FIFTH ANNUAL RIOS FAMILY
Hello, as most of you here already
know, but to those who don’t (and don’t believe what they say about me) ha ha! Just kidding. Seriously, my
name is Lupie,
I am the daughter of one of the elders, Kathy
Coronado, and I have a few words I would like to share with you.
We are gathered her today to honor the
memory of Antonia Rios, my
grandmother. Each one of us here today is one of her descendants, in one way or
another (so, no flirting with that may-be your cousin) getting back… Antonia Rios was a hardworking, honest,
loving, and caring woman. She was always there when you needed her. She spent
most of her adult life working hard to support her children, with her only goal
in life to see her children succeed and to be happy and healthy individuals. One
of her biggest joy was being around her grandchildren and great grandchildren
and her dream was to have all her family united! That is why we are here today!
To make her dream come true!
But we should go one step further and
be more united, not only one day a year, but all through the year – to lend a
helping hand to those of us in need – through good times and bad. It’s not only
about grilling burgers or a 3-legged sack race, we should come together when
someone’s car breaks down, or if someone needs a babysitter (umm…maybe not a
cash loan J), but I’m sure you get my point! Each
year this special occasion has brought us all a little bit closer, with
something to look forward to each year!
I know in my heart that my grandma is
here with us right now with a big smile on her face, with a great sense of
pride to see how her children are carrying on her dream by making it our family
tradition! So with all that in mind, I want to thank all of the Elders for the great job they did in
organizing this year’s fifth annual reunion! I hope we will carry on this tradition
for years to come.
And now here to represent Antonia Rios with great pride, I
present to you, the Elders: Maria, Mario, Kathy, Luis, Vicky, Rosie, Emiliano, Lucy, John, and Annette. Let’s
give them a big round of applause!