Nana was born in Van Horn, Texas, in 1932. Her family had 3 girls, like mine, however, she had some brothers as well. Their family was poor and had very little. In order to help her parents financially, Nana quit school in the 5th grade to start working. The fact that Nana was willing to quit school at such a young age to help out her family shows a great deal of her character. Nana is a very giving person who always puts others before herself. She understands the need to help out family when she can and she does so without hesitation. To say Nana has a charitable heart in an understatement. I could tell endless stories of how she has helped people out in times of need whether they were family or not. She understands that everything she has been given is not really hers and that it really belongs to the Lord so she knows she must bless other people with what she has been given. Nana gives without expecting anything in return. She does not help others for selfish gain or even for recognition. There have been times that people have taken advantage of her giving heart but she does not let that stop her or hurt her, she just keeps on going. When Papa Chuy passed away a lot of people talked about how charitable and giving he was. While that was true, some people don't understand that many of those times Nana was the mind and heart behind the giving and Papa Chuy followed through. I don't want to discredit Papa Chuy, I just want to give a little credit to Nana too. Another aspect of her character that was shown early in her life is that she is a hard worker. Since starting work at a young age, she has had jobs working in gorcery stores, retail stores, the drive in theater, and most importantly starting and running the restaurant with my grandfather. The restaurant, Chuy's, has now been in business for over 50 years. Nana has more work ethic & drive than probably more CEOs of major corporations have. Because she was raised in such a rough economic time and struggled as a little girl she knew that to get what she wanted in life she would have to work hard and sometimes take risks. As mentioned before, the restaurant that she and my grandpa ran is called Chuy's- named after my grandpa. However, what some people don't realize is that Nana actually first started the restaurant on her own. She heard that the building where the restaurant originated was going up for sale after many businesses that had tried there before had failed. My Papa Chuy had been back from the Army for a short time and was working as a cook in town. Nana thought it would be a great time to start a little drive thru that sold burgers and fries & approached Papa Chuy with the idea. He quickly turned down the idea, especially since that building seemed to have a curse that made every business there before fail. Nana wouldn't take no for an answer. She told him she was going to give it a try, if she failed after a few months then so be it but she at least wanted a chance. Papa Chuy obliged and before he knew it business picked up so much that Nana couldn't handle it all on her own and he had to quit his other job and come help her. With that, Chuy's was born. Without Nana's strong will and determination Chuy's would have never happened and my family's life would probably be very different than what it is now. As a business woman Nana also knows the importance of upholding a strong reputation. Throughout the years of running the restaurant she has been very tough in making sure there was consistency in all aspects of the business- from food quality to service to upkeep of the building, she made sure it was all done right. She has often been misunderstood and taken as being too harsh but I feel that if she didn't treat the business in that way it would not be where it is today. Nana's business sense, hard work, and determination are so admirable to me. I hope that I can channel some of that from her when Jonathan opens his accounting/investing/insurance firm someday.
Nana the businesswoman is only part of who she is. The greatest part of her character is the strong Christian woman that she is. When I was a little girl, probably about 5, Nana told me that it was very important to "accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior." I had no idea what she really meant but she always told me that and sounded like she meant it. One day she decided to take my sister and I with her to a little church service in the park. At the end of the service the preacher had what I now know as a time of invitation; she told me it was time to go and "get saved & accept Jesus in my life." I still didn't really understand but I listened to her because it seemed important and if anything else I knew I better listen to Nana or else! I remember all of a sudden feeling some kind of overwhelming feeling as the preacher prayed over me and I started to cry and Nana was crying as well. After the service was over Nana was so excited and I called my mom who was also very excited. I was still a little confused but was starting to figure out that this was something major and I did something really good for myself. It took me years to realize all that the choice I made at the in the service at the park meant but I am so thankful for Nana planting that seed for me. Thanks to Nana and her encouragement and faith, God has always been a strong presence in my life. Once I fully understood what it was to "be saved" I rededicated my life to Christ wholeheartedly and I learned to appreciate even more what it was Nana began for me years before. Aside from my own personal story, I know that there are many others who have been led to Christ directly because of Nana. She knows that it is her duty in life to witness about our Jesus and she is not afraid to do so. In fact, when Papa Chuy passed away a couple of years ago she had a lot of visitors come by the house to give their condolences. Some of these people didn't expect that when they came to the house to give some kind words they were also in for some preaching! Nana took that opportunity to preach to her friends about knowing who God is and giving their life to Him. She was sad to have lost her husband but she had peace in knowing that he was with his Heavenly Father. What a strong lady. To be so sad internally but to set that aside and still perform her duty as a Christian and use that opportunity to try to lead others to Christ, wow. She truly amazes me. As a Christian woman, I have also always known Nana to be a woman who let the Bible be her guide in life. Every morning she reads from her Bible. Sometimes I wonder how many time she has read that book cover to cover. Some of the pages are now torn and her book is probably older than I am but it is one of her most prized posessions. Her favorite book is the book of James. When my sisters and I were little and would misbehave while we were at her house she'd point out the scripture that talks about the importance of disciplining kids. She would tell us, "The Bible says spank the children." That scripture was my most feared part of the Bible as a kid! Something that I respect and admire the most about Nana's Christian life is her real unceasing faith in God and knowing and acknowledging that everything she has comes from God. She and Papa Chuy gained recognition for the success of the restaurant over the years and in every interview they did they always gave top credit to God for their success and everything they had. Nana believes in blessings over luck. If I tell her something about how lucky I was to have something happen she would quickly remind me that it wasn't luck but that it was a blessing from God. Her life, along with Papa Chuy's, has come so far from their meager upbringing but they have stayed humble and always give credit to God. Nana's faith is definitely build on a rock. Nothing can shake her or make her question her faith. She has suffered through breast cancer 3 times, kidney cancer, and numerous other health problems but she never fears because she knows God will take care of her. She has no fear in death because she knows that when she goes it will be in God's time and she knows that it just means she will be by His side for eternity. I hope that someday I can have the Christian faith and life that she does and I hope that I can be an influence to others like I know she has been to so many.
