Thankful Thursdays

This Thankful Thursday comes with a love story a century in the making.

I’ve had two really special postcards sitting in my drawer for a while now, one from my grandfather to my grandmother, and one from her to him. It hit me the other day that their messages are over 100 years old, and it felt like the right time to share a little piece of their story.

I never got to meet my maternal grandparents, Lizardo and Consuelo, and I truly wish I had. They both passed before I was born. But from all the stories my mom and others have shared, I know what they had was something really special. Thankfully, my mother was a dedicated keeper of keepsakes, the priceless kind. She managed to get many of them out of Cuba over the course of a few years, piece by piece through family and friends, done quietly and in secret, which makes them feel even more meaningful now. Because of her, I have a collection of photographs, letters, cards, diplomas, certificates, and more, enough to fill a museum.

I’m sharing images of my grandparents (2-10-1927) and their postcards (1923), front and back, along with their exact words. First in Spanish, just as they wrote them, and then in English, so you can feel their love across time and language. Even after a century, their words haven’t faded. If anything, I feel they’ve only grown more meaningful.

“Consuelo. Toda mi vida no sería todo lo suficiente para darte a comprender ¡Cuanto anhelo tu felicidad!”
Tuyo siempre,
Lizardo”

“Consuelo. My entire life would not be enough to make you understand how deeply I yearn for your happiness!” Yours always,
Lizardo

“Que en el entrante año podamos ver nuestra dicha cumplida son los deseos de tu chiquita que tanto te quiere.”
Tu Consuelo”

“That in the coming year we may see our happiness fulfilled are the wishes of your little one who loves you so much.
Your Consuelo

So today, I’m especially grateful for a love that transcends time, and for Mom’s unwavering efforts to keep our history alive.

Do you have a special keepsake? And what are you thankful for today?

Until next Thursday’s post…si Dios quiere.

“I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart).”
– E. E. Cummings

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