Honoring a Legacy

Honoring My Grandmother’s Legacy: A Life Rooted in Tradition, Strength, and Natural Wisdom

My grandmother, born in 1910 in Puerto Rico, was a remarkable woman who managed to blend tradition with a groundbreaking path for her time. Growing up on the island, she was one of the rare women in her community to pursue higher education. Her interest in numbers and business led her to study finance—a bold choice, especially during an era when few women attended college. Eventually, she became an accountant, carving out a respected career that would have been impressive by any standard but was even more so given the time and place in which she lived.

Beyond her professional accomplishments, my grandmother possessed a deep-rooted connection to the earth, an inheritance passed down from her Spanish grandmother. Her abuela had been a healer, a curandera, and passed on her knowledge of natural remedies, herbs, and the gentle art of healing to my grandmother. With this wisdom, she cultivated a thriving garden filled with medicinal plants, each with its own story and purpose. For her, health and wellness were never found in store-bought bottles; instead, she would walk her garden paths, gathering leaves, flowers, and roots, blending remedies tailored for each ailment that arose within the family.

She was a skilled cook, too, filling her home with the rich scents of Puerto Rican dishes—stews, sofritos, and tropical fruits. Cooking was another way she cared for her family, often creating meals infused with herbs that not only tasted delicious but also boosted their health. Her kitchen was a place of warmth and healing, where tradition met the practicality of daily life, and where food became a nurturing balm.

My grandmother’s garden was a testament to her heritage and her commitment to natural wellness. She taught us all to respect the land and the wisdom it holds, showing by example that healing doesn’t always come from a pharmacy and that sometimes the best remedies grow right outside our doors. Her legacy lives on, not only in the family recipes we still cook but also in the resilient spirit she instilled in us—one rooted in the strength of family, culture, and the enduring power of nature.