I cannot think of your life “Margarola” without comparing it to the Gospels; and more precisely to the Parable of the Talents:

 

 “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.  To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.  He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more.  So also he who had the two talents made two talents more.  But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’  His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’  He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed,  so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’  But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed?  Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest.  So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents.  For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ (Matthew 25, 14-30)

 

            You  may wonder why Do I think of this Parable. And I think of it, because I believe that God gives each other, along with the gift of life, talents and “gifts”, and it is up to us the multiplication of those talents. So, there is something from God and something that is an answer, fundamental option or axis of ones’ life. That was your whole life, you received talents from our Good God and you made them fecund.

 

It’s been eight years since I’ve known you “Goldie”, as your brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews call you with love. During those years we built a real friendship, with our center put on God, “The most important thing of life” as you say on your book “Se puede” (It’s possible).

Goldie, you received along with baptism the Gift of being God’s daughter. During your whole life you’ve been faithful to that Gift, with your example, with your given attitude and your love: A truly bond of “love-friendship” of a daughter to his Father was your relationship with Our God.

            You received the gift of a family, and what a family!. You did nothing more than live your life pendent of your family, you were always looking after it, you were always trying to be there for them, giving them love and everything they needed. You always participated me of both happy and sad moments of your family, you also participated me of your nephews and nieces’ weddings, holidays (San Martin de los Andes, Salta, the Country). You invited me to spend time with you, your brothers and sisters whenever you guys went out or hanged out; you also participated me of your nieces’ and nephews’ births, etc.

 

            You received the gift of friendship and you were faithful to that gift. You bet on real friends and you deeply enjoyed and shared their happiness. You also suffered as your owned their sorrows, sadness and grieves. And the most beautiful thing of your “being” is that you always talked about your Best Friends: “The Lord, and his Mother, Virgin Mary”. They stole your heart. You made your house, the House of the Rosary, where you prayed with your friends. ¡They are going to miss you a lot and they will surely ask for your intercession on their prayers!

 

            You received the gift of happiness, and the gift of a great sense of humor, a fine Irish humor. ¡What a pride for us Irish people and for our descendants!

     

            But there’s something that you converted a gift yourself: your 38 years of disease, on which you did nothing more than to search God’s will. ¡It’s really hard to live all those years of disease with so much happiness, hope and fortitude…! As a song that Elaida Blásquez wrote says: “No, to stand still and pass by, it’s not lasting longer, it isn’t not existing, it is not honoring life…It is a virtue, it is dignity and it is an attitude of identity more defined… to deserve the gratitude of life is to stand up vertically beyond the worse, beyond the falls…because it is not the same to live than to honor life.”

      I remember frequently when we used to gather together for tea time. However, “tea time” it’s an expression because you loved coffee and I used to drink coke. But there was something that we shared, something very Irish, and that was our love for sweets and cakes. You were always waiting for me with Lemon Pies, Brownies, etc… those sweets helped inspiring our talks. ¡Thank you Goldie for loving me so much!

            There is something that I have got to tell you, and it is that you were, and you are for mi vocational life a true oasis where I can rest, gather strength and charge energies to love and search God’s will. A great gift from our Good Lord, a Friend as few, and I may say as no other. ¡Thank you Goldie, because your friendship, your example, your testimony of love, and fidelity to God, reinforce and refresh my vocation, and my desire of becoming a Priest!

 

            I imagine that you are very thankful to those that faithfully helped you, those who were you feet and hands. And I am referring here, not only to your whole family but especially to Cristina, Brenda, Alejandra… I believe that we owe them a lot. All of them are part of this story of Love that Our Lord gave us on earth.

      “As for us, what we have seen and heard we cannot help speaking about.” (Acts 4, 20). These are the words that Saint Luke uses to express everything that they‘ve shared with Jesus on their lives. Words that today we can use as our own, because we know that your whole life Goldie, has been trespassed and transformed by Jesus’ love.

             I believe that your life, for those who had the gift of knowing you, and for those who read about you on your book, or heard about you, can only remit us to our Good God. You were always spreading in our hearts the profound desire to pray, the profound desire to thank and search God’s will… And now, why can’t we ask and wish for your intercession for our needs? ¡How graceful it would be to make our own life a reflection of the Trinitarian Life, a reflection of God’s love! 

            I still remember one of our last talks at your house on Arenales Street, sharing things of our souls, of our families… I remember what you told me about your nephews and nieces: “Liso, I would give anything to fondle them, but I give my hands to God, so that He can fondle those kids and young people that do not receive love; because my nephews and nieces know what love is and have parents that cherish them”. I can’t deny that tears along with pride invaded my heart; I wanted to shout, and sing to Love. ¡Too much Love! ¡Thank you God!                                   

Lisandro Boyle

 

Aunt Goldie (Margarita Lalor)

     

            One of the things that life has taught me is that “God “squeezes us” but does not make us choke”, God squeezed aunt Goldie, but did not choke her. Aunt Goldie knew this and always appreciated it. She was thankful for everything she had, her “comforts”.

