Letters to Maria

Dear Maria,
I was sitting down today, writing a letter to a restaurant asking them for a raffle prize donation and as I wrote words started coming out of my head that I had never thought of before and I became so overwhelmed with emotion I broke down in tears.  I was trying to explain that although I have never met you, I know so many personal details about you.  And these are not necessarily details I've been told by your brothers and sisters, but more by just being apart of your family.

Like, your eyes...they are Martha's eyes.  I can look into them and see you.  Like how tall Mario is...I know he gets that from you. :)  Your voice...soft and sweet. Your embrace...it's strong.  You all have strong embraces.  Your smile...your mothers.

You are a memory in my mind because of the love everyone still has for you.  You permeate through the past and are still very much alive today.   

Love,
Stephanie

Letters to Maria

The following letters were written by Maria's younger brother Tony's children.  They are 13 and 10.  I want to thank Tonio and Robert for having the courage to write such beautiful, honest and loving letters to their late Aunt.  Death can be such a strange concept for children to grasp, but sometimes they handle it better than adults and their words carry so much power in their innocence.