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Para mi Papa Con todo Amor, tu hija

The Resilience of Life After Death

My project focuses on the resiliency of family and legacy after a loved one’s death. In honor of my dad and his passing, I utilized photography to capture his life, our family’s grief, and how we continue to stay connected with him. The complexly difficult process of grief is one that we are all destined to go through at some point in our lives and during this time, we are all brought together by family, love, faith, and strength. Our loved one’s legacy, virtue, and life lives on. We honor them with our pursuit of our hopes and dreams, and this is my act of honoring my dad.

Mis Chanclas

Every afternoon, my dad would come home from work and the first thing he’d do is take off his heavy, dirt-filled work boots into his comfy leather chanclas. My father was a hard-working man who provided for my mom along with my brother and I. His heart was tenacious and he sacrificed the most for us. Giving us financial security is what he prided himself most in. He started working at the age of 8 in Mexico in order to help his family and worked until the very last minute of his life. His chanclas sit, resting, patiently waiting for him to come home.

Mi Lonchera
A Grieving Family

We will continue to co-exist in the spaces my father walked in. Wherever we look, we see a reflection of him. His presence is dearly missed.

Every night, my mom and I recount stories about my dad. There is always something new to appreciate about him.

A Dark But Vibrant House

Prayer keeps us close to my father and reassures us that he is resting. We also pray for him to gift us strength.

Sus Flores

We have a collection of flowers next to my father's alter. Each one comes from very special events. A flower from his rosary, from his funeral service, from his birthday, and from first dia de los muertos. Although the flowers are dried up and shriveled, they're still so beautiful, vibrant, and full of life.

En el Cielo

My nephew and niece say that their grandpa is in the sky. Anytime I look at the sky, I know he's with us. He lives within the breeze and beautiful array of lights and clouds.

La Niña y El Muchacho Grande

My dad always had a stern and strong presence to him and along with that existed his bubbly and humorous way of being. He had a permanent smile on his face with whoever he talked to. He would walk around shirtless with his big tummy out. He would melt whenever he’d see his grandchildren and would buy them all the junk food they wanted. There was so much life in him and that will always remain true.

We are living a new reality. A reality where my dad is not physically present with us, but still has a big presence within us. Nuestra amor, juntos para siempre. Solo eso existe entre tu y yo.

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