Uncle Lupe

It's a new year and time to keep all the promises we put off yesterday. I don't think I made myself any promises or promises to anyone else this year or the last. The way I see life is ever changing and in those famous cliche words why put off something tomorrow what you can do today. My uncle Lupe passed away yesterday morning. He's my Granny's brother. They looked like twins hobbling about in their semi Afro hair styles. He was born in Waco Texas but lived in Lubbock, Texas.  He was hard working and short in stature, jet black hair and looked like a character from Good Fellas, one of those old Italian uncles with slick back hair. You could see the hard life he lived on his face, deep lines and red from the sun and a soft smile that hid stories you only read about. He was soft spoken, caring, and strong. You would have no idea he did over 20 years in prison. He would visit often from Texas from a small town where work comes cheap and struggle runs deep, a struggle so different from my own and I couldn't comprehend but at least tried to understand. Before he got sick he planned on moving back to California with his only surviving sibling my Granny. He had only one daughter he lost to the streets long ago and was never married. Uncle Lupe had many tattoos but the one that stood out most to me was a list of women tattooed on his arm. I asked him one day why he had a list of women's names on his arm, he said he got one girlfriends name and when he broke up with her the new one got upset so the names just kept adding on. I thought his answer was pretty funny and honest. He would take us to school in an old white Chevy with a hole in the bottom you could see straight through to the pavement.  He was so proud to come to California find work and reclaim his Independence as he was far from Lubbock at the time. He would sit with us and tell us stories about ghost and his life experiences. He once said he walked in a house sat on a bed and felt the presence of a ghost passing by and sitting next to him making the impression of another human body on the bed. One thing Uncle Lupe was not known for was lying and when he told that story he even had chills on his arm. That story stays with me till this day. I will miss uncle Lupe's smile his expression when I took him on his first trip to the big city and he took a step back as we walked out to Union Square and he stood there for a few moments in awe and you could see the wonder on his face in great appreciation for the splendor of the world around him, something I take for granted daily he took in with amazement. I hope wherever he his he is in peace and he knows the world misses him, his gentleness, his experiences, his knowledge, and true appreciation for life I could only aspire to have.  I am so fortunate to have come across such a gentle small giant, my uncle Lupe.