I remember one Mothers' Day in San Diego. Ezra, Kenia and Sol were living in the Mesa housing complex. Kenia was sleeping late and Sol and I woke up early while the dew was still on the grass and ran from garden to garden around the housing complex picking a big bouquet of flowers for Kenia. It had batchelor buttons, poppies, nasturtians, lilys, delphiniums and many other flowers. We put it on the table so that when Kenia woke up she would see it.
and of course next to the flowers was Sol's dear bunny. Ezra and I had been to the nursery in Mission Hills and bought Kenia a beautiful rose bush. It was a yellowish rose with red edges. One of the most beautiful I have ever seen. Roses aren't my favorite flower, but this one was truly lovely. Ezra planted it and over the years it gave many lovely roses-- almost all summer long.
When I went back to visit many years later, I was surprised to see that the rose bush was still there! Looking as beautiful as ever, though no one had pruned it and it certainly didn't have the mulches and compost that Ezra had lavaished on it.
I wonder how Sol is and think of her every day.
This is a Mothers' Day memory and an appreciation of the lovely "mothering" which Ezra gave Sol. No mother could have tended to her needs with as much patience, dedication and love as Ezra. It is such a tragedy that he cannot see Sol. It is a deep sadness for all of us. It is also a tragedy that Sol obviously has been fed lies and distortions about Ezra. That is the only explanation for the cruelty with which she has treated him. When she graduated from college she only thanks her mother and her grandmother Violeta. Sol has forgotten all the mornings that Ezra woke early to make her lunch and drive her to school, all the hours he spent growing her healthy food and flowers. I don't know what Kenia could be telling Sol about Ezra, but no one would ever doubt or question the total dedication and love that Ezra gave to Sol. All of Kenia's friends are unanimous in appreciating Ezra's amazing committment as a father and are in total wonderment that Kenia and Sol have so cruelly wounded him. I don't know if this has something to do with the way that Kenia was treated by her own father? It is a mystery.
