I’ve only ever been to the Rose Parade in person a couple of times. My dad always said he had the best seat in the house, sitting at home and having his coffee and tamales where he was comfortable and warm. In our family, we always make tamales for New Year’s Eve instead of for Christmas. This year, the Rose Parade was on January 2nd since they have a tradition of never having the parade on a Sunday so as not to disturb Sunday masses along the route. Today, I went to be with my mom because I wanted to remember my dad and I know she’d probably lamenting the empty seat this year.

I was making plans with her on things we can do in the coming months so that she can have something to look forward to and keep our minds occupied. The three main things we talked about are:

• An international orchid show in March that has been cancelled the past 3 years due to the pandemic
• The annual ritual of pruning the rose bushes
• Finishing a book we had started with my dad (we each had a copy).

It’s impossible to not think of my dad and feel his absence in anything we do. So the objective is not to distract from his absence but to honor his memory by continuing to lead productive and mindful lives that he can be proud of.