Ito

Abuelito,

I could never really say "goodbye" to you.
Your fingerprints all over my life,
And they are the kind of fingerprints I will never wipe away.

From watching old movies with me, to listening to Schubert, Mozart and Gershwin,
You taught me how to have impeccable taste in movies and music.
I was always proud to talk to you about what I was learning in school and to discuss the brilliance of Cary Grant, Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn.

Because of you, I always sniff shoes and jackets and I can instantly tell if it's leather or not. You also made me very picky about good quality shoes, the benefits of having an Abuelito that was a shoe repair man. You fed my shoe addiction--high praise!

I love how in a lot of our pictures, I am the one making a goofy face, when in reality, my face is in reaction to something you just said or did, but you'd always change your face to look more innocent than you really were.

As a true diva, I love how you always spoiled me. As a little girl, I loved our trips to A&W where we would eat fries and you would scrape sugar off apple turnovers. Because of those trips, I will always remember that their napkins are the best for cleaning glasses or "anteojos"--no streaks!

You would also make me these personalized purses with my initials that I was so proud of :) What girl doesn't love personalized accessories?

I also have this beautiful wedding ring that you gave la abuelita Isabel that I gladly wear. It bears your initials-JRH. What a gift. You also spoiled me at my high school grad with a beautiful bracelet that is always getting me compliments that you somehow topped with another bracelet for my University grad. You should hear the compliments I get! How lucky am I?

Thank you for leaving everything behind to come to Canada. Thank you for your sacrifice. That sacrifice has spurred me on everyday to be everything I can be. I never want to let you down. I want to make your sacrifice worthwhile. Thank you for giving me a high goal to attain. And thank you for always making me feel worthy of that dream.

Thank you for my mother. I know that you and la abuelita Isabel helped create and mold such an incredible woman. I would not be here, in any way, without that amazing woman. She gets so much of her strength from the shining example that you and la abuelita gave. The love that she pours on Gialdo and I is something that I've also felt come from you. She gets her sense of humour from you, her impeccable sense of style, her work ethic and her desire to love and care for people from you. You raised the most amazing woman and the best mother. I am eternally grateful.

You showed me what a true gentleman is like. I wish that la abuelita Isabel would have lived longer so that I, as a teenager and young adult, could further observe how a woman deserve to be treated. From what my young memory remembers, you adored her. You'd been together for 40 years and I still remember how much you loved being around her, how much you made her laugh, how you took care of her, how you would put your arm around her, how you looked at her, how she looked at you...how you would take her and just start to dance around like you were still kids in the 50s. You were best friends. You would tease her like you were still teenagers. The fact that you chased her so many years ago and won her over and never stopped winning her over has always been a shining example of what true love is. Thank you for showing me what to wait for. If a man ever fights for me like you fought for her, I will count myself the most fortunate girl in the world.

Finally, thank you for loving me. Thank you for who you were. Thank you for letting me be a part of your life and thank you for everything your example has inspired me to achieve. There will never be enough words to express who you were and what you mean to me. I will continue to pursue my dreams, to expand on your dreams, and look forward to the day that I will enter Heaven's gates and give you and la Abuelita the biggest hugs imaginable.

Say hi to her for me. Save me a good spot in the choir :)

Con todo mi amor Ito Ricardo,

De tu princesa,

La Gallinita Cantora,

Beatriz Abigail <3