"Once upon a time, there lived a boy, a boy with a dream, a dream to be a woman, and good God did the stars listened, for on the third day, just like our dear lord did, he put on some makeup, got in some high heels and" "and he stopped using the lord's words, journey, and life to tell a story," I said to my son's friends as I stood over Angelo. They all stared at me, the looks in their eyes were telling, he got caught, red-handed, and worst of all he knew why this was a problem.

You see, I may be a woman of many faces, and many tribunals, but one thing I never lost was my faith, the faith in my savior, even if it was hard at times to share it with the world. As you all know by now, I grew up in a very religious household, we are latinos, Catholicism is a huge part of our lives, every year come the end of November my family would gather around and put on the Christmas tree, it was a joyful time, a time I learned to share with my children.

Now, I am proud of the woman I have become, and I adore sharing my journey with you all, but one thing is for sure, certain topics like everything in life are more delicate than others, and although I know it wasn't Angelo's intention, hearing him start my story as if it where a fairytale, well it triggered me, hearing him calling on the lord in vane, I learned that was a sin, and I know, how hypocritical of me, born a male, identifying as female, I'm the walking embodiment of what the church and the religion I followed would call a sin, but you see, the love of our lord knows no boundaries and if my story is going to be told and pass down generations, I refuse for it to be in mockery,

I am Marritza, a trailblazing woman, a leader, an example, a matriarch, a MOTHER.

I believe in love, in joy and in unison, this chapter of my story englobes all of that and more, it carries on the story I once told, the heartache that we lived, the happiness we shared and all the tears that we spilled. This is the story of the last Christmas my mother, Elenor ever spend with us, and as we prepare for the days to come, I like to remember those whom we've loss. So come, gather around once more, bring your blankets, start your fires, heat your cocoas for mother's last Christmas was bitter, it was sweet and it also was the beginning of my end.

So come along, come with me, follow me to the next page, for the next chapter of my story will faithfully await... On Sunday, November 27, 2023 at 9:30 pm ✨