Happy Birthday Martin and a Song of the Week

It does often seem true that the good die young. Maybe that's because they are truly brave and can take a stand against injustice. They have a voice (like we all do) but seem to be driven to make their voice heard without fear of the consequences. Where would we be without people like that?

Fear is a killer. It kills dreams. It kills people. It kills society. It kills humanity. Fear also causes us to "conform". We fear failure, rejection, labeling, gossip, you name it. For example, some may fear any of the above, so they marry an abuser rather than be labeled a spinster. I once knew that person. She was married to an abuser and called me a spinster when I was 26 years old. Some fear their dream life and instead settle for a job (which is not a life).

To me, conforming does not lead to a happy and successful society. Rather, (and yes, Americans might gasp and this thought) a socialist society. A society where you are told what you should want, do, like, love and so on. A society that might think you're odd if you don't belong to the "right" church or political party. The society that might think you are less valuable because you didn't finish college. All a bunch of crap, really. And maybe, one day, society will appreciate the value of diversity (truly and not just lip service) and appreciate those brave enough to break the stigma molds that we seem to accept as the norm.

Now that I got that off my chest (as they say), I want to acknowledge Martin Luther King. A man that accomplished SO much in such a short time. It truly boggles my mind when I think about what he did in his life compared to what I've done. He was brave and held tight to his beliefs. He did not back down and took a stand for so many of us. He had a dream, and I'm sure so many of us do. The difference is he acted upon his dream and how many of us can say we do. Go out and be inspired by the man that dared to live his dreams in the hopes that we could lives ours. Maybe if we all do one little dream thing, we can somehow help make this a better place and contribute in a positive way to the lives of others. Hey, we never really know how some little thing we can do can really impact someone else. Think about it.

My Song of the Week is one that I can't hear without emotions being stirred. Ever since I was a kid, this song brought tears to my eyes. Enjoy and live your dreams. Life is short and too valuable to not live!

Falling out of Bed

I took my mom Saturday for her massage and chiropractor appointments. Luckily, both are at the same place. She had the massage first. While my mom was having her treatments, I waited in the lobby thumbing through magazines. It was hot Saturday morning and the office didn't have A/C (not sure if they don't have it or if it wasn't working), but they had fans blasting and doors opened.

Phyllis, the massage therapist, came to the lobby to get a cup of water from the dispenser. She told me that she noticed a huge bruise on my mom's lower back. I hadn't noticed this. It turns out that while I was in San Diego on the business trip, my mom fell out of bed and that is what caused the bruise.

When I got home from my business trip, my mom did tell me she fell out of bed. She said she just woke up and was on the floor. Good thing she didn't hit her head on the corner of the nightstand! Since then, I check on her at night to make sure she is not on the edge of the bed. If she is, I have her move towards the middle.

I wonder why people fall out of bed. Could it be active dreams that cause them to roll around? I can't remember the last time I fell out bed (if I ever have). I know that my mom fell out of bed a few months back, before she came to live with me and did recall a dream she was having, and just waking up on the floor.

The massage seemed to really help her as she had been complaining about a pain in her side and low back (which I suddenly understood why she had that pain). When we got home, she knocked out on the couch for an hour and I took advantage of the quiet and worked on a mixed media painting and began carving another lino block.

I spent a good portion of the weekend working on these two projects and they are just about done! I tried taking a few pictures, but they don't look that good so I can't share them here now. Hoping to get pictures during daylight tomorrow. I'm also hoping to run some test prints of my carvings! Yes, I still haven't done that.

Reflecting on 2010

Happy New Year! Every new year, I feel simultaneously excited and melancholy. I'm excited about the coming year and the opportunities to grab hold of. However, I am always melancholy as I reflect over the year and what didn't happen for whatever reason, or things that did happen that were not on my list. So 2010 is no exception.

I started 2010 optimistic. I was deep in my search for my grandmother, and I decided that I needed to take some creative workshops. I did take some creative workshops - drawing, soldering, metal etching. They were all fun and well worth it.

I also began to get quite good at researching my ancestors and finding living descendants of them. That was both scary and exciting. I reached out to several and that has proven valuable. To date, no one I've established contact with knows anything about Lola. I found the living people once I found obituaries. I would then search on-line obits and Facebook. I even found someone via her website. I have received some pictures of two of Lola's brothers and am anxiously awaiting pictures of Lola's father, George!

