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March blew in like a cold tornado and kept going through the whole month bringing confusion, setbacks, and grief.

In my extended family, we lost a young relative ( a loving son, brother, and father) in a car accident.

Today, Easter Sunday marks an event of hope, renewal and new beginnings.

I’m holding onto that thought.

Yesterday, two of my kids in Denver began the drive back to California for a visit before one of them moves on to New York.

So, new month, April, YAY!

Today, everyone in my family is sick so Easter Brunch is canceled. BOO!

Right now I’m medicated to the gills for my bronchitis but I’d wanted to get started on a new challenge amongst the old ones, no matter what, because there’s hope for a better tomorrow, right?

April is the National Poem a Day challenge and also the A-Z Challenge for bloggers.

For the A-Z challenge bloggers pick a theme and each day we blog a new letter representing the theme.

My theme for the month of April is all things Latino, specifically culture, language, music, food, in my Mexican American heritage. 

Disclaimer: My writing reflects me and my family not the entire Mexican American or Chicano or Latinx experience.

I hope readers learn a little something about a first through fourth generation American family of Mexican descent by the time I get to writing the Z portion of the A to Z challenge.

The letter may represent an English or Spanish word, so here goes:

Today’s letter is A.

A is for Abuela: Grandmother.

Non-Spanish speakers know this word as it’s very common. The word conjures up chubby, gray-haired grandmothers, like in CoCo, who wear aprons and twist their long hair into buns or braids.

Not so in my family.

In my family, not one grandmother likes being called Abuela or Grandma.

“Nope, ‘abuela’ sounds too old,” they say; “call me Nana.” Pronounced: Nah-nah.

None of them would dare expose their gray hair.

So there’s Nana Maria, Nana Debbie, Nana Robin. If we’re all together the grandkids have to specify which Nana they’re calling or talking about.

Alas, I’m not a nana yet, but I’m keeping hope alive.

The nana’s in my family do have aprons similar to the one in the photo, though. And all know how to wield a chancla like the abuela in the picture but that description will be described when we come to letter C.

The attribute my sisters, female cousins, and mother have as abuelas or nanas is their unconditional love for their grandchildren and the ability to make them all feel special.

Nana’s are proud of their grandchildren. They attend soccer games, track meets, plays, and can be counted on to buy/ sell their school fundraiser stuff to family and friends.

Every nana I know says they LOVE their relationships with their grandkids because they get to enjoy them at their best and when the kids are tired or cranky, back they go to their parents.

Nana’s always have something in their refrigerators or will cook up something for the grandkids.

Nana’s remember birthdays, even if they have ten grandkids.

Nana’s love to do stuff with their grandkids, things they may not have done with their own kids.

Last, but not least, Nana’s are the best storytellers. They tell the grandkids all the things their mother or father got into when they were young or mention their most embarrassing moments.

And for that, grandkids love their nana’s.

If you are involved in the A to Z challenge, let me know in the comments by leaving your link.