12 Apr Na-na-na-na. An awakening Song

Cultural Heritage I Book

Nana more than a person, is a poem; a ballad to reawaken to the joys of being. The fourth daughter of my great grandparents: Donaciano Gomez and Natividad Jimenez, parents of eight children, who in the same birth order have been ascending; thus completing perfect cycles of balance in this realm and in others, only perceived by those who are more attuned than the fifth sense.

Nana moved among flowers, whistling songs, reciting refrains, grinding corn. With her brown hands she squeezed mine to warm her own and hold me until the dawn`s last lights. I eventually left her side to explore my own lanes. I left with her voice and her face memorised in my spirit. Her sayings like a chant tucking me in when I didn’t have her hands nearby.

Nana is my constant inspiration and the main reason for this book, which is a compilation of her sayings and the lessons learned during the time she lived with us. She is the backbone of our family, our first mother, my teacher of peace, the love of my life.

Nana ascended half an hour after her 97th birthday surrounded by all her children knowing that I write this book as a tribute to her life and infinite gratitude for her wisdom and love. Never attached but always connected, the lines of the book Na-na-na-na-na. An Awakening Song, are all devoted to her.

Illustrations and animation: Ulises de Jesus Ramos