In summary, the living people I've been lucky enough to find and establish contact with follow:

NM - A fourth cousin of my dad. She is a descendant of great great great (is that right) grandmother Leah. Leah was the mother of Wells and Wells was the father of Effie (my very interesting great grandmother) and Effie was Lola's mother. This woman had been searching Effie's family for her tree and gave me a lot of information that I was then able to run with.

WP - Her grandfather Adolph and Lola's brother William (aka Bill) were both adopted by the same family in Iowa. Turns out, WP and my sis and I were all looking for Bill. Bill outlived his first two wives and was survived by his third wife. Once I had the names of the wives, I began the search and found three people.

Bills' second wife Edith had a brother Arthur. Arthur had a son Charles and a son AS. I found Charles' obit and found his daughter via Facebook. She gave me contact info for AS. We have talked on the phone and I have sent him pictures. Will need to re-establish contact with him in the new year.

Bill's third wife Ann had a sister Ellen. They were very close. Once I discovered (thanks to WP's detective work) that Ellen was now gone, I found Ellen's daughter and had the opportunity to meet her earlier in 2010. We shared stories and pictures and she gave me pictures of Bill and Ann. She also sent me some pictures from their wedding day. Turns out, AS and Charles were in the pictures.

LB - Lola's brother George died in 1968. He had lived in Chicago and my sister thought it would be good to search newspaper archives for Chicago to see if we could find an obit for George. Score! We did and it mentioned George's daughter Betty and her husband. I then searched for Betty and her husband (Google search) and found Betty's husband's obituary. The kids were listed and a Google search led to LB's business website. I called her on Easter Sunday! I know that was a call that truly caught her off guard but we remain in touch via Facebook, as I do with WP and some others I've yet to mention.

BB - BB's mother was my dad's aunt Edna. Edna was Red's younger sister. I was going through boxes of photos that I had taken from my parents' home and came across a Christmas card. This card was from Edna and contained a handwritten letter. In this letter, Edna mentions her daughters, Edna Mae and BB. Well, I immediately googled them and found that Edna Mae had passed away in 1999 just a few months before her mother Edna did. I found BB on Facebook and made contact with her. She has pictures and I can't wait to meet her and go through the pictures. You see, her mother Edna lived in (or was visiting) my grandparents in Iowa in 1920 and was on the census that year as being in the household. I know some of the old pictures I do have of my dad as a toddler came from Edna.

GJ - GJ's mother Rosetta and Lola were first cousins. I was doing some research via Findagrave and began to find Rosetta's family in the database. Rosetta's mother Grace, was Effie's sister. My sister and I reached out and have established contact with him. I was able to send him several newspaper articles on his mother and his aunts. He also offered to escort me to cemeteries when I make my trip to Illinois. I was supposed to go in 2010, but really wanted to make contact with people before going. Now that I've established contact with several people, I need to wait until the spring when the weather is more conducive to travelling.

MD - MD's paternal grandmother was Effie's sister, Edna. I knew from the obituaries of Effie and her parents (Wells and Emma), that Edna and her family lived in Laramie, Wyoming and that one of Edna's sons, Everett, died in 1943 in Northern California but was buried in Wyoming. On a whim, I searched the message boards for Laramie and Cheyenne, WY and found that someone had posted an offer to take pictures of headstones in cemeteries there, so I replied. Well that was a good decision. This woman Kathy not only took photos, but went to her library and found obituaries for Edna, Edna's husband and other family members! She was just amazing. One of Edna's daughters had a son who lives in Southern California. I found him on Facebook and sent him a message. His daughter MD contacted me and we are now in touch.

LB - Lola's father George remarried a woman named Grace. I'm not exactly sure when they married but do know that they were on the 1930 census as spouses. Grace was a widow and mother of two daughters, Katherine and Mary. One day I began a google search of Mary and much to my amazement, I found an on-line family tree that gave the name of Mary's daughter and her sons! I couldn't believe my luck. I found then one of the sons on Facebook and one on Ancestry (he had the start of a family tree). My sister reached out via Ancestry and I did via Facebook. Contact was made and LB and I have emailed and talked on the phone. She just sent me an email and told me that her cousin (Katherine's daughter) found an old black and white photo of "grandpa"! I can't wait to see that!

DL - Lola's sister Bessie married a man named Ben. I am still trying to determine when Ben died but did begin to focus on Ben's family. Bessie's 1976 obit listed two of Ben's nieces (Grace and Lillian) as Bessie's survivors. I began to focus on them and found tons of articles and names. That led to my finding a great granddaughter of Grace and a grandson of Lillian. Contact and communication has been happening, but slow. DL has an aunt in Illinois that knows of Bessie and thinks she has pictures. He is going to look into that!