Family. It’s an institution that nowadays is at risk because some people had not enjoyed it. I say this because any person that experienced the ineludible bond of a family, the importance of each single member; any person that has taken care of its members – as Aunt Goldie did- will always look after the unity of its family. Auntie had the luck of living her life in a close family, we are an authentic clan, and we can give clear testimony of our bond even living 12.000 km away from her.

            Her Irish mood. That mood - damned mood sometimes, because Irish people need their morning coffee before speaking; dammed mood because they burst out in order to let go their anger so that it do not make them bitter, but also a mood that is a blessing because they never give up. And do not think that it’s easy to never give up, because it’s certainly not.

            An infinite Faith in God; A loyal God, who shares fatigues, and gives necessary strength to move on, a God that concedes favors and miracles, that was a constant reference in Goldie’s life. She has never pretended to be an example of perfection, her physical condition caused her problems, her deficiencies were a constant fight, and her way of fighting her incapacity was an example. Her Faith in God allowed her to rebel as well, even Christ himself said: “Lord, Why have you forsaken me?” I believe that she felt that way sometimes, but as Christ ended up saying: “Thy will be done” she said it as well; and that kind of fortitude, we as Christians, not always have.  

            It might be amazing for us to see the way she lived her life, with happiness and with a great sense of humor, and that is because she didn’t live a disease, but lived her life and celebrated it. She celebrated her life a lot and shared it as well. 

             What I’m about to share is a fragment of a letter she once wrote me in 1983. It’s so illuminating and describes her so well that I’m sure that she wouldn’t mind if I share the letter:

 

“I didn’t have time to write everything I have to write; God did not give me 10 useful fingers, but gave me one!!! And I’m so happy for that only and blessed finger, I’d have to spend my days on my knees thanking my Lord for this great miracle that He has done for me. The truth is that we tend to appreciate things when we realize we don’t have them anymore. I used to hate my fingers, because they were really fat, I wouldn’t see their wonders, their movements, they were capable of grabbing objects, capable of writing, drawing, caressing, etc. Only when I lost them I realized what I had lost, and I thought that God was giving me a good lesson; He gave me those fingers, which I didn’t appreciate and He took them. Praised be my Lord! Only when I offered him the inutility of my hands, only when all my anger and rebellion disappeared from my soul He gave me one finger back, that finger that I’m more thankful now than  for  the other 10 I used to have!

 When I re-read what I’ve just wrote I don’t like it at all; I don’t like the way I’ve expressed myself, because it seems like my relationship with God is like commerce… And that is really far from reality!

 

Patricia Ybarra Lalor.

 

 Aunt Gold 

            It’s not easy for me to choose one of the many memories shared with our Aunt “Gold”, as we, her nieces and nephews, fondly call her. The reason why it is hard for me is because I have shared with her a lot of moments; both individually and with the whole family (parties, birthdays, Sundays, etc). In every single one of them, her presence was special. She used to love to participate, and you could really feel her presence, she made herself really present; And not because of her physical difficulties.

She always “imprinted” her character, spirit and example. Details were really important for her! Nothing was casual, not even her looks – coquet, impeccable, with make up on and with her hair always combed, matching every color (her socks always, but ALWAYS matched with her sweater, her pants and with her handkerchief). She was gentle and constantly thinking about others- trying to make them feel loved.

            She loved surprises! She was a really “sly” person, I’ll never forget her smile and her “complicity” when winking her eye; I will never forget her profound look, that look could express so much…So much! That look would charge you of energies! Visiting her was feeling invigorated, understood. She gave you her advice, she considered everything and she always kept in her heart family memories so alive. She truly cared about ones’ issues, I remember that we usually started talking about our going outs, parties, and as time went by we ended up talking about old boyfriends, work, exams, my husband and my life at home… we talked about our daily things. She always knew about every single detail of our family, and she was a sort of “bridge” or “link” between each other. We also talked a lot about God, about His will, and how He makes himself present in our every day life… I never heard her complaining about her disease, she barely talked about it…

I’d have plenty of adjectives to describe Aunt Gold...

            But these days, when I remember her, when I remember her as a person, when I remember her life among us, I best identify her with the image of a “candle”... A candle of those of great quality, those that are thick and last long;  with a warm and embracing flame, that makes you want to get closer to it. It gives a firm light, and even with the wind blowing, even when it’s dark, the candle is always lit, so constant. Aunt Gold is for me an eternal candle. She was, and is now for me from heaven, a gift that God granted us, a gift we can all share and see.

 

Cuqui Leloir Lalor de Sojo

 

Aunt Goldie

“She has been an instructress for me, every time I visited her, or wrote her emails to share something I would do, or write about any issue, she ALWAYS had something to say that would help me. She always gave me very deep, proper and wise advises… Today I try to follow her example I know it’s hard and too much for me, but as Goldie said, “IT’S POSSIBLE”” 

 

 Luli Lalor Vernet