December 15

Along with this being a traditionally festive month, the 15th of December is the other day of the month that is close to my heart.

December 15, 1995: At just after 11 a.m., just outside of Los Angeles, my oldest son was born. And sometime that same day, about 750 miles away, in El Paso, Texas, my niece Annette was giving birth to her oldest daught, Victoria.

December 15, 1998: I was on my last at sea deployment, on board the USS Abraham Lincoln, and I received a Red Cross message that my grandma, the last of my grandparents, had passed away. A little while later, I was talking to the chaplain, trying to get my head on straight when the announcement for the low visibilty detail came over the 1MC. I grabbed my gear and headed up to the top of the tower. In more than five years of being on this watch bill, that announcement had never been made. But up the tower, to the 10th level, I climbed. Every step of the way, memories of my grandma clouded my vision. Her, holding me in her arms, "Ahh-rooh, rooh, rooh"-ing me to sleep. Later in my early teens, there I am, making monkey noises and she's in her chair, giggling and clapping, her laughter filling the room. I opened the hatch to the weather deck and as the hatch closed I heard, "Now secure the low visibility detail."

I wanted to get upset and cuss at my duty section leader and just let the emotions of losing my abuela come rolling out. But then something caught my attention. I looked at the horizon and I could see dark gray, clouds and lightning dancing across the water but above me the clouds were parting. Opening up to the evening sky, giving way to millions of stars. Brighter than any that I have seen before or since. I felt this incredible sense of calm. I swear that I could hear her voice over the whir of the radars and flight deck machinery below me. "Estoy bien, mi changuito. Estoy bien." I sat up there for a few minutes and then I prayed. I asked God to help my family, especially my mom, to be strong.

I flew to El Paso and we buried her a couple of days later.

December 15, 2011: My son, Sergio Antonio, is celebrating his 16th birthday. I know that for boys, turning 16 is not as big a deal as it is to girls but for me it is very significant. Sixteen years have flown by. He's gone from being my best friend to not wanting to be around me to coming back around again.