So, eventful researching, yet still nothing on Lola. I have hope that someone knows something.

I also took a business trip in July to the Gulf of Mexico. I spent one week in Pensacola, FL and one week in Mobile, AL. That was busy and interesting. The other work thing that happened was I stepped into a new role, one that I've struggled with. I was quite content with my previous role and was looking forward to expanding that.

I finally listed items in the Etsy shop I opened in 2009! So far, I've only had two sales and must now focus on marketing so that I can get more sales. I also need to list more art as right now I don't have much in my shop.

I also made contact with some cousins on Red's side of the family. They also have pictures, so I can't wait to go through those. They just might have pictures of Lola and do not know who she is.

Towards the end of 2010, three of my contemporaries (a former co-worker, the son of a colleague, and a high school classmate) died. This hit me rather hard and has really made me think about my life and consider how I must make changes in order to really live life and not just "go through the motions". I am becoming more aware of the fact that I don't have my whole life ahead of me any longer and need to stop wasting it.

I also had a milestone birthday. I turned 50! Had a blast really. Some friends threw a fun-filled birthday bash for me. I haven't had a birthday party in so long that I really enjoyed it. I forgot how much fun they are.

Overall, 2010 was good. Many discoveries and challenges. I keep reading that everything is in right order. This is in spiritual literature, by the way. So, does this mean that my work challenge is supposed to be? Does this mean I was just too complacent and this is going to make me take inventory of my life? I think so.

Here's to looking forward to 2011 and what it has in store for me.

Song of the Week - 21

So another long period of time has come and gone since my last "Song of the Week" post. Actually, too many periods of time are passing in between any posts lately. This past weekend went by fast (as most do). Friday night started off with a fabulous Christmas dinner party for the department I work in. It was a very nice evening. Besides that, the weekend found me sleeping, working on cleaning up a few of my images so that I can relist items in my Etsy shop, listing a few new prints, running errands. Then suddenly it was Sunday night. Where does the time go?

I am so much more aware of time now that I'm older than I ever was when I was younger. Does it truly go by faster as we get older, or are we just more aware of it? Am I at an age where I'm aware of the fact that I don't have "all the time in the world" and now it seems to be slipping away? I'm surely not the only one that wonders about this.

So Sunday evening as I was sitting on my patio, this week's song popped into my head. It probably did because I was in the midst of wondering where the hell the weekend went! When I went back into the house, I did an Internet search of the song and just couldn't believe that it was recorded 40 years ago! Wow. I remember being a kid and hearing it on the radio. I also remember my older sis having an album with this song on it. I can't really say if it was the debut album or if she had a "best of", but I do remember hearing it on the radio, her album playing on the console stereo and singing this song. Dare I say, it is timeless!

How can it be that I am now eligible for AARP, and nowhere near where my teen self would have expected me to be in life. Somehow, through the years, I lost touch with the dreams of my teen self and fell into line with the "norm" - get a job, blah, blah, blah. It's been OK as I've earned money and made some good friends along the way, but it hasn't been heart driven, and therefore, does not make a happy person. I rather, just go through the motions daily and feel depleted. I really need to make changes and soon, as time waits for no one (to quote The Rolling Stones)!

What would I really like? I would really like to draw, paint, write, find my grandmother, print on fabric, and get paid to do this. Oh, and be happy at the same time. I don't think that's too "out there" or too much to ask for. Just need to figure out how to make that a reality. I also hope that what I create in pure joy, brings that to others. In the meantime...

Song of the Week 20

Long time since this "feature" made an appearance. I don't know why except that life has the habit of getting in the way of fun things. And, life for me hasn't been so fun lately.

Sometimes I just think I'm too old for change and stress. Knots in my stomach daily do not serve me well, nor do they serve anyone well. I am among the few that do not believe you must experience pain and discomfort in order to "grow". I have a job and I'm thankful for that, but, it is no longer the job I knew and loved. I know this is a development thing for me, but I'm not a young person desiring a huge title. I want to write and be an artist. I wake up in the morning having had dreams about work and things I didn't understand or do right and just hate that. If I died tomorrow, what did I accomplish? I hate to think of that.

