Legacy

My story starts with a special memory of the best gift I had ever received from a significant person in my life, my Grandmother. She taught me how to crochet. Affectionately called “Mami” by me, Mami made these beautifully intricate lace pieces by hand. She struggled with arthritis and oftentimes would grimace in pain from her hands cramping. I’m a born solution creator, so I offered to help her if she could teach me to do what she did. It was difficult to watch her suffer and my little 9 year old self wanted to alleviate some of her pain. Laughing at the prospect, Mami sat me down next to her to teach me what would be days of practice and learning to bring out her vision, and eventually what would become my own. Fast forward 30 years later I had to say goodbye to my dearest Mami on August 21st, 2017 at 2:30 am. She passed away from a heart attack, as a result of a lifetime of battling Angina and numerous additional health issues. It was one of the most heart wrenching moments of my life, next to the passing of my Daddy, John “Eddie” Morales.

This amazing soul of a woman, cherished and forever missed left me something very special that would get me through months of solitude and internal grieving. In that dark place of sadness was a light, a glimmer of a small moment in time where I could hear her laugh, see her smile, feel the bond I had with her again. At first it didn’t feel like much, just picking up a worsted weight yarn ball and old crochet hook that one of my daughters had. I chained my first 25 stitches, picking apart every moment of those memories of sitting next to Mami and trying to remember her instructions through the veil of cloudy images. After all, it had been 30 years since those first few lessons! After a few days of practice the heaviness of grief and isolation was beginning to lift and I started to seek out tutorials to improve my skills. By the end of the week I had completed four small, practice projects. All of which my kids implored me to begin making for others to enjoy.

“Making for others to enjoy.” Isn’t that the whole point of every gift, to share? And share I did! M. Elisa & Co. Est. 1979 is my grandmother’s legacy, in honor of Sra. Providencia Ruiz Machado de Rodriguez who shared all of her gifts, talents and boundless LOVE with anyone and everyone whom she came in contact with. There’s a bit of her love in every item we design and create, Mami’s spirit, Mami’s joy. She’d want us to share that with all of you.