...is something my dad used to say a lot. It was something his mother had said to him a lot. And he agreed.
In memory of my father, Jesus Brambila, who was born September 6, 1928. The above picture is of him when he did his first communion. This is the oldest picture we have of him. Today is the one year anniversary of his death.
It's strange, I went on scans daily a few days ago, to talk about some comic book news.
Trust me this is related!
There is going to be an event in the bat books called Gates of Gotham City and it caught my attention because my favorite character, Cass Cain (Batgirl III) is going to feature prominently in it. This is ODD, btw. She is a very neglected character so I was pleasantly surprised at the writer's interview. He says that the story is going to be about the founding of Gotham City (batman's hometown), so there is mention of the Waynes (bruce wayne's family), the Kanes (batwoman's family), and various other old money families who were responsible for building Gotham City.
Apparently, they're bringing in Cass because of her family history and its involvement in the beginning of Gotham City.
Very very odd!
Before this, there is not a lot of info regarding Cass's roots beyond that her father David Cain is an assassin who raised her in isolation somewhere in Asia and her mother is a lethal martial artist, named Lady Shiva (who was born in Detroit, lol...of all places.)
Someone mentioned that perhaps David Cain was descended from the Kane family, but probably changed their last name to Cain. I think this is probably what's gonna happen.
AH, but then someone complained about the idea that they're going to retcon (change) Cass's background to make David Cain an old money aristocrat and how it seems no character nowadays can't be self-made.
Something about this comment nagged at me, but then I realized why...
Today I responded with this...
I dunno, does David Cain strike you as old money? I don't think so...At the most he could be the bastard child of old money. And like jlbarnett said, he could be of a branch of the Kanes that changed the spelling of their name.
My dad did that with our name actually, and my dad was completely self made (had to be since his old man died before recognizing him as his son and his dad's family rejected him cuz of his dark skin). My dad grew up to be a carpenter and was responsible for building churches in the city he grew up.
So...there's an idea! And after I wrote that I was like...*blinks* That's right. My dad helped create a piece of Guadalajara.
He wasn't old money exactly, because he and his sister were not raised by his father's family nor did he inherit anything. He was completely self-made, went to school on his own, was mostly self taught when he became a carpenter...but he still contributed to his city. The thought brought tears to my eyes.
Last night I was at a Women of Faith conference (don't ask, normally I would run away from these things, but I got a free ticket and Amy Grant was there so YNOT?) and they spoke about the Butterfly Effect.
A guy there mentioned the name of a man who hi-berdized(?) corn and whose work has been found to be responsible for saving 2 billion lives. And the speaker was like, no no, we can't say it was just him! It was Henry A. Wallace, the Secretary of Commerce (and President Roosevelt's second vice president) who ordered them to build a station in Mexico to do such work. HE was responsible for saving 2 billion lives! Without him, that research would not have even gotten done. (I found out later that he had contributed to the research as well).
Then he pauses and says...
Or maybe, it was George Washington Carver who saved those 2 billion lives. He is best known for his research with the peanut that today we still use. When he attended university in Iowa to get his masters in botany, he was tasked with babysitting his college professor's 6 yr old son. He take him out on the field and show him everything he knew about nature and the potential it had to help humanity. That 6 yr old was Henry Wallace, who with Carver's influence discovered a love for agriculture.
Or maybe...it was Moses Carver. A radical immigrant slave owner whose home was overtaken by night raiders. One night they set fire to his home and kidnapped his slaves. He was married to a very organized woman who was well-connected and managed to arrange a meeting at night, where Moses took his last black horse and gave it to them in exchange for his slaves. They tossed him a sack and Carver caught it as they ran away, and in it found a half-frozen black baby that he bundled up and returned home. Since that day he and his wife promised to raise and educate the child as their own, for they knew his mother was dead.
Maybe it was Moses Carver's wife Susan Carver who saved those 2 billion lives...or...
yeah, the point is. EVERYTHING WE DO HAS AN EFFECT IN OUR WORLD.
That we shall do great things...that's a given.
(I only hope it is positive things...)
Even after we're dead, the echoes of our existence will still be heard somewhere or somehow in the lives of others for many generations to come.
My dad may have had a fancy last name, but he was completely self made and he left behind him a lovely legacy in buildings and his family. A church that will bring comfort to people, a family that is completely self-made and will touch the lives of many more in the years to come. That name of his will be forgotten in a few generations, but he'll still be around. His life has affected thousands. Our lives shall too. I am thankful for him. We may not have always gotten along, but there is no doubt the huge impact he had on my life. He is still with me today.
'apa...
I miss you very much, but I know you're still with me. The past year had its hard moments, but for every hard one, there were twice as many victories and blessings. Amazing how it seems that your wishes for me in the past 28 years have all come true since your death. A lot has changed for the better in my life this past year. I almost wonder if your spirit had a hand in it. :) Thank you for the happiness and the legacy you gave me. I will always
always love you, Daddy. It's like you said,
si, me voy acordar de ti… God bless your soul!
Love,
Jovita
