Condolences

I am sitting here, waiting for traffic to clear out before I head home and my phone rang. Not a number I recognize. I am surprised when the voice turns out to be Ana. I work with her, have great respect for her. She managed to become successful, pulled herself up from poverty to become an example to me, to many in her community. Bi-lingual, Catholic, Mexican. In Utah, she represents the minority. She is strong, opinionated, understanding.

Her Grandmother, 97 years old, died this morning. She was a tiny little woman. Probably only weighted 90 lbs. She was healthy, until a week ago. They just discharged her from the hospital. Recovering, slowly, but recovering they said. "It was peaceful," Ana tells me. She is calm. I am crying.

They are grateful. They took Grandma home to Mexico last summer. She got to visit her birthplace. A small mining town, high in the mountain, deep in a valley. Twisting, turning roads, nearly died driving down. They took her on a cruise last month. She got to see the Caribbean. Grandma joked last week that she prayed she would be healthy for the cruise. After that she didn't care. Maybe she should have been more vague, Grandma joked.

Ana promised she'd be buried in Mexico. Ana always keeps her promises. I think she got that from her Grandma.