The Small Things

​Left to right Francis, William (Father), Isidro Lopez, Edwin (Brother),
Clarence (Brother) & Antonio Baca at the Brewery

On his hundredth birthday, we wanted a six-pack of beer—fitting. His grandfather came from Bavaria to start a brewery, the Illinois Brewery in Lebanon Illinois. The brewery then moved to New Mexico for a drier climate. It still stands as the Hammel Museum in Socorro. He grew up with beer. Uncle Francis, not really a great uncle but more like a grandfather, lived to be 102 years young. If born in the 1800s, he would have seen two centuries, but he was born just outside, in1902. 

I remember the weekends of playing dominos, feeding the ducks, and sneaking peanut M&Ms from his roll top desk in his office…the small things. 

​Growing up, we tried to visit Uncle Francis
and Aunt Alma on the weekends. To reach
their house, we would travel through a
tunnel. As a child, the tunnel symbolized
a wormhole into wonderland. Mom would
honk the horn, and my sister and I would
both smile, interrupting our debate on
who crossed the invisible center line in the
back of the forest green Volvo. Ridge
Route tunnel took us to their house,
​their exceptional garden, the pond, and access to all the wonderful memories I cherish. 

---

I reminded of an image of my uncle surveying Griffith Park Tunnel. Both are “‘a channel through the rock’ in search of what is truly precious” (Job 28:10). Perhaps, we both understood the tunnel as “a symbolic rebirth…spiritual rebirth or a coming of age (Chbosky).

In reflection, the small moments are what I have to hold on to. The tunnel, in this case, is an unforgettable rose embedded in my memory. I can see it. Feel it. Hear it. Smell it. I know it. When I wrote the book, The Sunshine Special, which is about Francis’s journey from Fort Worth, TX to Los Angeles, CA and back in 1920 by train…a physical journey and a coming of age travel narrative. I learned new and excited things about Francis, but I also found my memories impacting the writing as they impact my life. 

---