Mi Bisabuelo Chuche

His name was Jesus Galindo. My great-grandfather, father of my grandfather and grandfather to my mama. He helped raise me. I was so little, but I still remember him. His ways of living sketched into my mind forever. I remember his eyes... they were blue. Born in Del Rio, Texas and didn't know much English. He always said that he never needed to learn it. He had gotten this far and he could go farther with just what he knew. When I was small I couldn't call him by his nickname, "Chuy", so I called him Chuche. My Chuche. He used to call me Carmelita. I spent most of my time with him in the yard or playing with that old cookie tin box full of buttons.

If anyone knew him... they claimed him as a friend. Kind-hearted he was. Born in 1915 in Del Rio, Texas just a few miles from his parents native land of Mexico. Like all stories, he had his own. He cussed like any you wouldn't believe. Cussing in spanish and cussing in english... he cussed alot. LOL! One thing about him, he loved me and never showed a speck of disrespect or unkindness to me. He was my Chuche.

He died in '93. That day, Carmelita died, too. No matter what my mama told me to console me it just wasn't enough. I looked up at the sky and I remember it being really clear and light blue. A happy day. I knew that if God had made that day so beautiful it was made especially for me, requested by Chuche... My Chuche. I saw his blue eyes in the sky and that wonderful old smile of his that day. Oh, Chuche, how I miss you and wish you were here.

This is just a small bit of his life or rather what I want to write about right now. He is a great example of a mexican-american. Hard-working, self-reliant, and proud of where he came from. If anyone has a great-grandfather out there, you all know what he meant to me.