We had extended our time at the Hacienda and after the seventh day Luis said we were no longer guests but family. This would make the leaving even harder. We would miss the familiarity of our surroundings and the easy way in which we interacted with the people we met along the way. We now knew the ladies at the market in Dona Mencia and they were eager to help us find the things we needed often taking our dictionary and finding the words for us. Life was easy and very comfortable.
When Luis asked why we had chosen the Minerva for our stay the answer was easy. We wanted to live life. We wanted to live life here in rural Spain and get lost in the way it was for those who lived in Zuherios. We don’t for one minute think they all had it as easy as we did but for a moment we got to look into their lives and even be a part of it. This was a time we will never forget. Nor do we think that all Spain lives this simple, uncomplicated life that we had been a part of.
We really had no idea as to where we would go next but one morning we woke up and said it was off to Valencia and then maybe Barcelona. Our son-in-law Liviu has family in Valencia so we thought we might stop by and visit.
To our delight Liviu’s mom invited us to stay in her home while we were there. His sister Gabriella who lives in Madrid also extended an invitation to us if we cared to come her way. What I write about next is the hardest to put into words but probably one of the best things that will have come out of this trip.
There is much in this life we have seen and lived and to this day I thank God that I can still be caught of guard and moved by the simplest acts of kindness. We had never met Livius mother Ana as she had left Romania about a year before our daughter Desiree married Liviu. We had gone over a few times but she had already left for Spain where she took a job as a caregiver to help support her family. This has always seemed a difficult decision to me as she left seven children behind, Liviu being the oldest at twenty-one. She missed their wedding and I am sure many events in her family’s lives. Some times I think we don’t fully appreciate the depth of love until we understand the depth of sacrifice one makes. On our way over we talked about a small gift to bring to Ana to thank her for letting us stay with her. Our daughter Desiree said she always liked a little chocolate with coffee so we picked up a 10E box along the way. When we arrived she was waiting for us at the door and although she is my age I felt as if I were coming home. She welcomed us with open arms and with a mixture of Romanian and Spanish we chatted away. We had brought our computer and showed her the pictures of our families over the years. One very poignant moment was when we both watched the video of Liviu and Gabriel on Mother’s Day about two years ago.
He had done this at church as a tribute to his wife and to his mother and the two of them sang a very special song about mothers in Romanian. As we watched this video (yes, over and over) we both began to cry. I for what I had gained and she for what she had missed. The depth of our emotion was the same and we shared such a special bond. The language was irrelevant the love was significant.
There was a flurry of phone calls the whole time we were there.
Everyone was happy that we were here and they all came by to visit. Ana cooked the most spectacular meals and cared for us beyond what I could ever put into words. She is a caregiver for a ninety-year-old man who has suffered a stroke. She works so very hard and yet we felt as if we were the most important people in her world. I think everyone feels like that around Ana. Most of Liviu’s family is now in Spain and we had the opportunity to see them all except Livius dad and youngest sister Andrea.
It was very hard to leave. We had wanted to purchase a phone card for her so she could call her family but none were to be found. Our 10E box of chocolate seemed so small now and I felt as if nothing I could give her would ever equal what I had received. I pondered over this all night and decided I would give her something of mine, something personal, to keep. I always travel with a few scarves so I decided to leave one with her. I fretted a few times about this, as it seemed so small. Not only was I leaving someone I loved but also she had packed us up with Iberian ham and twelve pounds of Spain’s best chocolate! In the morning I looked for my scarves and none could be found. Now I really felt bad. We left amid tears and hugs and hopes and promises to see each other again. She called the next day to say she had found my scarf and that she would send it. With the help of Gabriella I told her to keep it. That she could wear it when she was cold and that it would warm her as thoughts of her would do me. And that she could recall that I had once worn this scarf and it would remind her that we both were loving the same children. I think she knows all she needs to know…and I know that I do.
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