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The world came to us

Today, at the Long Prairie Catholic Church, we celebrated The Virgin of Guadalupe Feast. My family has been celebrating this feast of color and light and joy for many years, either here or in Melrose. This year was extra-special because my grandson and daughter-in-law were invited by our dear friend Rafaela Orozco to join the Mexican children in the children’s parade of roses. I didn’t hear her, but I saw her hand Thomas a rose and I imagine she said, “Ven, Ven” and signaled for them to follow her to where the children were. And then, there was the little boy in a plaid shirt holding a rose and walking in time to the music with the children in all their wild and radiant traditional finery.
Thanks Wikipedia
Seeing Thomas there brought tears to my eyes.

Long Prairie may not have been ready for it, but the world came to us nearly two decades ago. And this annual fiesta makes it ever so clear that growing families of  Orozco, Garcia, Cervantes, Chavez, Salazar, Martinez, Ahedo and so many others have enriched us and are here for good.

This year Dulce, Rafaela’s youngest, was The Virgin in the pageant. We’ve watched her grow from child to teenager, with serious angst, to a confident young woman. Also, this year, Yesenia Chavez was the chair person of a project that fed about three hundred of us in a few minutes. I first met her when she was a brawling sixteen year old who co-hosted a radio show with me. Yesenia channeled her brawling skills into that of a leader. I’d trust my life with her.

Norma, Rafaela’s niece, was the reader today. She read with such clarity and assurance I was proud of her. After high school she got DACA and is now doing advanced theological study at St. John’s University. Imagine. She came here in the 7th grade and spoke no English but graduated from high school with honors.

We are very much a Mexican community now. But ten year old Harold, the Puerto Rican neighbor of my grandson, was there with his  aunt and grandmother. Milady, from the Dominican Republic, was there with a young Dominican woman. She promised that after Christmas she would introduce me to some more Dominicans.


After mass we ate together and sang and danced a little. I am so happy the world came to us. May you be so lucky.

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