Tia Luzia

“I would like to be known as an intelligent woman, a courageous woman, a loving woman, a woman who teaches by being.” ― Maya Angelou

Last night before I went to sleep, I thought of my Tia Luzia, she just popped into my mind, I think of her often. It wasn´t till this morning when I woke up, that I realized,today marks one year since her passing. She was one of my favorite women in my life.  She was my maternal grandmothers  sister in law, wife of my great-uncle (tio) João. She was tough as nails, honest, funny, strong, hard working, a great cook, beautiful, a wife, a mother, a grandmother, my friend.
I remember being a young girl, going to visit her and my tio João, our visits were mostly on Sundays, there was always a big sunday lunch happening. She was a wonderful cook, baked beans, soup, fish, rice pudding, you name it, she made it with love. At the end of the meal, all her kids took home tupperware with leftovers with their favorites. I loved that about her.
They say that behind every great man, stands a great woman, this is true of my tio João, tia Luzia was the driving force behind many of their decisions. She worked just as hard as him, while raising their children to accomplish their goals. She believed there was no shame in hard work, and a good work ethic.  She had many jobs in Canada, cleaning, baby sitting, cooking, she even owned a shoe store, and she did all of these things with pride. I loved that about her.
She was courageous and strong, she beat breast cancer, at a time when most women did not, and I chalk it down to her being tough as nails and strong willed. I loved that about her.
 She told the most  incredible, funny stories, of her day to day happenings in Canada. Most had to do with the fact that  early on, she spoke only portuguese, in an english speaking country, but even if things got lost in translation, it never got in her way. I loved that about her.
She was a very young girl when her mother died, and despite loosing a maternal figure, that did not stop her from mothering, in the true sense of the word. She was caring, nuturing and a true friend to her friends. I loved that about her.
She never missed a special moment of my life, even though I had moved here, first person to call me the morning of my wedding day, the birth of my kids, flowers for christmas or my 40th bday, our hour long phone calls, and she always made me feel special when I did fly across the pond. My last visit to Canada, she was not doing well, and hadn´t left her house in a while. We spoke on the phone, we also cried on the phone, I said I wanted to see her, but would wait till she was feeling up to it. She promised she would feel better soon, and that we would indeed see each other. My last weekend in Canada, on a Sunday morning, she came to visit me. She got all dolled up; hair done, an outfit, jewlery, nails, and she came to visit me. I will cherish that visit forever, at 83 she was the tia Luzia I had always admired. Beautiful, funny, smart, sharp, witty and strong, everything I loved about her.
 We took a selfie together that day, just before we said goodbye, it's still on my phone, I smile everytime I look at it.
I was lucky to have been loved by her. I miss her, she was my friend, and I loved her too.