ANNA MARIA GUILLEN

November 21, 1963 - December 13, 2021

My sister Anna Maria Guillen: She was born on November 23, 1963 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. She died on December 13, 2021. Anna was a daughter, a sister, a mother, a grandmother, an aunt, a cousin, and a friend. Her parents were Ines and Leobardo Borrego-Guillen. She has 4 sisters: Leti, Ernestina, Susie, & Iliana. She had 6 children: Veronica, Victoria, Virginia, Vivian, Vasilia, and Frankie. She has 13 grandchildren: Esmeralda, Cassandra, & Adan; Baby Iliana, Ally, Esam & Ares; Kobe, Krystellina, Jaden, Nicholas, Moises, & Abby. Growing up with my sister Anna, I recall she was the nicest sister. She was not mean. She had an eye for décor. She could make any room look beautiful and feel like home. She would keep any place she called home very clean. Anna did not graduate from high school, yet she was very intelligent. She was a loving and caring person. We grew up on Reservoir Street during the 1970’s. Our neighbors were the Paradas. There was Esther, Monica, and Irene. Esther was Anna’s friend; Monica was Ernestina’s friend and Irene was my friend. We were happy each having a friend. During the hot summer nights, we would pull out pocket money together and Anna and Esther would sneak out and go to the 7-Eleven Store to buy us candies and chips. They would come back with specific candy each of us one liked. Anna and Esther would trade 45-inch vinyl records. Anna would hang out with Esther and listen to music. Anna was also a good cook. During the summer she would make us bean burritos. She would make them with chorizo, or beans with cheeses, and she would also deep fry them. During her last days, she was preparing to make tamales for the holidays. One of the last persons to see Anna alive was Monica Parada. Monica never forgot the friendships that were forged a long time ago. I remember Anna looking very beautiful in her peach color quinceanera dress. She has short brown hair. She wore very little make-up. Her chamblerlan was a white boy from one of my dad’s coworkers from Shacklett Construction. I don’t she was was happy about it, but she did not voice her disagreement. It was one of her happiest occasion in her life. Anna loved dancing. She loved listening to Mexican music and oldies. I remember going to dances in La Puente, EL Castillo, or El Rancho Moreno and Anna would be asked to dance a lot. I would always wonder why she was always asked to dance more than others. She had this natural inner gentle beauty that just radiated and drew people to her. Anna experienced difficulties in her life that was very much attributed to her drug addiction. She tried very desperately to seek help and stop using drugs. She had phases in her life that she did stop using drugs for quite a few years. During this time, she would live with family. She lived with her sisters or her daughters. When she lived with Vedo, she would help her raise her grandchildren. She would make them dinner and make them homemade Halloween costumes. They were very creative costumes that her grandchildren would wear to school. Most of the time they would win the Halloween costume contest. Her helping Vedo during this time allowed Vedo the time she needed to focus on her studies to finish her college and graduate with a bachelor’s degree. Anna’s first child to graduate from college. During this time, we experienced glimpses of the kind and caring person she was. She would feed the homeless during the holidays. She would take her grandchildren to help her. Just this year, Adan asked his mom Vedo, if they were going to feed the homeless this year. She instilled lessons in her loved ones that they will not forget. She would also take her grandson camping. Just like when our parents would take us camping. She tried to live a normal life as much as possible. She lived with my Tia Rosa’s kids for a while. While she lived with them, she tried to teach them simple life lessons that she knew. She taught them to cook and clean, and how to earn money by recycling. She brought them around to family gatherings. We got to know our cousins because of Anna. I think my Tia Rosa, would have been appreciative of Anna’s kindness that she was showing to her children. There are countless of stories and experiences of Anna. Some positive and some negative. She was not perfect just like the rest of us. She struggled in life many, many difficult times. It was during this difficult time when she needed us the most. Many of us have regrets of not being there for her during her time of need. Many of us are sad because we were not with her during her last moments. I want to reassure each one of you that may be saddened and have regrets, Anna loved you! She knew you cared. She was not a vengeful person, do not feel bad. Know she is no longer in pain, and her fight against drugs is over. She is with our lord, smiling, knowing we are remembering her with love we had for her. Talk to her when you have an urge, she is listening, she is always with you in your heart. To be honest, I often feel I have nothing to say. There’s something I haven’t told you. What’s that? I can fly, but I stopped because it made the other horses jealous. Well, we love you, whether you can fly or not. I would like to end with a few lines from of my favorite books by Charlie Mackesy: “I’m so small.” Said the mole. “Yes, “ said the boy. “but you make a huge difference.” “What do you want to be when you grow up?” “Kind” said the boy. “What do you think success is?” asked the boy “To love, “ said the mole. “We don’t know what tomorrow will bring, all we need to know is that we love each other. When the dark clouds come... keep going. When the big things feel out of control, focus on what you love that is right in front of you. This storm will pass. After the storm We have such a long way to go, yes but look how far we've come. That I am enough as I am. Don't measure how valuable you are by the way you are treated. Always remember you matter, and you are loved, and you bring to this world things no one else can.” “Que soy suficiente como soy. No midas lo valioso que eres por la forma en que te tratan.” “Recuerda siempre que eres importante, eres amado y traes a este mundo cosas que nadie más puede.” Thank you for being here today for my sister Anna, and sharing our grief, supporting my mom, Ines, my sisters, Anna’s children and grandchildren. She was blessed to have so many people love her. Thank you.