“Big Shoes to Fill”

Remembering Wilson A. García Arango

A reflection presented at his memorial service, on April 29, 2017, at North Shore Spanish Baptist Church, in Chicago, based on Psalm 42 and Matthew 11:25-30.

by Magdalena I. García

Wilson A. García Arango

3/14/1962 - 3/25/3017
Photo courtesy of Carlos A. García Arango

Good Friday Festivities

On Good Friday, I went to my mom’s house for dinner, to mark what would have been my father’s 86th birthday. That evening, the Univision network aired a special program titled “Viernes Santo, Viernes de Esperanza” (“Holy Friday, Hopeful Friday”), covering the major religious events live from four cities: Jerusalem, Vatican City, Mexico, and Spain.

There were many glorious moments during the rites and liturgies, but I was especially touched by Seville’s procession with the Virgin of Macarena, who is commonly considered the patroness of Spanish bullfighters and gypsies. Contrary to what we might think, the image of the virgin does not process on a float, she’s not on wheels, but rather on a platform that rests on the backs of faithful members of the Brotherhood of La Macarena.

During the TV special they interviewed a young man who is a native of Seville, a member of the Brotherhood, and a reporter, and he spoke with great pride about the privilege and the pain of carrying La Macarena on his back. He described how the carriers trained for weeks, in order to build up strength and endurance, to walk for hours, hunched over, carrying the weight of the image of the virgin on their necks and upper backs. And he talked about how despite the burden, he used the time to reflect and to meditate, so that the experience offered him renewed energy and inspiration.

Wilson’s Burden

Today we are gathered here to remember and to celebrate the life of a young man—Wilson García—a beloved son, brother, uncle, nephew, cousin and friend, who for five long years carried a tremendously heavy burden. At the  age of 50 Wilson was diagnosed with cancer, and from that point on he carried the weight of an illness that robbed him not only of his physical health, but also of relationships, employment, assets, independence.

I remember speaking with Wilson over the years, and hearing him describe all that he had lost, all that he had given up, and how the words of Psalm 42 rang true in his life:

As a deer longs for flowing streams,
so my soul longs for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and behold the face of God?
My tears have been my food day and night,
while people say to me continually,
“Where is your God?”

And I remember simply listening to him, acknowledging his multiple losses, validating his pain, and assuring him that illness is not a punishment. As the prominent author Rabbi Harold Kushner affirms in his classic book on the problem of evil: “bad things indeed happen to good people,” and we have to look no further than the book of Job.

Wilson’s Strength

But I also remember how time after time, despite the burden and the pain caused by the illness, the losses, and the treatments, Wilson bounced back, and recovered his strength, his joy, and his peace. And I know that he was able to endure so much because he knew that he was not carrying his burden and his pain alone. He was sustained by his great faith in God, the faith that he learned from his family, and that was nurtured by multiple faith communities, and he was sustained by God’s Word.

Wilson wholeheartedly embraced the invitation extended by Jesus that we find in today’s reading from the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 11:

“Come to me, all you that are weary

and are carrying heavy burdens,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me;

for I am gentle and humble in heart,

and you will find rest for your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Like the young man in the procession of La Macarena, Wilson carried his burden with great dignity and faith, and the experience also offered him renewed energy and inspiration.

Wilson’s Pillars

But if truth be told, Wilson was not only supported by his faith. Like the Macarena, over the past five years Wilson travelled on the shoulders of a loving community of support. And the principal carriers or “cargadores” were his mother, his brother Carlos, and his sister Gloria. And the three of them were, in turn, supported by an extensive and expansive community of relatives and friends.

Wilson was able to carry his burden with great dignity and faith because he was well supported by the pillars of faith and family. Without those two supports, without those two pillars, we would have succumbed to hopelessness.

Wilson’s Legacy

There is a song, a cheerful cumbia, by the great Colombian composer Crescencio Salcedo Monroy, which many of us know by heart. It is titled “El año viejo”, and it says (more or less):

“I don’t forget the old year,

because it has left me many good things.

Oh, I don’t forget the old year,

because it has left me many good things:

like a goat, a black donkey, a white mare,

and a nice mother-in-law.”

“Yo no olvido al año viejo,
porque me ha dejado cosas muy buenas.
Ay, yo no olvido al año viejo,
porque me ha dejado cosas muy buenas.

Me dejó una chiva, una burra negra,

 una yegua blanca y una buena suegra”.

Likewise, we will never forget Wilson, because he has left us many good things. He was a graphic artist who left behind boxes of art supplies. He was a sharp dresser who left behind nice outfits, hats, and shoes. I inherited from Wilson a pair of shoes which I was tempted to wear today, but I know the Garcia Arango family are accomplished fashionistas, and even Wilson would not approve of me wearing avocado-green, suede gym shoes for his memorial service.

But as I reflected on Wilson’s legacy, I realized that the most important thing he left us was his example. Even as Wilson was nearing death, his room at the hospital was filled with visitors, cards, plants and empanadas, but beyond that, it was filled with his warm smile, his contagious joy, and his peaceful spirit. The nurses at the hospital all wanted to care for him. Wilson indeed left a large foot print, big shoes to fill.

May God grant us—all of us—the grace, to face life’s trials and to carry life’s burdens, with similar strength, joy and peace. May God grant us—all of us—the willingness, to be carriers or “cargadores” for those around us who are facing trials and burdens, knowing all too well that some day we will also need carriers or “cargadores” ourselves. May we also process through life being faithful witnesses to God’s constant love and care.

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