I Wanna Thank You

What am I thankful for? Above all, I am thankful for every morning I wake up next to my nenas. Being able to still hear my mom tell me for the millionth time about how she used to use Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On” gatefold LP to separate the seeds from her weed back in the day.

I am thankful to be able to use Paid In Full and Coming to America quotes in every single conversation I have with my brother. No, for real-for real, every single conversation. I am thankful for having had the opportunity to take my daughter to Puerto Rico this past summer. Yeah, I cried the moment we landed. I am thankful she recalls so many moments from that trip.

One moment in particular that stands out to me was when we were up in El Morro and I told her to look out into the view which faced the Island. I told her that everything she saw belonged to her, from the stars, to the mountains to the ocean. It was something my grandfather told me during one of our last trips to El Morro many years ago. I hope it is something she understands on a deeper level the older she gets, as I did.

I am thankful for the blessing that is being able to pass on the traditions I value such as that moment. I am thankful to be able to recall all the stories my grandmother shared with me, and hear her voice when recalling them. I am thankful for having been able to curate an event at El Museo Del Barrio in her honor. Seeing a picture of her in that space was something I will forever hold on to.

I am thankful for my extended family from A Party Called Rosie Perez to Chino Loves Negrita (more on that soon). To that point, I am thankful for all the opportunities that are being presented to me. I don’t take any for granted. I worked hard for them all. I definitely paid my dues and lived many moments of doubt and disappointments. I am thankful for those moments as well. Those days were needed in order for me to fully appreciate myself and the days that are on the horizon.