My family has been fortunate enough to be able to visit my relatives in Mexico every year. When I am in Mexico, I am humbled by the simplicity of life that my family embraces and the beauty of familial love. Most of our traditions and bonding happen around food (thankfully).
One tradition that I always look forward to involves lots of walking, talking and fresh bread. My abuelita is a devout and pious woman who loves her family deeply. Every morning my abuelita and I leave the house at 7:30 a.m. to go to 8 a.m. Mass. Though the church is about a mile away, my grandmother continues to go with joy.
I can’t help but smile as the morning air hits my cheeks and I watch as my abuelita slowly walks across the uneven road. It seems as though every house we pass someone from the community is out on their porch waving hello to Doña Socorro.
As we enter the church, we sit in the same spots near the middle and are always greeted by three of my aunts who are patiently waiting for Mass to begin. After partaking in the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we boisterously process outside the doors of the church, chatting away with my aunts and other people of the community.
After everyone gets caught up on the happenings of daily life, my abuelita and I walk to the farmer’s market that is right next to the church. The smells of freshly baked bread, homemade breakfast foods and fresh flowers fill the air.
We go to the same baker that makes fresh, homemade bread daily. As my abuelita is ordering I sneak money to the baker to pay for the bread, which leads to my grandma getting mad at my sneakiness and the baker heartily laughing at both of us for bickering.
There is a constant hum of noises coming from every corner of the market, whether it be vendors yelling “andalé compra compra,” the noise of busses screeching by the nearby street or the chatter of people.
During these simple moments I am filled with love and reminded of the beauty in everyday life. I am thankful for this small, but meaningful tradition that my abuelita and I have together and hope that this small passage serves as a reminder to hold tight to the small, beautiful moments of everyday life.
