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| JUANITA ROQUE-ENRIQUEZ - (Dec. 27, 1929 - Oct. 12, 2013) |
Eulogy for Mama-Lola written and delivered by grand daughter Ana Lorraine, "Ono" after the Requiem Mass
Thank you for the love and support you've given all our family over the past week. Thank you for coming and filling this place with love and joining us in celebrating the life of Mama-Lola. There is a lot of love here, and I want you to know, we return it ten-fold. As I started writing this, I couldn't find the right words to begin. It is so difficult to write because words simply cannot capture love. I will undoubtedly fail to perfectly articulate the immeasurable and indescribable mother, sister, aunty, grandmother, great grandmother and friend that Lola was. For all of us who were blessed to know and love her, the only things that will truly capture who she was are the warm memories that each of us hold within our hearts.
Death is a mysterious gift. It brings loved ones together, by separating them from the ones they love.
A death in the family is just another wake up call, reminding us that we only have a short while on this Earth. The amount of time we have here can never be known, and death is nature’s way of reminding us not to squander the time that we have.
Before we say goodbye to my Mama Lola, please allow me to share some personal reflections about who she was. I think we all feel very fortunate to have been able to share in Lola's 83 years of life. There’s no question that hers was a life to celebrate.
Mama-Lola was all about Love. Pure love. She loved without exception and without expectation. Her love for her family showed itself in many ways. She may not have approved of everything we did, may not have liked some of the decisions we made, but she didn’t lecture nor judge. She just kept loving us, letting us know that she was there and if we ever needed her, we could count on her to listen, to comfort, and to help. We were the most important people in the world to her.
Her love for life was extraordinary. She lived a simple life. It didn’t take much to make her happy —a phone call, a card, a visit or a kiss before saying good night was all it took. She found joy in the simplest things. One of her greatest pleasures was to work in the garden. My friends in NZ always knew that she was in Auckland just by how beautiful my garden is. What she loved most was spending time with her loved ones.
Mama-Lola was selfless. Unselfishly willing to make sacrifices for others. She was a kind, generous, caring woman who put her family and friends before herself. She was Always loving and caring. She instilled faith, family and community in us. She didn’t do it through lectures or anything like that but through example.
Mama-Lola was resilient. She endured all of life’s bitterness and she indulged in all of life’s sweetness. At a young age she looked after her sisters and kept them safe during the Japanese war. For some, it may be an impossible task but Lola faced this period in her life with a sense of responsibility. Lola also suffered an early loss with our Lolo Tony's death but she was able to surpass the pain and talked about him with the utmost affection and love. Being the strong-willed person that she was, she continued her journey with her two daughters and became the best mother she knew how.
With her life she taught me how to live, how to love, and how to truly be oneself. With her death she taught us that it's not the beginning of the end for her, but instead it's the end of the beginning. I know that Lola's life was just a beginning here on earth, and that her story is still yet to be told in heaven. As we mourn our loss and celebrate heaven’s gain, we are grateful for everything that Lola did for us.
Some people pass away wondering what kind of a legacy they will leave behind, what impact they will leave on the world and what memories will endure. Lola need not worry about the legacy that would remain in her absence. Simply look around this room, a room filled with people who have been cared for, blessed, impacted and loved by her. Her legacy is alive in far too many people, evident in too many smiles, echoed in too many words and present in a huge family that will not soon forget what an amazing woman we had loving each of us.
There have been and will be times in our lives when situations arise where we’ll want so much to talk to her, be with her or ask her just what we should do. I'd like to think that when those times come, we can begin to look to each other and find that part of her that she gave to each of us. Maybe we can learn to lean on each other and rely on each other the way we always knew that we could with Lola. Perhaps that way, she won’t seem quite so far away.
Thank you for teaching me how to love,
Showing me what the world means
What I've been dreamin' of
And now I know, there is nothing that I could not do
Thanks to you.
Thank you for teaching me how to feel
Showing me my emotions
Letting me know what's real
From what is not
What I've got is more that I'd ever hope for
And a lot of what I hope for is
Thanks to you.
It's hard on a day like today to find joy when someone you loved so much is gone but through my tears I have joy with the knowledge my Mama-Lola is in heaven with her Lord and savior. She is once again whole and the ailments of this world are gone. While I am heartbroken at the thought of never having her loving arms wrap around me and hear the words "I love you" I am happy that she is in heaven watching down, our ever forever angel, protecting us and guiding us by her example and a life well lived. Rest in peace now my dearest Mama-Lola and know that I love you more than words can ever express.
I don't want to say "good bye" just "see you later".
