to behave in a business environment…. I was 12 years old at the time. Today I know what Mom really meant was get the best job you can for the shear love of the job itself and the rewards will follow. When you get up in the morning excited to get to the job and doing the best you can because it is the right thing for you and the company, that is where the true pay off comes back to you…. Mom taught me that!
Third, Charm, and a well written letter can move mountains or if you ask for something at the right time, you will never get a No”
Watching Mom work her Charm was a work of Art, she could walk into a situation knowing the odds were against her and she would turn on the “charm”. Hearts melted, rivers parted and the way was made clear…she did all that with impeccable timing and a well-written letter. The recipient of those letters or phone calls didn’t know what hit them, all they knew is they couldn’t say no to her requests. Why, because of it was the right thing to do and charming helped a whole lot too. I once asked my Mom how she was able to get my grandfather to back her up on so many projects and plans, she told me “because she waited for the right time to approach him. I learned that lesson real fast and made sure I watched Mom closely for those YES moments. I used that advice when I proposed to Kathy my wife, 33 years ago last month.
It wasn’t easy growing up with a Mother bigger than life, but the legacy she left me transcends all the missed school events and normal stuff most parents give to their kids, she gave me a fine appreciation for who I am and what legacy my children have inherited from their grandmother and great grand parents. It also made me keenly aware of the sacrifices that go into being bigger than life as was our mother. Mom, thanks for the memories.
Your loving Son,
Gil
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