Corn

Whenever I see corn or eat corn, is when I see my grandfather, I relive through all the memories. Humberto was his name for starters, growing up, I never had the chance to constantly be around him as much as I would have loved to, but he'd come for visit to our little house every few months from Mexico. There was never a specific timeline, he was one to surprise, one of his favorite activities, was to pick up five boxes of natural corn every week from individual sellers, what I heard they taste much better than the store brought, they are less sweet and more natural, from then he'd take the fun to our backyard, my siblings and I was invited to help peel the corn at all times, and every time I helped him, those were the special moments, the connections, the music, specifically speaking rancheras and days like the times I would try my best to save each worm, scientifically I refer to the Helicoverpa zea, who find habitat from the plant. He had a passion for getting us to move, do activities for the day, for example taking my youngest brother Joaquin for a six am duty walk around the neighborhood to find recyclable bottles, not only did he unintentionally help us keep the earth green, but he also educated us in all aspects and in ways no other has, in his free time, he'd enjoy the unthinkable like placing a flying bug on my sister's shoulder, nearly giving her a panic attack, and chasing her around with it, oh I remember that day like it was yesterday, he showed his love by tickling us more than anything, or giving us a spook, or advising us with hilarious stories.

Apart from his humor, he was a very hard-working individual who was highly admired in his land back in Mexico, I'd definitely say the ambition runs in my family, in the blood, and it is something we feel every day, occasionally, he farmed on his property, so his days were spent shoveling and working hands-on with the people close to him. He was known as someone with a strong attitude and personality, my mother herself tells me as she was a teenager, my grandfather always pushed her to reach far beyond her comfort zone, bringing out the best in her not only as a woman but in terms of farming and working hard on the ranch. When the time came, my last ever encounter with my grandfather was when he was leaving to go back home from his visit, just envision the scene of lots and lots of tears, hugs and so my final words were "Bye grandpa! I love you.. come again soon!" in a loud happy voice. Although I never saw him again, my grandfather forever impacted my life, he was a blessing to me and I gained a lot of knowledge from spending time with him regardless of how little.

Grandfather made me realize and reminds me when I forget that in order to have something valuable, to have a masterpiece, it takes work, sweat, struggle, nothing ever comes easy as they say but in my words, what forever remains with me is you need to pick out many boxes of corn, take time with each of them, so eventually, with the slightest touch, you will turn it into something special. To this day, I won't forget anything that happened, he remains a legacy in my family, in the end, I remain convinced that when humble and generous people are taken from us, there is an underlying purpose.