Tia Maria

My sisters and my Tía María’s daughters became Mami’s main caretakers as she declined.

This extraordinary 87-year-old woman is my Tía María, the oldest sister of my late mother, María de la Luz Arellano Miranda.

When my grandparents had to travel to Mexico City from their mountain hamlet in Zacatecas, she took care of her younger sister; when Mami was dying of ovarian cancer, my Tía María and her daughters tended to her.

That’s why at least one of us always attends the Christmas Eve party at our Tía María’s.

I was there in my Tía María’s living room, mumbling through Hail Marys and the Litany of Loreto in Spanish, making sure to appreciate every minute.