Beatriz

I haven't written in a while, even though I promised awesomeness. Right after my last post, something  not awesome happened in The Compensator family, hence the moment of silence. Since there's no easy way to say this, here it is: TC's mother, Beatriz, passed away. She battled multiple myeloma for five years, and now her battle is over.

Death is bittersweet. It's indescribably difficult for those of us left behind. We miss her and will until we see her again on the other side. But the sweet side of it is that her pain is over and she's moved on to the next step in life. We have the assurance that she is happy now and that we will see her again, which makes coping easier. And we know she's with loved ones that she lost, like her parents. What a sweet comfort that is!

I thought it would be fitting to honor the woman who raised my husband.

Beatriz was a teenager she found the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and began attending. Before she was even baptized as a member she had a calling (assignment) that she fulfilled faithfully. This is the kind of woman she was. Whatever assignment she had, whether in the Church, or in her community, she worked hard.

This is the same woman who had three babies in less than three years, all while her husband was in medical school.

TC and his Mami.

This woman had the courage to urge her husband to leave their native Argentina to complete a fellowship in the United States, even though she spoke very little English. With three babies in tow (the oldest, TC, only 2), she moved her little family, and lived in a foreign country for four years. This was before the day of e-mail, voip, Facebook, and all instant ways to communicate across hemispheres, yet she moved forward fearlessly. She had the foresight to see that sacrifices now bring blessings later, and she passed that along to her children.

Beatriz in the USA as a young mother.

It was this beautiful woman who spent her life serving others, whether extended family members who were ill and lived with her for a time, church members who she served in her various assignments, ancestors she served by doing genealogy, orphan children that she cared for, and her own children that she made countless sacrifices for. I've heard story after story of her staying up until the wee hours of the morning to help a child finish a school project just to get up a few hours later to prepare breakfast and make sure everyone's clothes were ironed.

Beautiful covered in laundry.

It was this talented woman who sewed for her children, taught Argentinian folk dance, was a great photographer and had talent for art and any craft.

But to describe Beatriz without mentioning her tenacity in the face of challenges would be to fail to describe her at all. She was a spitfire who had no problem speaking her mind, standing up for what she believed in, and defending her loved ones. She was fierce and didn't care what others thought of her, as long as she knew she was doing what's right.

Beatriz in one of her dance costumes.

Just with what I've written, you can likely see how I could love this woman. But wait, it gets better. When I joined this family 12 years ago, it was this beautiful woman who took me in as one of her own "chicos." My Argentinian "Mami" considered me one of her own, and she loved me like she had raised me herself. The first time I traveled to Argentina I was stressed beyond belief; I was worried about meeting the majority of my in-laws for the first time, I was worried about my inability to communicate beyond "Hola" and "Donde esta el baño?", I was worried about my inherent shyness, that I would be scared frozen unable to speak at all, and that I just wouldn't be good enough in the eyes of my in-laws for my new husband. Beatriz eased all of those worries for me. She went out of her way to love me and accept me. 

The two of us on Temple Square in 2005.

She was so kind, didn't judge me for being too lame to speak Spanish, somehow understood what I meant when I did try, and made sure I knew that I was part of her family.

Beatriz with her two youngest daughters.

And that's how she was with all of her children. We could call her with any problem, any complaint, and she would be on our side, no matter how silly we were being. No questions asked, she was our ally. So it's only natural that I will miss having an ally, a friend, a Mami, and beautiful, talented woman to look up to. 

We love you Beatriz, and are looking forward to when we get to see you again.

love, Gordita and The Compensator