¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermana!

It is my late sister's birthday today. I hope she's enjoying herself, wherever she is.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano y Mi Mamá!

It's my mother's birthday and my youngest brother's birthday.

It is also the Catholic religious holiday known as Feast of the Immaculate Conception but you all probably knew that already.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermana!

It is my late sister's birthday today. I hope she's enjoying herself, wherever she is.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano y Mi Mamá!

It's that day again.

It's my mother's birthday and my youngest brother's birthday.

It is also the Catholic religious holiday known as Feast of the Immaculate Conception but you all probably knew that already.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano del Medio!

Today is my middle brother's birthday.

I hope he is in good health and staying out of today's rain.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano y Mi Mamá!

It's that day again.

It's my mother's birthday and my youngest brother's birthday.

It is also the Catholic religious holiday known as Feast of the Immaculate Conception but you all probably knew that already.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano del Medio!

Today is my middle brother's birthday.

We are actually speaking again after the longest while.

But I still hope he has a happy day.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano y Mi Mamá!

It's that day again. My mother's birthday and my youngest brother's birthday.

It is also the Catholic religious holiday known as Feast of the Immaculate Conception but you all probably knew that already.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano del Medio!

Today is my middle brother's birthday.

We have not spoken in a long while -- his choice, not mine -- but I still hope he has a happy day.

Comic Book Image of the Week

Believe it or not, life with my little sister was never like this!

Pop Song of the Week: "Those Were the Days"

A song I used to listen to with my sister when we were way younger.

Movie Song of the Week: "Do You Want to Build a Snowman?"

I post this week's tune because I miss my sister. I could say more about the movie from which this song comes but that is enough for now.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano y Mi Mamá!

It's that day again. My mother's birthday and my youngest brother's birthday.

We celebrated it once today at a local Japanese restaurant and again when we got back to my mother's house.

It is also the Catholic religious holiday known as Feast of the Immaculate Conception but you all probably knew that already.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano!

It is my middle brother's birthday today. I hope he has a good day despite last night's cold front.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano y Mi Mamá!

It's that day again. My mother's birthday and my youngest brother's birthday.

We will undoubtedly celebrate it officially tomorrow but officially it takes place today.

It is also the Catholic religious holiday known as Feast of the Immaculate Conception but you all probably knew that already.

Yet More Sad News About September

I found out this weekend that the type of ulcer which killed my sister this past September was a perforated ulcer. Apparently not only can it be fatal if not treated by immediate surgery but it has also killed a lot of famous people such as actor Rudolph Valentino, writer Rudyard Kipling and musician Charlie Parker. So at least she died in good company -- though, of course, I would have preferred that she not had died at all.

She is going to be sorely missed this coming Christmas.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermano y Mi Mamá!

It's my mother's birthday today. We probably won't celebrate it until Sunday but it is officially today.

It's also my youngest brother's birthday today. We won't celebrate that until Sunday as well.

It's also the Catholic religious holiday known as Feast of the Immaculate Conception but you all probably knew that.

A Death in the Family: Parte II

My sister's funeral was this past Monday. Apparently she died of an ulcer. I never thought it was possible to die of an ulcer but that is what my sister did. Heaven knows she has had her share of stress but I never realized until this past Monday that she had had enough to give her an ulcer. Moreover, it must have been her ulcer which was forcing her to throw up so much on the night before her death. Even though my brother-in-law had tried to persuade her to go to the hospital that night, she had refused to do so -- no doubt because she had no idea that the consequences of her decision would prove so fatal.

Two of my aunts came down from up north to attend the funeral and help out my mother. Both my aunts are mothers themselves and they have lost enough family over the years* to know full well what it's like to lose a loved one. They went back Thursday and their presence is sorely missed. But at least there is the chance that the next occasion I see them will be a happier one than this one.

I still do not know what to say to my brother-in-law or my sister's children. They seem to be holding up well but only time will show how well they are doing. More than a few of their neighbors have contributed food and other items to their household to help ease the transition since my sister's passing -- after all, it was unlikely that my brother-in-law was going to be showing much interest in grocery shopping for a while -- and for their sake, I am truly grateful. Some of my mother's friends have given her food as well and I am sure she was touched by their thoughtfulness.

My sister's son had a football game Thursday and the game began with a moment of silence for his mother. He supposedly dedicated his first victory to his mother as well. Which is how it should be.

I'm going to miss my little sister and I'm still puzzled as to why I had yet to shed as many external tears over her as I did over my late father. I suspect that either it will hit me harder during the coming holidays or else I am all dried out from all the tears that I am crying on the inside.

* However, neither of them have yet to lose any daughters, gracias a Dios.

R.I.P. Mi Hermana

My only sister died this morning. At this point, I still don't know the exact cause of death though at this point there is nothing ruling out natural causes.

She will most definitely be missed.

I have already given my condolences to her spouse and her children but apart from that, I'm still in shock. It still doesn't feel real to me and when it does, it's going to hurt. Ironically, I always suspected that she would outlive me because she was younger than me by a year but that was not to be.

There will be very little -- if any -- blogging while I process this. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa.

¡Feliz Cumpleaños, Mi Hermana!

We celebrated my favorite sister's birthday yesterday even though it's officially today. I hope she's enjoying herself, wherever she is.