I just received an e-mail from a friend of mine who is originally from Brazil. We met so many years ago when I did shelter work. I met the two sisters there in Toronto where one of them was fleeing an abusive husband. The other sister was here as a visitor. One of the sisters had a small child who was also in the shelter with them.
The boy is already grown up by now, I have lost track of time, but perhaps it was in the late 1980's or very early 1990's when we met.
Without going into too many details, suffice it to say that we have travelled a rough road together through thick and thin for many years. Through abusive marriage where not only the mother was in danger, but also the little child. Through attending two marriage ceremonies after that, one of which is still working well.
I have had the honour of meeting Lourdes, their mother, on several occasions and even though we had some difficulty in communications, I could sense her goodness. I spoke to her in Spanish and she replied in Portugese and somehow we managed to get the message across. It would actually be an excellent comedy to write, just that scene alone. Neither of the girls spoke much English when we first met so I had to communicate in Spanish, which again was quite comical. Their Mom used to come and spend several months with the girls when they lived together before they married and this is how I got to know her better.
Such memories come flooding back now when I recall those days.
Lourdes will be greatly missed by those who knew her. She was 83 and died in her home with her family near her. A peaceful end for a good lady.
No comments:
Post a Comment