Season 2: Episode 6 - Gloria's Garden

Please to in to hear a warm tribute to my mom on her birthday.

Transcript

Darline Berrios: 0:04

Hey everyone, welcome to Share Your Sparkle and I'm your host, Dr. Darline Berrios. This is season two, Episode Six, glorious garden. Hey everyone, I'm just going to get started. And first thing I'm going to say is happy birthday mom. My mom is turning 73. Today, may 7, and this is being released on her birthday. So this episode is dedicated to her. Her name is Gloria, you have heard about my crazy wonderful parents in the past. Jos gems talks about my dad and his interesting character. And I did an episode in February, speaking about my mom and her journey from Puerto Rico to the United States. But today I'm going to talk more about my mom as a mom and I titled this glorious garden because my mom can basically make anything grow. I'm talking not just physically right, but spiritually, and she makes things fat. I'll get to that in a second. But literally, so on the literal level, you know, the way her green thumb like every I think Rosa Sharon tree on this property they have now came from my former House in Rhode Island, like every single one, my mom would just pick up little seedlings and plant them. And there are probably hundreds here now. And it's not just that she's done that with other people and planted them in their backyards. And she just can take things put in the ground, and it grows. But you know, there is there's a magic to her, because other people will try that and it won't happen. So this episode is titled glorious garden. Because to me, she has been this constant source of divine care that has helped me grow into the human being that I am today. So one of the things that I remember, a few years ago, my parents celebrated their 50th anniversary wedding anniversary on June 1 2018. And we all met just like I would say, the inner circle, right, the kids, their families, and grandkids and we had a dinner. And the at the dinner, we all spoke some words to my parents. And I remember starting my speech with that I felt really blessed because, you know, God had given me Jose. That's my dad, Joe, who is like, in history, right? Jesus's dad, and Gloria, like the glory of God. So I was given, like Jesus's protector in a way, you know, the Father, and I was given the glory of God as my mother, which is pretty cool, right? And Gloria, is not only a mother to me, so she is the mother. There's four of us two boys and two girls, I'm the second oldest. But often times when I've told stories about my mom, people think I'm an only child, which I think is kind of funny. And I think it's because the way she treats people. It's as if you are the only person in her field of view to take care of. But the truth is, she's not just a mother to us. She's a mother to many, like every single friend of mine, even one of my friends called her mama barrios. And not just me, like all my siblings, friends. And anybody connected to my mom, you know, sees her as this constant source of care. And she always had meals for my friends. Like I think my friend sometimes stayed at my house and wanted to be there more than they want it to be at their own houses, you know, like, there was just this constant love and support that she gave not just to her biological children, but to the people in their lives and everybody in her life. And in animals, like even my dogs like her grand dogs, felt her love and care and still feel that to this day. Because that's what she is. She's not just a mom to us. She's a mom to many. And if you know that, or if you listened to the episode in February, when she came over from Puerto Rico, like she literally she's the oldest of nine and in One shot brought over her mom. And I believe all the other siblings were born at the time, the eight brothers and sisters on one plane ride over, and she was the one that saved up and sent the money over for that to happen in one shot. And I remember, I think I mentioned this as well, like, I can think about, like, you know, my former partner and kids and how we would try to go on vacation. And that was like, you know, two adults and three children and trying to make that happen and how sometimes it was just like, No, we just, I just can't do that, like, we can't spend enough money on that, to make that happen. And here, she was working her butt off when she was 1718 years old, to bring over her mom and eight brothers and sisters. I'm telling you, my mom is a person in this world who will not be in history books, but has changed the world as much as people you will read about in any history book that you read. Because that just that change, right there, shifted the lives of, you know, nine other individuals who and, you know, in turn then shifted the lives of us who were her children and her nieces and nephews, and, you know, her siblings, because of the people they might have met, whether it was here, you know, or, or their, the trajectory of their lives for being here. And that will live on forever, because that one shift, you know, shifted generations. And I appreciate a while I have no clue of the hard work that my mother has gone through since she was going to say from what I hear stories like basically like eight years old, hoping her dad in the fields feeding the animals before going to school, you know, moving the cows from one field to another like she has just been working her whole life. And she honestly doesn't know how to stop. So in that sense, or my dad make a perfect pair, but they're crazy. But anyway, we're gonna focus on good stuff. So glorious garden. One of the things that I'd like to mention, is that elec like I said, like she's like a mother to many. Not only with just