Loved. You were always very loved. Life gave you the opportunity to be doted on by your parents, protected by your brothers, idolized by your husband, adored by your children, loved by your grandchildren, and venerated by your employees.

Of course, life also saw you suffer. Before your eyes, the world of abundance collapsed and you couldn’t do a thing. You didn’t know how to do anything.

They taught you manners so you knew how to behave among the upper classes. They taught you to embroider with the finest threads, the most complicated stitches, and you created incomparable needlepoint. They taught you to play beautiful, classical melodies on the piano for the enjoyment of the family, and to pronounce, without imperfections, those languages thought to be refined. And, of course, they taught you to live your life in accordance with the Roman Catholic faith. None of these lessons was simple. But none of it prepared you for what life had in store just around the corner. It wasn’t your fault. No one could have imagined it.