My grandmother would have had a birthday yesterday if she were alive. It is many years now that the Creator took her home and I still carry her memories in my heart.
ADA MAUD SMITH was a kind woman and fundly known as "Madda" or "Aunt Ad's" by everyone. She became more that a grandmother to me when I was seven. That's the year I was shipped out of Belize City and into Corozal Town to live wih her and my aunt Brenda after whom I was named.
Thus, she is responsible for the way I grew up and I will forever be grateful to that loving woman.
We came from a middle class family but over the years with the jobs held by my grandfather, my father and my mother you could say we got to the top. I think it was more because of my grandfather and his position as District Commissioner that did it all. Anyway, the Ysaguirre's and the Ysaguirre name is and has been big for some time now.
Ada Maud was a story teller and a very intelligent student who attended first, St Mary's School(an excellent Anglican School) in Belize City and then St. Catherine Academy (one of the best Catholic School's in Belize). She actually had to leave St. Mary's School because she needed to wear glasses and the children at school started to call her "four-eyed puss" and she would go home in tears every day. So off to St. Ctherine's Academy she went. She was at the top of the class just as she had been at St. Mary's but was not Catholic. She told me that due to that her first place award at the end of the schooling was not given to her. St. Catherine's School at that time awarded gold pins to their honour students. She was awarded second place and a novel - Jane Eyre. That was excellent any way. I read it many years later - heractual gift that is, an old book by then but still proudly kept by her. When I went to teach at Corozal Community College I read it in Literature class and of course have seen the movie many times. I have also been to the Bronte Parsonage in England - the home, now a museum where the Bronte girls grew up. Anyway, back to Ada Maud Smith.
My grandmother told many great stories. She had lived during interesting times and all the occurences of World War II in Belize was vividly painted and told to us. Her favorite opener was "BEFORE THE WAR...". Whenever she would begin a story, my cousin Elena would always asked her if it was "Before the War?"
She was fun. She use to tell her doctor she wanted to live to a hundred. Then one day as she was getting nearing and nearer to thehundred she decided to change that. "I want to get over a hundred," she would tell him. She was a wonderful creature. One of God's blessed creation.
Her cooking was wonderful too. I still can't match that but I try.
She was very disciplined too. Oh, yes. I got some whipping in my days. I was a little brat sometimes. Just the normal child, I guess.
When she finlly showed the first signs of illness I was with her as my aunt was on vacation for the first time to England where her two sisters and their families live. the next few years showed her to suffer more until she finally left us.
MAY SHE REST IN PEACE.
I owe my grandmother a very lot. I cherish her in my heart and I miss her. Sunday, while in church I saw a young girl sitting with her grandfather and she kept carressing him and hugging him. I sat just behind them so I had to see it all. That is when I realized how much I miss having my "CHICHI" (that's what the grandchildren called her. It is a Mayan endearment for grandma.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY,CHICHI. I MISS YOU AND I LOVE YOU. THANK YOU FOR YOUR LOVE AND FOR CARING FOR ME. YOU ARE IN MY HEART AND IN MY PRAYERS, ALWAYS.
Love,
Your Granddaughter,
Brenda
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