Now, with Nana not all things are tough business. There have been more fun times then I can even count! Many of my friends have heard my funny Nana stories. When I was becoming a "young lady" Nana would teach me how young ladies were supposed to act. "You need to swing your hands when you walk, sit with your legs crossed, dress nice" and the list would go on. She would have me do writing exercises to make my handwriting look nicer. She stressed the importance of being elegant. One of her favorite phrases is, "Plain but pretty." I guess you could say her style is sometimes less is more....except when it comes to her red lipstick. Nana is hardly ever seen without some kind of brightly colored lips. Red is her favorite. I remember going in her bathroom when I was little and finding tons of little green tubes of lipstick all in a shade of red. From what I hear she was quite a fan of the wigs back in the 70's. She would be a long haired blonde one day and a short-bobbed black haired woman the next. She was also all about the short dresses and go-go boots. Papa Chuy was definitely a fan of the 70's. Nana has treated our family to some of the best vacations. She will tell you that her favorite place to go is to Mazatlan, Mexico. She loves the fact that she could "snap her fingers and get a shrimp cocktail." She introduced me to Minnie Mouse in Disneyland and to the luxury of cruises! She's also taught me how fun it is to sit at a slot machine in Vegas; however, I've yet to go there since I've been 21 so I haven't personally experienced that yet. Oh, and speaking of Vegas, one of my favorite Nana stories is about the time she & Papa Chuy went to see Elvis. Apparently they had front row seats & towards the end of the show she said Elvis threw his scarf at her. She, however, wasn't amused. She said why would she want some nasty scarf that he's been sweating on all night?! So, she gave it to the lady next to her. OMG. Can you imagine if she still had that thing....more importantly that I would have that thing?! That would be amazing. But, that's Nana. She doesn't like dirty things. That leads to another thing Nana would tell me as a little girl. She said I need to make myself pretty everyday for my husband, clean the house, iron his clothes everyday, make the bed, and so on. She said if I didn't do this my husband would be mad at me and disapprove. Well, thank goodness I either got a husband who doesn't care about those things or that the times have changed- otherwise I'd be in trouble a lot!
I could keep going on how much my Nana means to me and tell stories but I'm afraid it would never end. Nana is a special woman and anyone who has come into contact with her is blessed because of it. This post is a little bittersweet because much of the Nana that I have always known and loved is slowly fading away. We have seen it coming for the past couple years but, finally, this past Fall Nana was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. She can still recall some stories of the past but many of those are becoming a blur to her. It is so difficult to see that sharp mind she once had slowly drift. What is more sad to witness is how people who don't understand her illness treat her as if she is just a mean old lady. Yes, Nana is tough and she always has been, but Alzheimer's is ugly and changes a person. I know that my family is headed for a long, difficult battle but I choose to not think that the person in front of us is the person we have known all these years. Much of what we see now is the illness but I know that deep in her heart, she is still the same loving, caring, funny, hardworking, faithful, charitable, courageous Mary Lou. I already know that I have so many of my Nana's genes in me and I am a lot like her but I hope that there are even more aspects of her that are passed on to me. I've always said that Jonathan reminds me a lot of my Papa Chuy so I know that he can handle me if I turn out to be like Nana- whether its good or bad. So, go ahead and call me "Little Mary Lou." I consider it a compliment and hope I can really live up to her good name.
I love you, Nana. Happy birthday!
4 Generations of "Little Mary Lou's" Nana & I at my graduation