So now we have John Lennon. He was murdered at 40 years old. He was 10 years younger than I am now, and contributed so much in his life. Had he lived, he'd be 70 years old in October. Yeah, he was murdered almost 30 years ago. I was a kid that grew up believing in Karma and as I got older "really" understood that. Somehow, though, I don't know that I've lived up to what I was taught. Or have I? I had dreams, yet I was told to be responsible (live differently than my dreams) and be able to put food on the table. Not sure why living your dreams and putting food on the table differ, but, whatever.

I know many people do live their dreams and put food on the table. Somehow, I just haven't achieved that yet. But, I do believe it's possible. The struggle, though, is keeping that dream in sight, while feeling miserable and sick and just out of control. Never an easy task. Daily, I am reminded of the fact that I've become the person I swore I never would be and feel rather disturbed by that. I really need to make some changes, and before it's too late. As the song says, "why in the world are we here, surely not to live in pain and fear".

In honor of John Lennon, Song of the Week, and my dark mood (hoping for a bit of enlightenment), Instant Karma.

The Business Trip

Business trips are not something I do often. I have probably taken about four in the past two years. So, now I'm on another one. I suppose it is time.

I have been planning my research trip to Iowa and Illinois, just not getting it together, for several months now. I really wanted to go in the spring when the weather would be mild, but, just didn't make it happen. Part of the reason is that I have been attempting to make contact with family in Illinois, hoping for contacts before hitting the road. Establishing these contacts, oddly enough, hasn't been happening "overnight".

I have now been uncovering living members of Red's family, slowly, but by the time I had, the weather began to change. Summer arrived and so did heat and humidity in the Mid-West. Being a California girl, I decided I should push the trip out to the Fall when the weather will once again be mild.

Once I made that decision, I was asked to take this trip. So now, here I am in Mobile, AL and Pensacola, FL. It has been hot, warm and humid, and has been raining off and on since I arrived. Luckily cars and buildings have really good air conditioning, so the warm, humid, balmy weather is only felt when leaving a building for the car and visa verse.

I arrived in Mobile, AL on a Sunday night. When I walked out of the airport, I gasped. It was hot and humid and after 8 PM. That is NOT normal where I come from. The following day, I went to lunch with some of the people from the office and on our way back to work we saw two guys throwing blows on the divider between the highway and the service road! I couldn't believe what I was seeing!

I stayed at the Quality Inn in Mobile. There is one elevator in the place and someone dropped a piece of birthday cake in the elevator, picked it up but left tons of icing on the elevator floor. This was my first night there. The icing was still there Monday morning, but was finally cleaned up by the time I got back Monday night. Monday night was a late work night, so one of the managers decided to order pizza. I asked for a veggie pizza with no cheese. The pizza arrived and I got a pizza crust with sauce and no veggies. OK.

Wednesday night I needed to head down to Pensacola for a few days. Had to tough it out staying at the Hilton on the gulf. I had the most amazing view.



I ended up spending a week there and returned to Mobile this past Wednesday, back to the Quality Inn where my view isn't so grand; it's the Econo Lodge and the newly paved parking lot. Since being back in Mobile, I had lunch at LuLu's in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Jimmy Buffett's sister, Lucy, owns it. It was a busy place. Had a yummy salad and unsweetened iced tea.

Today, I went to a pretty cool store with a fun co-worker for a quick shopping trip. I saw the coolest T-shirts that I have never seen before. Fun designs screened on nice cotton. The line is called "Life is Good". I loved the whimsical designs and how these guys that started it are making a living doing something they love.

After hosting a short training course for a few new employees, I ran to Target to pick up the Netbook I've been eyeing since June when I attended a Genealogy convention. I couldn't believe it was on sale and selling for a reduction of $50! So, I got to Target and they were sold out and wouldn't give me a rain check. I just hope the sale will still be on tomorrow when I get home so I can pick it up and the sale price.

I ended my day and my trip with a fun dinner with some of the ladies from the office. We went to a fun place in the old downtown part of Mobile. It was quite pretty there. A nice mix of old and new, without the new being overpowering.

My time here has pretty much been non-stop work, but I did get to oh so briefly play tourist. I do like going to places where the lifestyle is so opposite of what I'm used to and I did have fun with my co-workers. I have missed sleeping in my own bed and I have really missed my cats! I can't wait to see them. With the majority of the past two weeks being pretty much consumed by work, my sketchbooks that came here with me were pretty much ignored. The other thing pretty much ignored, was my search for my grandmother, Lola. I did spend a little time working on my Ancestry.com family tree last night. A "little time" turned into a good hour and a half. As tired as I was, I couldn't pull myself away from it. I look forward to getting home and getting back on that search.

