I came to visit my Tia Rebecca in New Mexico. I love that she tells me stories about my ancestors. She also shares chisme about my living relatives. Luckily for them, I don’t know them too well. I also don’t judge them. I am just here to listen.

I like learning about their lives and the mistakes they’ve made. I like learning about my family’s triumphs and strengths. The more I learn, the more I am able to see why I am where I am and I can make connections to why, as a family unit, we have certain behaviors.

I tell my Tia that I love to write these stories down. She tells me that we shouldn’t talk about the pain or the horrors that we have experienced.

“The past is the past” she says.

I don’t agree with her. I feel like each generation should learn from the previous generation. I thought of many instances where my life could have been different if I had known a relative who had experienced what I had. Maybe I would have reached out for guidance instead of facing it alone.

This is why I write. This is why I have so many journals. I am excited to learn that one day, when I leave this world, I can leave them to the younger generation to read and to learn about their ancestors.

Angelica Flores