Feliz Feliz

Hoy es el cumpleaños de Natalia a.k.a. Nate. Here we are in the days when a bike ride was all it took to make a day just fine or, if the bike broke down, a day of heartbreak.


Here is our mother, Viviana a.k.a Mamá. She had me when she just turned 19 and then Natalia at 22. Inbetween, Teresa was born. Teresa preferred being a jock to being a biker though. Um, Mamá didn't tend to smile like this when we told her we got bikes. But she always sang to us on our birthdays, in person or over the phone, the birthday song:

Feliz feliz en tú día
Natalia que Dios te bendiga
Que reine la paz en tú vida
¡Y que cumplas muchos mas!

Then she would sing the "Mañanitas que cantaba el Rey David." And then we would all cheer. Now, we call each other and still sing the birthday song over the phone and cheer. ¡Otro año mas! Pa'lante es pa' ya. ¡Chijí, chijá!