Song of the Week 15

So, here it is, a Sunday night, and probably most people are dreading this. The weekend is over. Bright and early tomorrow will arrive too soon and the "off to work" feeling and the Monday morning blues will weigh heavy on many.

So many people have jobs that they hate. So many people have jobs that they never in a million years envisioned for themselves. So many people have jobs for whatever reason that they do and that somewhat contribute to their expenses. Some people have jobs that just suck their soul right out of them.

On the other hand, some people have jobs that they love. Some people require the discipline provided by a 9 - 5 lifestyle. Some people truly feel justly compensated for their contributions to the corporation. Some people might feel a little combination of the above, but love their co-workers and do not find pure dread come Monday.

I probably fall into the latter. I do feel that my contributions somewhat count, enjoy my work for the most part and truly love my co-workers. I don't necessarily feel any passion about my 9 - 5 life. I can't even remember as a teenager wishing to be in the corporate world Monday through Friday. I can't even remember knowing the word "corporation" as a teenager. I do remember having dreams that DID consist of contributing something creative that made some sort of difference in the lives of others. I swore I wouldn't be sitting behind a desk in a fluorescent lit office, pushing paper for my pay. Wow. Sometimes, our younger self is either way off or just got the timing wrong. Or possibly we get older and mistakenly push our younger self away.

I am constantly wondering how I ended up where I am and surely others wonder the same. The chain of events and circumstances that lead us to our current place in life fascinate me. I have many theories, yet none are grounded in anything scientific. I am thankful for the opportunities I have to develop, learn and grow, but somehow dream of the opportunity to call my own shots. How cool would it be to make my own schedule and provide a great service that is truly appreciated as well as greatly contributing to my own bank account!

I wonder HOW some people just have it in them to go after their dreams and make them reality. Why is it that they can block out the "voices" that tell them they are not being grounded in reality or that they cannot make a living doing something they love? How do they do just that - make a living doing something they love and absolutely disregard the "voices of reason" (whomever they are) telling them the opposite? Oh, how I'd love to learn from them.

Stepping out of our comfort zone (even if it isn't really that "comfortable") isn't always an easy task. Having confidence in ourselves to provide a service or product that is amazing to others and brings great joy is a gift, and I feel it might be something the masses may wish for. How does one step out of their comfort zone, no matter how secure yet mundane, to reach for the stars, without pure terror? How does one get past the Sunday night insomnia that leads to the Monday blahs? I'm not sure yet, but I do believe it is in reach.

Now that I've left you with something to ponder, you might do so while listening to the chosen song this week. It is a groovy fun tune by the Easybeats. As you listen, contemplating your own situation, feel free to comment. I'm curious to hear how you feel about you own 9 - 5 life with Friday on your mind. Enjoy.

Goodbye 2009

I have said it many times and I've heard others say it many times. Where did the year go? I guess it's true what my mom always said back when I was a teenager, "don't wish you life away, it'll go by fast enough." How true. I think the year has gone so quickly that I really can't recall all the highlights that manifested.

I did accomplish a few things that had been on "my list" for many years. I started this blog and I opened my Etsy shop. Blogging is cool because it is not only a means of documenting thoughts, feelings and things, but also a way to write, which is something I loved doing as a teenager. It kind of has that long-lost sense of excitement over being "published".

As for the Etsy shop, it is created and that is it. I must now gather the hand-made inventory and list items. This is a goal for 2010. I should add that I don't want to just list things, I want to sell things that are listed.

I finally joined Facebook and have been lucky enough to reconnect with family and friends I lost touch with over the years. I'm very happy about that.

I had the opportunity to travel to and stay at a beautiful place for work. I am lucky enough to have great co-workers that are smart, funny and very encouraging.

I survived the biggest fire in the history of LA (to date). Mind you, my home or person was never in any danger, but the Station Fire was huge, and it was close to both home and work.



I was also lucky enough this past year to encourage and support two friends on their path to vegetarianism! I have tons of favorite sites loaded with information and recipes as well as an out of control collection of cookbooks at my fingertips to loan my friends.

This past year also found me rescuing a cat that started hanging out on my patio. He "moved in", if you will, to my patio on Thanksgiving day. For me, the process of introducing a street cat into a house of indoor cats has not been easy. This is not something I'm used to as all the cats that have come into my life were either young and interegrated well with the older cats or were mellow. This guy is not a kitten (maybe two years old), is not so mellow, and has exhibited aggressive behavior towards my little Petey. As of now, they are still kept separated. I may need to contact an expert for help with the intro and integration.



