Remember Me

Thoughts on 128 days of quarantine. 

Mami Hilda’s life is one I will always treasure. She sent me this postcard from Viña del Mar, Chile over 40 years ago. When I read it today, I felt as if she was writing to me from heaven. “Desde este lugar tan lejano les recuerdo con mucho amor y quiero que sepan que siempre están en mis oraciones. Que el Señor les bendiga. Reciban todo mi amor.” Hilda.

My grandmother is telling us that she remembers us from that far away place. That she is always praying for us. She hopes the Lord blesses us and she wants us to receive all her love. Likewise, I remember her too. 

Mami Hilda is special to me and this is why: In 1959 missionaries had knocked on my grandmother’s door. Their message understanding deeply Jesus Christ and his infinite atonement and gospel motivated mami Hilda to become a "Saint" member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was a bold and daring move. Becoming a disciple of Jesus Christ meant leaving behind many recreational activities her family did on Sundays to attend Church, in keeping the Sabbath day holy. Becoming a member of His Church meant abstaining from drinking alcohol, smocking, drinking coffee or anything that would cause you to get addicted to and have a clean body as a temple, and clean mind. Becoming a disciple of the Lord meant paying an honest tithe and fast offerings to help build the kingdom and help the poor, following our Savior's example. Converting to His gospel meant serving in any capacity to help the women in the church to name a few. 

At the time when mami Hilda was called to be the Relief Society president, she was raising seven children and was managing her own business which was the sole support for her family. Mami Hilda was known to be a strong woman with character and resilience. She was well informed about current events because she read both major newspapers daily. From the time my memory goes back, I recall that the Henriquez family always owned a business. My grandma loved to be her own boss. She opened a salon and gift shop. She bought wholesale and sold retail. With what she made she could support her family and had extra to even travel abroad.

Mami Hilda’s life was full of wonderful memories with friends and family on one hand but also a lot of turmoil in her personal life, and I imagine she must have been under a lot of stress when she and my grandfather separated. I vividly remember how uptight she was most of the time. She only gave you one look, and you knew what to do. I can almost blame all that stress as the cause of her cancer. Our family was devastated when we heard the bad news. She battled with the illness for over two years. 

The last time I saw mami Hilda was the Christmas of 1989. I came to see her that December with my little family of two young girls ages eight and five. I was amazed that despite her illness, she was still managing the salon and boutique until she could no longer bear the pain. Despite her illness and great disappointments as the prognosis didn’t look good, mami Hilda was a strong woman who carried herself with dignity, probably dying of loneliness inside but keeping her spirits up the best way she knew how. The biggest lesson I learned from her is that she passed the test and endured to the end. 

My sweet grandmother died two months later at age 65 from ovarian cancer. The death certificate has the date of her death as February 2, 1990. My grandmother Hilda left a remarkable legacy to her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren and theirs. Her biggest contribution was of a woman of faith who had a strong testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ and did her best in anything she got involved in. She was a wonderful daughter, wife, sister, friend, mother and grandmother. I imagine how proud mami Hilda must be feeling today to see so many of us grandchildren doing well and keeping the faith. I would never want to do anything to make her sad. 

After my grandmother’s passing, a friend who served along with her in the Relief Society wrote: “Hilda was the person who taught me the way to become what I am now. From her, I learned charity, kindness, honesty, and responsibility in our callings. She was my mentor and my example. I am 80 years old, but have stayed faithful to the Savior and His gospel. I have served a mission, and the Lord has blessed me greatly.” 

Mami Hilda wanted her children and grandchildren to be successful and to do what is right and to learn from other people’s mistakes. She was considered a first-class lady. She was respected and loved by those who knew her. Mami Hilda valued education, hard work, and kindness. She was generous even at the time when she had very little to offer. Today as I follow in her footsteps, I am a wife, mother, grandmother, come follow me Junkie, home extraordinaire, community activist, real estate speculator, family history enthusiast, political news commentator, and member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Mami Hilda loved to serve others, especially poor women who had nowhere to go. While she served caring for other women in the Church, she developed leadership skills and developed new gifts such as teaching, public speaking, and organizing meetings, activities and service projects. She influenced the women in the Church and taught them how to serve one another. She was instrumental in helping young mothers discover, use and develop gifts and talents; she help them become builders of the kingdom. My grandmother stayed faithful all her life to the temple covenants she made, and is exactly what I have promised to do. 

Con amor,

Vero