We Love You Papacito

Do your remember when you learned how to “read a clock”? When we got to this lesson in school, I remember breezing through it. The teacher would pass out worksheets consisting of clock faces with big and little hands and we were tasked with writing what time each clock displayed. 

Time has a way of playing tricks on us. Everyday is measured the same exact way. There is never more or less time in any given day, week, month or year and yet sometimes it feels like some days are longer than others or a year feels shorter than it was.

It doesn’t feel that long ago that I was bouncing on Papacito’s knee. We were sitting on the couch in the Flora house, a round face style alarm clock (black with white numbers) was within reach. I’m guessing I was around five years old and I’m certain He-Man was on the television. I know it was some type of cartoon because if a Western was on, I don’t think Papa would’ve been as motivated to teach me about telling time. Papa loved a good Western.

I remember vividly, sitting on his knee, his arms wrapped around my torso holding the clock in front of us. He manipulated the hands around the face and explained how the little hand and the big hand worked together to give us the time of day. 

He was a good teacher, had a great disposition and an AMAZING sense of humor. That doesn’t mean he was incapable of getting fired up. I recall hiding his remote a time or two. One time specifically we were watching cartoons together, Papa decided to go play pool in the other room. I wanted to be with him but I also wanted to make sure we kept watching cartoons, I hid the remote before I went in to play pool with him. After we played a couple of games, he went back to the TV room, to change the channel. He couldn’t find the remote, I walked in and pulled it from behind the speaker, sat down and smiled. He didn’t smile and in fact called me “Cabezon”!

Papa was strong, he’d ask me to show him my bicep, he referred to it as a potato. Flex Mijo, show me your potato, (his was bigger). He gave incredible Bear Hugs with those “potatoes”. He was smart, he could fix or improve or build just about anything. His sense of direction, second to none. I suppose driving all over the southwest as a young Dad motivates you to know where you’re going. I recall, more than a few times him sitting in his chair studying a Rand McNally in his free time. 

Perhaps the greatest lesson he imparted to all of us was how important family is. He didn’t give a dissertation to any of us on the topic, instead Papa showed us how to be there for one another, he led us all by example for THREE Generations!

Above all, I’ll hold the countless memories I have of Papa making Mamacita laugh. The way he could make her smile and laugh while telling a story, the way she would sort of rock back and place her hand on his shoulder and her saying his name “Jorge” while we all laughed. He loved and cherished her. 

He rested all of us on his knee, wrapped his arms around us, put his scruffy cheek on ours (it tickled) and taught us what he knew. He held the majority of our two feet in the palm of his hand and chanted Salito, while smiling and laughing his laugh. 

Time is tricky, I wish I could turn back the hands on that clock and sit with him a while longer but at the same time, I know we were all so blessed to have been able to spend as much time with him as we did. 

Pues……He was our Patriarch, our King and now, after: Guiding, Protecting, Providing, Teaching and Loving us, he gets to Rest.

Salud!

My Experiences are new to me, the lessons learned are probably not new to you. Most of the time, I’m just trying to figure out the Silver and Black Lining.