I’m glad my mom isn’t here

I miss my mom so much.

I talk about her every single day. I think about her. I look at her photos. I look for signs that she’s nearby in some way.

But I’m glad she’s not here.

Let me explain.

My mom was a Democrat. A die-hard, true blue, fighter of civil rights, advocate of LGBTQ+ rights, protector of immigrants and defender of women’s reproductive rights Democrat.

The day we admitted her to Mayo Hospital in February of 2021, an ER nurse asked her the routine questions.

Do you know where you are? Yes, Mayo Hospital.

Do you know what year it is? Yes, 2021.

Do you know who the president is?

With the sliest of smiles and with her eyes still closed, my mom wiggled her shoulders — sarcastically — as if she was attempting to make herself more comfortable in her hospital bed before she finally replied with, “I know who ain’t.”

That sly smile turned into a grin from ear to ear before she finally let out a “Ha!”

My mom passed away on March 14, 2021. My, has the world changed in the last four years. Had my mom been actually buried (she was cremated), she’d be spinning, not turning over, in her grave at the state of affairs.

My mom was passionate about her compassion especially for those less fortunate. We’re supposed to help those who can’t help themselves, she would tell me.

If she had enough to give, she would give it. And she loved hard. If she cared about you, you knew because she made you feel it. She left no doubt as to who she loved and what issues she cared about it.

So, yes, I love her. I love her now more than ever. Still, I’m glad she’s not here to see who is sitting inside the Oval Office again and the havoc he’s causing not just in the U.S. but globally.

The racism. The hate. The cruelty of it all may have killed her this time around.

Some may read this and think I’m using this platform — a blog about losing my mom — as a pulpit for my own political views. I don’t fucking care what you think.

She was my mom and I knew her better than anyone. She was very vocal about her disgust for the “Cheeto” when he was in the White House the first time around. She made that very clear to anyone who would listen.

She said something to me once and it’s been haunting me lately. I don’t remember what day or even what month, but it was in 2020 and there was a lot going on. George Floyd had been murdered. Covid-19 was in full effect. The orange one was in his last year in office, spewing his usual hate.

But on this day, she called me to vent. She sounded so sad and so tired when she said…

We’re living in a time where too many people are proud of what we should be ashamed of.

You could literally copy and paste that statement to describe what’s going on today.

If 2020 was considered a tumultuous year, what would you call 2025, because it’s been nothing short of a shit show.

So, I say again… I’m glad she’s not here.

This world doesn’t deserve her.

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Below, photos of my mom in happier times. 1. Yeah, that’s my mom and that’s a stripper. 2. My mom in a sombrero hat she took from a mariachi. 3. My mom singing “Volver, Volver” at Barrio Cafe. 4. My mom laughing at the size of the caldo she ordered.

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Soy hija de Gloria. Era una guerrera. Esta es la historia de mi mamá… y mi terapia.

I’m Gloria’s daughter. She was a warrior. This is my mom’s story… and my therapy.