feeding people, but like, you know, giving someone 20 bucks like money for lean bed like that's just like what she does. Linda is almost like a snow cone. Right? But it's it's an A pop, and it's come it's like cherry coconut things like that. But you always say this is money for Linda. But it's basically like here, you know, here's a little bit of spending money she has done that my whole life not not just to me, I'm telling you to like cousins and and oh grandkids, I'm sure. And I also think it says a lot. So I only know my mom is my mom and as one of her children. And it's so interesting how I'm sure like my brothers and sisters have their own unique story about my mom, but at like the grandparent level. That's like next level right? grandparents are crazy about their grandkids. So imagine my mom is crazy about us. It says a lot that one of my nieces. She's 13 and refers to my mom as her best friend that says a lot that a 13 year old refers to her grandmother, as her best friend. I told you my mom's My mom has this constant divine force of care. And in this current that is constantly running. That's not like electrifying. It's gonna hurt or like electrocute you, or it never dims. You know, it's just this constant perfect, just right divine force of care that everyone feels. So let me just share some stories. Speaking of constant, divine force of care, if you've tuned in to you know, or listen to other episodes, you know that when I was in my 20s, early 20s, I had cancer. At that point. I returned to my parents house to live and to heal. Because I didn't work at the time. And my mom went to every single doctor's appointment she did, she did not miss one doctor's appointment. In fact, it was when I was probably like a year out and had moved back to Rhode Island that I literally was like Mom, I've got this like I can go by myself. And I think that was probably hard for her to hear but she didn't miss one appointment. And if you've gone through some sort of sickness, in this case, like with my with the cancer, I wasn't hungry. Like I ever my appetite was very different. So when I craved something, it was like she made sure to make it but there was one time that I craved like Cracker Barrel. I had had it like summers before when I lived in Florida and they had just built one about an hour away. In Connecticut now they're more like up in the northeast. But before that was Mostly like a down sell thing. But 20 something years ago, it wasn't. So the closest one was about an hour away. And I remember, basically her just throwing me in the car. No, she didn't throw me in the car. But she's like, let's go. I told her I had the craving. And it's like, we drove an hour so that I could have lunch. So that I could eat, you know, and feel a little better. And that's the epitome of what my mom how my mom cares. And it's not just giving us what we want. It's like, I need and I want you to be well, how can I help make that happen? So she went to every one of my doctor's appointments. She never missed any sporting event. People I've been playing, I've played sports since third grade. Third grade through the rest of my elementary, middle school, high school career. Soccer, I played basketball, and softball, she did not miss one sporting event. At some points I was on like, different travel teams where practice was literally an hour away. So not only that, she had to drive me an hour to practice, but stay for the two hour practice and then drive me an hour back home. My mom never missed one. Not one tournament. Not one game, in fact, was actually a basketball game. That was just literally with me and my teacher friends. And I mean, she didn't come to all of those. But my little brother happened to be the younger brother that my parents actually came to watch. I think they want they came to watch because my little brother was there. And he was visiting. And they just wanted to spend every possible second with him. But even though she even came to a basketball game that I played with, basically it was it's like a pickup basketball game. But that just shows I really and the funny thing is, so as like a co parent, that's something that I wanted to do for the girls, I try to be there for every sporting event. And I tried, but I couldn't do it. Like I I know I missed some soccer games. I know I miss some basketball games, and I really tried to make it to the different events. But in from third grade through high school, this is some kind of record. My mom never missed one. And not just for me either. That wasn't just like unique. That wasn't just my unique experience. My mom's incredible. I mean, I tried to be a mother like that I couldn't do it. So I really appreciate that, that she was there. And that also comes with some funny stories, because there was one softball game that it was pouring. But of course you continue to play unless there's lightning, you're just you know, playing away. And at my high school, the softball field, you had to cross a soccer field. And then the softball field, it was there was an incline and it was below, you know, like a lower elevation. And then I see my something like a tall pole coming across the field soccer field, and my mom climbing down the stairs, she brought a patio umbrella to keep everyone dry, like so she's like, oh, whatever this will work. And I'm like, I can't believe here's my mom with a patio umbrella. But like I said, she wasn't just a mom, to me. She was she is a mom, to many. So my mom is awesome. Those are just a few things that she's done in my life. But she was also a small business owner. So I know that the way that she cared for the customers kept them coming back. She's a storyteller, right? So if you hang out with my mom, you'll