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Loida Casares Ruiz

Wife, Mother, Writer, Advertising Manager

Loida Casares Ruiz grew up in Northeast Houston. She graduated from the University of Houston with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Minor in English. She received a Master of Arts in Communication in 2001. She works in advertising by day and is a mother, wife, and writer by night. She has al...

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Quilting and Life Adventures

Loida Casares Ruiz

Before I met my husband my Aunt Celia sent me a quilt. She made it the size for a full sized bed. When she found out I was engaged she told my mother that she should have made it Queen sized. It was a great quilt anyway and I love it because my aunt made it. We still use it now twelve years later.

She passed away four years ago, when I was pregnant with my son. I was there when she was dying and I’m so glad I got to say goodbye, to hug her and kiss her, even if she couldn’t answer.

I used to think that I was going to learn to quilt and that I would make some beautiful quilts for my children, but I never learned how. Not that it’s too late, but I don’t see myself taking the time to learn now.

I thought about that today when I saw that “How to Make an American Quilt” was on HBO.

The saddest story of all has got to be Sophia’s. My heart ached when I saw that part again. That is such a sad sad story and the same one of so many couples. When she sews the patch with the material from the dress that she wore on her first date with her husband I almost cried.

Life doesn’t have to be so sad does it? But yet, it is sometimes. People wonder what could have been and what it is instead. I think that my mom and dad did that a lot.

I don’t want to live a life of “what ifs.” I want to be sure of my decisions and the consequences of those decisions. I want to live life to the fullest with few regrets. I’d just like to live with the idea that life is a series of experiences and lessons along the way and that instead of regrets we can say, “I learned something from that experience.”