For having been with me since the day I was born.
For your tireless generosity every time your grandchildren asked you for something and without showing any signs of tiredness you prepared a delicious guinea pig or with unparalleled skill you took a huge and delicious avocado down from the tree in the central patio of your house on that steep and nostalgic Avenida Núñez in Abancay.
For having forgiven us for so many mischievous things we did in your house, such as painting the floors (and walls) with chalk to play "the world" or for wetting your whole house by playing uninterruptedly at the carnivals in February.
By literally"assaulting" the helpful Totaya and stealing the common bread fresh out of the oven she had just bought without even making it through the front door to return for more bread over and over again.
For having corrected us correctly and on time since we were little using many times the immediate and accurate help of one of your flying shoes.
For having comforted me countless times even when you knew that I was crying for no reason or simply out of pure childish caprice, always telling me the right words to run, fall and get up again in a minute.
For your handwritten letters that I received with emotion as a child on each of my birthdays and whose content, full of precious messages, made me feel that it was not my grandmother who wrote them but one of my best friends.
For having patiently and lovingly healed those bloodied, cut, bruised and wounded knees and for having given me the necessary comfort - no matter what anyone else said - even though I had only one simple scratch.
For having been so many years with my grandfather - Papa Manuel - and for having been his constant support and companion, receiving him affectionately every evening when he arrived, papaya in hand, after working or for waking him up tenderly every time he fell asleep while listening to his favorite station on that Telefunken radio station sheltered by those memorable and warm fanciful sunsets.
For having shown us by your personal example that independence, honesty, charity and courage are values that we must continue to transmit to our children and grandchildren.
For my father whom I love and for my uncles and cousins whom I love very much and today together with him they are around you with love and affection.
For continuing to be there, now and for these days in our beloved Cusco and for continuing to nourish with your pure, constant, present, immeasurable and peaceful love our agitated and hurried lives.
For all that and much more I send you today, February 8th, the deepest and most loving embrace that a grandson can give to one of his first loves, his grandmother.
Happy 106th birthday, Mama Tinita!