Diana Leaney López Ruano

A father.  A husband.  A follower of God.  A coach.  A leader.  A servant without applaud. An uncle.  A brother.  A counselor.  A light. An example and friend. Tio Paco A man is not measured by how extravagant and costly his house is,  but by the feeling inside of the walls he provided.  When he reaches heaven,  angels will measure the kinds words spoken,  the goals made and achieved,  the teachings given and lessons learned under the roof of his home,  none of which can be measured monetarily.  A man is not measured by his titles of power,  but the magnified humble titles of father,  husband,  friend,  uncle...  Tio Paco I miss you. My uncle passed away on Monday and as we gathered in his home to be with family I was subconsciously looking for the peace I had felt there many times before.   I found it.  I entered his home,  peace touched my heart and I knew that I was in a good home,  a place of love and refuge.  I knew that my uncle wasn'

I want to say so much about the nothing that I feel. There is loneliness in the absence of hope,  and it fills you to the point you don't know what is real and what is not. Who are we? Who are we but beings going through a rough time trying to do human things and then realizing that we are more than our actions. Cortes. That is my new last name.  Add Lopez to the end of it and I realize that I lost my mother's name.  What does that mean? Cortes Lopez No longer Lopez Ruano.  No longer Sister Lopez,  but Hermana Cortes.  Or to be more specific,  Hermanita Cortes because my mother in law has the main role. Who am I? What is a wife? Married. Married people wear wedding rings Married people Marriage. "Marriage is hard." Everyone says that,  but they don't tell you the pain of losing your identity.