hear stories galore. And the way she's able to connect with people is is on a very genuine down to earth way. And just to talk about what she juggled in her life. So at one point, there were three, I think stores like dry cleaning businesses. She had four children. My dad, who was like seriously, something else to take care of as well, right. And our house, which had tons and tons of animals I'm talking about like horses, chickens, goats, cows at some point like there was there were always chickens, but then like any combination of those sheep, so she would, you know, run the businesses run to our games. Take care of bas take care of the animals. And you know, and on most occasions, she would Oh, and we would obviously have like home cooked meals all the time, you know, would go to McDonald's every once in a while, you know, after a game, but she would cook dinner for my dad and bring it to him and his colleagues, like the people that he worked with. So, like I said, My mom is not just a mom to one, she's a mom to money, this constant divine force of care. That's why glorious garden works. She knows how to make things grow and make things fat. Which is so true. She really does. She's also a healer. So like, you know, we got a, I don't sometimes because you know, I grew up here and you know, here is different. But that month they got older that she uses for everything really does work. years ago, Bailey, my first chocolate lab, he had a tumor on his tail. The day I found out, it was Easter. And I remember like having cold like this colorful, like teal, sure. And like, like, nice. I don't know, light pants, I looked very eastery I take him for a walk. And I noticed something on his tail. And I'm like, Oh my god, oh my god, he's dying. Because I go from zero to 60, you know, like, remember. And the tumor was there. But it was in a spot where if they did surgery on it, it's just it wouldn't like come back to close and heal. So it just, you know, I didn't do anything about it. But whenever he would come visit my mom, she would put Montego Bay on it, and wrap it up. I swear to god every single time that thing would go down. Like seriously, like so the swelling, the swelling would go down. And for years he lived like that. And it was fine. You know, it wasn't it didn't interfere with his quality of living. She not only killed my dog, but my brother's dog when he got attacked by a porcupine this summer. You know, he had quills everywhere, right? And as Paul his poor Paul, he looked like he had a boxing glove on. I mean, he's already a giant. She's like, you got to put Monday glue but and we're like, no, maybe I was like, No, no, no, finally we did. And within 12 hours, the swelling went down. So I'm telling you, my mom has not only make things grow, but she also helps things heal. And that's just in so many. I mean, those are I'm just giving you like minor examples of how she's done this. But again, this divine, constant source of care is just how she works. Not just for people, but for the animals that she cares about. Some funny things about my mom. Well, now we joke about it. And I gotta do the same thing sometimes. Growing up, she would get Cocoa Puffs instead of cocoa pebbles. She would get, I don't know, whatever brand of something, but the different brand of it. It was like, you know, instead of like sunkist orange soda, it was like some other sort of orange soda. And now we laugh about it actually just happened yesterday, honestly, like I eat club crackers. And she got these club crackers. But they're like the peanut butter sandwich ones. She's like, all right, they're like no, Ma, this is not the right. But at the heart of how she works is that she just wants to provide and do well. And she's such a stalker that she'll like look through your, you know, your cabinets to see like what you buy. And then like the next time like how many times over the 15 years when I was in Rhode Island with like a family or not in just even when I was on my own, that she would bring, you know the snacks all the time. That you know, we're already in my cupboard, but she knew like, Oh, this is what you like. So let me give you let me I can give you a bag of groceries of what you like. And it's just really wonderful to have a stalker like that in your life. I mean that in the most loving, loving way possible. So those are some stories about my mom. She's 73 today. She hikes like a beast. I'm telling you the mountain that we climb the Red Trail is no joke. I get winded. And every morning she's on that trail in the winter when it was like two degrees and probably like two feet of snow. We were getting ready. And it wasn't because of me. It wasn't because of because of my craziness. It was because she was she started getting ready and I was like oh, I guess we're going hiking when it's two degrees and like there's two feet of snow on the ground. She'll hike two and a half hours. You know, and she's a beast. Like my mom can do anything and I appreciate that. I have Such a loving, caring person in my life to have been a part of this journey that we call life with. Like I said, a divine constant source of care. Some people aren't that lucky. So may 7 1960 1960 1948, this wonderful woman was born into existence. Happy birthday, Mom. I'm glad you were born today. There's no one like you in this world. And there's no other mom better than you to ever exist. Ever, ever, ever. right people. Please Wish me I wish my mom a happy birthday. Send her a positive message in your head. Send her some love and light so that we have many more years of funny stories to tell about this beautiful soul. That is Gloria. Hi people accept your sparkle, surrender to it and allow it to be so until then, keep shining