I began to seriously research my family tree and my grandmother (Lola), in particular. I have started to learn much and look forward to this journey. Someone asked me if I was at all worried about what I might learn (considering how adamant my dad was about NOT talking about her). Interesting question, but, I am not worried as I really would rather know what happened and am finding the search as frustrating and as rewarding as searching for antiques or vintage items to add to a collection.

My older sister became a grandmother for the third time and it was her first granddaughter! My younger sister started post graduate studies!

I didn't take many art or jewelry making workshops and plan to get back in the groove in 2010. I found plenty to take, just didn't seem to have the follow through. I also plan to get back in the exercising groove. That just somehow slipped my mind in 2009, yet it didn't stop me from buying various excersise DVDs.

I saw three great local stage productions in 2009. In August I saw "Louis and Keely Live at the Sahara". What a fab show that was. The next best thing to seeing the real show had I been alive in the 50s. In December I saw "Baby It's You", another fab show and I ended the year (December 30th) seeing "A Vegas Holiday! Songs from Live at the Sahara". This was the Louis and Keely live show from August sans the drama.

So, goodbye 2009. It was a very good year!

The Theatre

I haven't been to the theatre in a while. One morning while heading to work, I stopped at the gas station. The station I generally go to has a local "oldies" radio station playing over the speakers, so you can hear tunes while watching your money get sucked up at the gas pump. This particular morning, the cast from a play were live on this station's morning show.

As I listened, I knew I had to get tickets. True, the opening of the production takes place before my time, but I knew all the songs. The play, "Baby its You", tells the story of New Jersey housewife, Florence Greenberg, who discovered The Shirelles and also started her own record label. That was a great accomplishment in the late 50s - early 60s! While folding laundry and cooking dinner for her husband (with dresses on and perfect hair and make-up), she listened to the radio and had a gift for music. She told her husband she had to follow her dream and moved back to New York to start her career in music. As I do not know all the details, I'm surely lacking valuable information and am motivated to learn more about her. Songwriter and producer, Luther Dixon, became her partner, in both work and life. This was truly scandalous at the time, not only a May-December relationship (I've read she was 48 and he was 28) but they were an interracial couple.

The music was so fabulous. The actors were as well. They ALL had amazing singing voices. It really blows my mind that these fabulous voices are not on vinyl! Considering artists currently popular and on vinyl is why I do NOT watch any music awards show.

This is not a paid advertisement. I do recommend seeing this show if you are in the Pasadena, California area. It has been extended through December 20th. I loved how some of my favorites made an appearance - Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick! I did see a local new stations cover this and talk about the show possibly going to Broadway. That would be cool because that would mean there'd be a great soundtrack coming out. The other positive factor was that the show also touched on history - something I love.

Latina Style

Some people accomplish so much in such a short amount of time, while others accomplish little. What is it that drives some to achieve their goals while others can’t seem to get it together? I tend to fall into the latter category, I’m afraid. Not a great place for someone with dreams. I recently checked the alumni page of my high school senior class and was shocked to see how many classmates are now deceased. One in particular caught me by such surprise that I was immediately motivated to Google her.

Anna Arias (aka Anna Maria Arias) was in my class. We didn’t run in the same circle, but I knew who she was - a cheerleader, a class officer, and a loyal friend (from what I’ve read). She passed away October 1, 2001, succumbing to the illness aplastic anemia.

She was someone that had the drive to see her dreams become reality. She went to Hawaii once and fell in love with it. She told her mom that she was going to move there. She got a summer job and saved her money. She moved there! While in Hawaii, she worked and went to college. She graduated college and then moved to the DC area and found herself in politics. Seeing a need, she became a driving force for the economic empowerment of Latinas. She started a magazine called Latina Style. In 1998 she created the Latina Style Business Series as a way to give back to her readers. What she contributed in her 41 years is impressive. Her drive to help others succeed was, and is, commendable.

I did go to my local Borders Books to pick up the latest issue of Latina Style. Although they had the current issue of Serial Killer Magazine, sadly, they did not have Latina Style Magazine. I wonder if that is a sign to move to a new city.

Teachers come to us in many forms. Anna’s time on earth (in my opinion) helped, promoted and improved the lives of so many - and not just Latinas, but women and people in general. What she and her magazine offers can help anyone. She is proof that a dream and drive can produce desired and positive results.

This is my small tribute to an amazing woman. Please read more about her here where her life is better documented.

If you knew Anna, are familiar with the magazine, or are just inspired, please feel free to comment.