| My entire family came from Mexico, and some of | | | | the weekends with his friends. |
| us were born in the city of Magdalena, Sonora; | | | | Christmas came that year, but there were no |
| located about eighty miles south of the border | | | | festivities at home. My mom and dad were torn |
| with Nogales, Arizona. At one time there were | | | | to pieces, and none of my brothers and sisters |
| ten brothers and sisters; and today we are | | | | living in Los Angeles came to see us. I believe that |
| seven--four brothers and three sisters. | | | | they were advised by my parents not to come |
| When you belong to a large family, your bounty | | | | to Mexico that year. There is nothing sadder than |
| of memories begin from the time that you can | | | | a Christmas which is not celebrated. But I didn't |
| remember your childhood days. Living in Mexico | | | | cry or feel bad that we had passed Christmas |
| was not easy, especially if your family had few | | | | Eve of 1956 quietly at home. My mom had |
| means at their disposal. But somehow, God | | | | cooked dinner for all of us, and life was normal as |
| provided for all of us, and none of us had to | | | | any other night. However, deep inside of us we all |
| suffer from hunger. I do recall though one single | | | | felt the loss for Billy, and the merriment of the |
| night in my entire life where the family got | | | | rest of the family on Christmas Eve. |
| together for dinner--a total of eight--and there | | | | The New Year came, and none of us could feel |
| was not one single piece of bread to share. | | | | happy about it either. My siblings and I returned to |
| Neither was there any money available to buy | | | | school and to our normal lives. Then one |
| bread that evening. | | | | weekend, my older brother Robert came to visit |
| Those days are long gone from our lives. My | | | | us from Los Angeles. We were all happy to see |
| parents passed away, and so did three of my | | | | him because he was always good news to us. |
| brothers. Our lives changed for the better when | | | | Today, he is seventy six years-old, and we all |
| we all moved to Los Angeles, California; where | | | | love him for his kindness and generous spirit. |
| we found golden opportunities to get a college | | | | Christmas did come to us after all in Mexico, but it |
| education, and to find jobs and careers. | | | | came on January 6, 1957, on the day the Bible |
| Allow me to take you back to a moment in my | | | | mentions that the Three Kings paid a visit to the |
| life that has always remained in my heart as | | | | newborn child named Jesus. I recall hearing some |
| representing the true meaning of Christmas. I was | | | | noises in the kitchen very early in the morning, |
| eight years-old, and my younger brother was five | | | | but I thought it was my mom preparing the |
| at the time. In 1956, my brother Billy who was | | | | wooden stove for breakfast. Then everything got |
| fourteen years-old died in a tragic accident. He | | | | quiet again. |
| happened to be walking to the movie house late | | | | At around five in the morning, I got up to get a |
| at night to meet up with his buddies. He never | | | | glass of water. Lo and behold, I could barely see |
| made it because a retaining wall fell on top of him, | | | | in the dark two chairs on top of the dining table. |
| killing him instantly. I was asleep when I heard | | | | On the back of each chair hung a Roy |
| voices in the kitchen that Billy had not returned | | | | Rogers-type cowboy shirt. I still remember the |
| home. | | | | colors of the shirts. They were very colorful in |
| I got up, and so did the rest of the family. I found | | | | red, black with white frills and pearl-colored |
| my mom and dad, and my sister Betty, | | | | buttons on the sleeves. I ran to get my brother |
| distraught and worried. It was not typical for | | | | out of bed to give him the news, and to come |
| anyone in the family to come home at anytime | | | | and see this spectacle. |
| past midnight. In a small town, everything normally | | | | We both spent the rest of the day enjoying and |
| shuts down before ten at night, so we became | | | | wearing our brand new cowboy shirts. Our |
| very concerned for Billy. | | | | Christmas may have come late, but the joy of it |
| We looked the entire night, walking the streets | | | | has never been forgotten. |
| until early in the morning. At dawn, someone | | | | I was at Mass last Sunday, at St. Andrew Church |
| came running to the house looking for us to tell us | | | | in Coral Springs, Florida. The priest in his homily |
| that perhaps they had found Billy. Two blocks | | | | said these words that made a profound impact |
| away from our house a wall had collapsed. People | | | | on me; and I would like to share them with you. |
| suspected that maybe, just maybe, Billy was | | | | Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta once said that |
| under the wall. They began to remove the very | | | | there is only one single question that will be asked |
| heavy mud bricks, also called adobe bricks, one | | | | of people when they get to Heaven, and that is |
| piece at a time. When I got there, I saw a part | | | | "How much did you love?" |
| of my brother buried under the wall. I knew it | | | | I recall my parents giving of their hearts to bring |
| was him because of the jacket that he wore. I | | | | Christmas to us, in spite of their pain, loss and |
| still shed tears today when I recall that scene. | | | | sorrow. They proved to me that Christmas is |
| I found my mom sitting on the collapsed wall right | | | | about giving and not receiving. They gave us |
| next to Billy, crying and wailing like a normal | | | | more hope and love on that day with two small |
| mother would when learning the loss of her own | | | | gifts, than I could have ever wished for. Today, |
| child. My dad was helping to remove the wall off | | | | and almost sixty years later, I have lived that |
| my brother. They found that Billy had been | | | | lesson as much as possible with my family and |
| holding an orange on his right hand. It was | | | | friends throughout the years, and particularly on |
| traditional with him to bring my mom an orange | | | | Christmas Day. |
| as a gift, every time that he was out enjoying | | | | |