Do you ever feel nostalgia when you look at old photos?
Every time I come across my childhood photos I am reminded of how much older I’ve gotten.
I think of the home I grew up in whose address I can no longer remember.
I can close my eyes and vividly remember my mothers chosen clown decor. I think she owned every clown figurine ever created.
We left everything behind in 1991 when we decided to come to New York.
I’ll never forget the brown barrel of toys I left behind.
With the holidays approaching, I am reminded of how different life in New York is.
Every year I experience this very same feeling.
I miss “home” and I miss Christmas there.
We didn’t just celebrate Christmas, we also celebrated Three Kings Day or Three Wise Men.
I remember my mother would always set up a small grass box under my bed for the camels.
And although I knew the Kings were “coming”
I would be most excited about “feeding” the camels upon their arrival because I knew that they’d be hungry.
I could never stay up for this because, I was a kid and mother always told me the Kings would never come if they knew I was up. Haha!
I still remember the last gift I received from my dad in Puerto Rico.
I wish I still had her.
The memory of this doll is deeply engraved in my heart.
I miss the people I once had a connection with “home”.
The most important people in my life are now gone and the saddest part is… I didn’t get a chance to say “Hello or Goodbye”.
My grandparents left this world with the image of me as a child.
I took time for granted.
This year, I am most excited to share the holidays with my new family.
I get to carry on the traditions that I grew up with and experience them with my husband in our new home.
A visit to Puerto Rico with my mom is much needed.
Seeing the home I once lived in and the park I once played in would bring me so much joy.
I pray that soon, upon my arrival Puerto Rico, I am able to see and hug the people that were once a part of my life when I was a child.
To be continued…
