Disclaimer: I'm not a professional photographer

Yesterday we said to good-bye to Auntie Chia. She was the last of her generation and all of us were saddened by her passing. But, she is truly in a better place. Fr. John Francis told a story during his homily about a woman and her fork.

She wanted to be buried with a fork in her hand. As she grew up, she was always told, "Hang on to your fork." There was something more to come. The woman wanted to be buried with her fork so that everyone would know that she finally had that something more. Uncle Marco put a fork into the flowers adorning the top of her coffin at the cemetery. It brought laughter through the tears and reminded us to be happy for now Auntie Chia is with Uncle Bill and the rest of the family smiling down on us.

Today we gathered one last time to say the final rosary. We prayed. We ate. The children ran around. The older folks talked and laughed. We took pictures. I'm so used to take single shots, not groups. GRRRR...forgot to change the f/stop on the camera and was left with some blurry shots. Those toward the back were...well, part of the background. Live and learn. Are the pictures totally shot?!?! Not to me. They still represent family and the joy we shared today.

Front row: Auntie Binkie, Auntie Eva, Auntie Zina aka Robocop, Mom. Second row: Auntie Marcia, Auntie Fay, Auntie Margaret, Auntie Patty, Auntie Dora. Third row: Auntie Vi, Auntie Jo, Uncle Alfred, Uncle Frankie, Uncle Marco, Uncle Donald.

These are our family's new elders...otherwise known as the "Manams" short for "Manamko'" which means elder in Chamorro. But, that's not all of them. There are more...