today from Aunt Lucy

Dear Family,

Some of you have requested a copy of what I said at Mom's Mass so here it is. Also, here is a poem I would like to share with you by Lisel Mueller:

When I Am Asked

When I am asked
how I began writing poems,
I talk about the indifference of nature.

It was soon after my mother died,
a brilliant June day,
everything was blooming.

I sat on a gray stone bench
in a lovingly planted garden,
but the day lilies were as deaf
as the ears of drunken sleepers
and the roses curved inward.
Nothing was black or broken
and not a leaf fell
and the sun blared endless commercials
for summer holidays.

I sat on a gray stone bench
ringed with the ingenue faces
of pink and white impatiens
and placed my grief
in the mouth of language,
the only thing that would grieve with me.

Love, Lucy

*****

Mama Sonia's Eulogy

When I think of Mom some of the things that come to mind are: loving, generous, thoughtful, supportive, caring, laughing, wonderful food, music….

Wherever Sonia lived she became involved in the community and was very giving of her time and talents. She worked hard raising funds for the Eye Bank Assoc of Puerto Rico. When we were kids she was a Girl Scout leader and a Cub Scout Den Mother. When Mom & Dad moved to Florida one of the things she did was become a Meals on Wheels volunteer delivering meals to people who were much older at the time. Of course Mom did not just deliver meals they became friends-she knew their life history, she gave them birthday and Christmas presents… Also, she was Chairman of the Beautification Committee of the Winter Park Chamber of Commerce. Sonia was very involved with her Bible study group and her Tertulia group of Spanish speaking friends.

Mom’s thoughtfulness was especially evident in her gift giving. When you received a gift from her you could tell a lot of thought went into selecting the gift and the perfect card to go with it. About 10 years ago I mentioned to her that we used to see rabbits around our house but had not seen any evidence of rabbits for a long time. The following Christmas she sent us (2) cast iron rabbits for our yard. When I see those rabbits I’m reminded of Mom’s love and thoughtfulness.

One way Mom expressed her caring and generosity was thru her cooking. She devoted a lot of time and energy to the planning and cooking of amazingly good food. When we were kids every picnic on the beach, every dinner was a gourmet treat-a delicious leg of lamb (my favorite) would be followed by a scrumptious shepherd’s pie.

Mom & Dad were famous for giving great parties in Puerto Rico-relatives and friends knew that a party at Roger & Sonia’s would be lots of fun with great food. Thirty years ago when they moved to Florida, Roger and Sonia continued to give wonderful parties.

Mom loved music-some of my favorite memories are connected to music. When I was a little girl we would listen to opera on the radio. As we listened to operas such as La Boheme, Aida, La Traviata she would be explaining what was happening.

Mama Sonia had a special relationship with her grandchildren. She relished their visits both in Florida and Vermont. She had all sorts of activities planned for everyone’s enjoyment—museums, concerts, shopping, Disney World, Sea World and every other kind of world.

Mom and Dad had an extraordinarily wonderful relationship, an example to be followed, and now they are together again.