Maria Adelina Caldeira Pimentel came to be born on a 13th of the month.
She is the daughter of Joao Francisco Caldeira (1914-)
And Olivia Terceira Raposo (1912-)
Her saintly uncle, Manuel Raposo (February 24, 1914 - March 18, 1983),
who took her and her sister upon his shoulders early on - as her parents fell ill.
He was a hard-working man; an artist in his own right.
Completing the household in which Maria Adelina grew up were:
her uncle Alfredo (1916-1993); once a promising young man who aspired to a military career
he had succumbed to illness as well - and would never fulfill either his aspirations or his tremendous potential.
And there was the beloved grand-mother also, Maria Augusta, a proud,
rock-solid woman who never celebrated her birthdays and always wore shades
Two things I have in common with her (no b-days for me and sunglasses in daylight, at noon and at night!
In the summertime, anyhow, I do it exactly as she did; however, I cannot bake as she did...!
We still managed to know that Maria Augusta was born in 1888 though - and left us on May 12th, 1979.)
From her, Maria Adelina and her sister learned much
All the wisdom of her grand-mother, all the caring propensity, all the savoir-faire
were, verily, passed on from grand-mother to grand-daughter.
The only actress who could do justice to a young Maria Adelina
would be Julia Roberts - in her prime
Though many would have wanted to ask her hand in marriage
Maria Adelina did not date; did not want to date, much less marry
In fact, Maria Adelina wanted to become a nun
Just like two of her aunts on her father's side of the family
It was not meant to be, as she did marry
the classiest act of all potential suitors
Joao Jacinto Borges Pimentel - my father
who, as it turns out, was an improved model (on all fronts) of the Omar Sharif prototype!
And they made their married life abroad, which cost Maria Adelina much
She left her beloved Sao Miguel isle, the capital city of Ponta Delgada,
and the street where she was born and raised - "O Alto Da Mae De Deus"
Most importantly, she left behind her beloved family; dear grand-mother, dear uncles
Her mother, her aunts, her great-aunts
Her beloved puppy love she had raised herself and named Diana
And she lived out the rest of her days in Canada -
verily, the major part of her life - as did her sister.
Those were not exactly fairytale days of a fairytale ending though:
as she encountered much adversity, jealousy,
enemies of all kinds and in all shapes and forms, where she least suspected them indeed,
from her youth to her latter days, they were numerous and relentless...
Quite understandably, she became distrustful and wary of others;
outsiders and insiders alike, truth be told...
She remained faithful to those she knew best though;
She always remembered tearfully the dates of the crossing over of her loved ones:
March 18th - her dear Tio Manuel
March 28th - her dearest marido, Joao Jacinto
May 12th - her dear grandmother, Vavo Augusta
November 2nd - her dear Tio Alfredo
The months of July and August were sources of other painful memories
Her own health was, through it all, a cause for concern - starting in 1991 onwards...
The years 1991, 1993, 2000 and 2006 were particularly difficult to live through
And the years 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2007 marked other losses that she felt greatly saddened from...
Before that, in many ways, the 1970s and 1980s had been both a breeze
as also an illusionary moment of peace that wouldn't, couldn't last.
A bubble that everyone knows, even while living within it, will be burst, sooner or later...
The 1950s and 1960s had been formative years - when intrinsic goodness
was sorely tested by the discovery of a cold cruel world rife with hypocrisy and deceit.
Through all this, she remained a mountain of strength and of support, to all...
I distinctively remember my dear father telling me so - "your mother is extremely courageous" -
he told me that as he laid in his hospital bed, back in 1991...
Maybe he thought it was the end for him soon; but it was not.
Our lives and our trials still had many stages to go through, at that point...
No life is totally free of strife nor devoid of pain, of course
But few would have been able to avoid buckling under pressure such as this
as Maria Adelina Caldeira Pimentel was able to do -
persevering through all trials that life brought her (that jealous enemies brought her)
through the many years that spanned her life, both with her husband and without him by her side,
with much Faith, dignity, poise, fidelity, dependability, resilience, strength and even love for her enemies.
And much love for her dear ones.
And for Christ.
- Luminous (\�/) Luciano, March 2007 |
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Three Marias in the family too: Maria Augusta, Maria Adelina, Maria de Fatima
However, if you prefer the pastries the logo above originates from - click here
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