A few minutes from my mother-law's very nice condo complex was a not-so-nice animal compound.
I am still not sure what I saw. The place seemed lost in translation, and yet, I can't blame the confusion on language. Were the dogs abandoned? Had someone rescued the animals? Were the dogs protecting an area that would soon be redeveloped? Were these dogs lucky? Or unlucky?
Below is the nine photo gallery that I call the Acapulco Pet's Club. Usually, I crop my photos, but these I just left as shot. Seemed appropriate since I think that the dogs may have also been left too.
On Christmas, my children, my wife, her mother and step-father drove from Mexico City to Acapulco to celebrate our fourth (?) Christmas this year. We stayed in Acapulco at my mother-in-law's condo. We arrived on Christmas and stayed until New Year's Eve when we drove back to Mexico City.
We swam at the pool; we relaxed under umbrellas at Princess beach. At a different beach, my wife got an ear infection. She used theinternet to self diagnose; she learned what ear drops to buy at the Farmacia.
I wanted my children to have evidence that I was on the trip, and I found a way to get into a few photos too. First I used the mirror, and then the self-timer. At the pool, my wife picked up the camera, and we waited until the little light flashed.
On the last day, my daughter and I walked around Acapulco. It seems that Taylor Swift has become more popular than Coca-Cola.
While in Acapulco, we saw a blue moon (by many definitions, a thirteenth full moon of a year). I had already been thinking about step-grandparents during the holidays, and the blue moon reminded me of one of my former step-grandmothers who I loved dearly. One of her favorite expressions: "once in a blue moon." Her name was Mary... another Mother Mary.
Lately, I have been waking up to music, almost like dreams. Nearly every night. Not quite sure how it happens, but almost like REM sleep with music, but the songs are never by R.E.M. One of the recent songs was the Beatles' "Let It Be," which seemed appropriate because
1. I have been waking up to music.
2. I have been trying to follow the serenity prayer and change what I can and accept what I cannot. (by the way, this sounds a lot easier than it is)
3. I am in Mexico for Christmas, and while I haven't spent much time here, I am aware that the country honors the Virgin Mother... Mother Mary.
On Christmas Eve, my little family went to a large Christmas Eve party. It was another Step-Christmas. My wife's step-father grew up in Mexico. Much of his family gathered at his cousin's house for Christmas Eve in Mexico City. There were mothers everywhere, even in spirit, ESPECIALLY in spirit.
Perhaps because of the language differences, I reflected on motherhood. I thought about the mother of my children, and my mother, and the other mothers at the party. I also thought about the Mother Mary and how she and Joseph traveled from house to house looking for shelter. Through the language barrier and tequila, the metaphor became stronger. We are all looking for shelter.
During the Christmas Eve party, the family split into two groups to sing, "Para Pedir Posada" (to ask for lodging). One group sings as the insiders and the other group sings from Mary and Joseph's perspective. After several verses, Mary and Joseph are allowed to enter. Finally.
But in the story, this was not the first house that Mary and Joseph tried, and while the lesson is usually that people should be more gracious, I looked at it differently this year.
Don't give up. Keep Looking.
There was more. There is a part in the song, when translated, when Joseph sings, "My wife is Mary, She's the Queen of Heaven and she's going to be the mother of the Divine World." Usually, the whole religion thing overshadows Joseph and Mary's relationship, but this year I pretended that it didn't. This year, I saw Joseph as a romantic husband and devoted father-to-be instead of some duped man. Joseph completely loved the woman who was going to be the mother of ....
This year, I also thought about the mothers in my life. First, the mother of my children. I hope that I can look past my selfishness and wish for her happiness. Secondly, my mother. When a woman came calling forty some years ago, my mother answered and adopted me when I was a little baby. I was found. (My mother might argue that she didn't give up; she kept looking until she found me.) And this Christmas, I also thought about the woman who gave me up for adoption. I hope that she has found shelter this Christmas and every Christmas, and I hope she feels as blessed as I do about her decision.
My little family started our Mexican Christmas vacation in the old neighborhood of my kids' step-grandmother. I had heard about Reuben's old family home and neighborhood, but a great deal is lost in the translation... not so much in the translation of language as the translation of time.
Reuben's brother Juan still lives in their old family home, a three story house with a central garden area. There are old family photos and other reminders of their extended family. Their mother's collections remain on the wall or book shelves. She died seven years ago this week. The brothers still miss their mother and they have many stories. Maybe the house told the stories; maybe the brothers told the stories.
While the house was the center of Reuben's family, the neighborhood was the center of his youth. Reuben shared many great stories about his childhood in the Claveria Colony. Many of Reuben's best stories are from a different time when children built go-carts and played together all day. The neighborhood has changed, because everything changes. There are more people and more stores, but some things have stayed the same. George, the old man who repaired bikes when Reuben raced around the Claveria still fixes bikes just off the Mercado, and the Mercado is still open every Thursday.
George and Reuben are just a little older than they were in the 19 Somethings.
Since Thanksgiving we have been planning our trip to Mexico... since Thanksgiving of last year. We purchased our airline tickets during the summer, and a several days before we left, our flight was canceled. ("airport problem")
The weather was fine. The plane was fine. Everything seemed fine, except we didn't have an acceptable way for two little kids and an adult with epilepsy to get to Mexico City from Oakland, unless we paid an additional $2000 dollars and changed airlines. (My wife might have been able to tolerate the alternative flight options if she were going by herself, especially if she wanted to spend a night in the Tijuana airport.)
So, after working with our original airline for days, and looking into Southwest cheap fares, we flew from Oakland to LAX and spent a night at a Hilton property (Membership has its ....) We paid a few hundred dollars more than we had originally planned, but flying through LA on our original airline was much cheaper than changing airlines.
One of the unanticipated benefits: the kids practiced flying. My daughter Emily has flown many times, but she doesn't remember being on a plane. The last time she flew, my wife was pregnant with Emily's brother. Hopefully, the kids will remember this trip. While looking through the photos, my wife seems most frustrated, except for the moments when my son relaxed or cried on the ground. He recovered quickly. Maybe he knows something about long distance travel.
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