Remembering 1995 & Selena

1995 was a very crazy year for me. I was graduating high school, trying to figure out what to do with my soon to be adult life, the universe lost Selena, and I lost my god-brother Henry about a month and half after. This time of year brings back so many memories for me; good and bad. Spring time always brings many teenagers to my beauty studio; as I extract blackheads, clean out pores, and give skin care lectures to my teen facial clients, I listen to their stories. They talk about all the typical high school drama, how they don’t know what life direction to take, and everything else that comes with the transformation of teenage years to adulthood.

These conversations make me think of my high school years with my god-brother; I often wonder what life would have been like had he still been alive. Maybe he’s my guardian angel? Who knows, but one thing’s for sure, when I hear music by Selena, I think of him. Aside from my daddy and my best male friend, he was my favorite dancing partner. I remember on Saturday mornings and Sunday after church, we would be at home and while my dad was outside barbecuing, my mom was inside cooking and would blast her stereo to Tejano music as we would cumbia all over the house. Till this day, when I hear Selena, he comes to mind. I remember the smile on his face and how happy he was when he was dancing and singing along to her music.

Being a native of South Texas, Selena Quintanilla Perez was and still is a role model for Latinas all over world. Through her talent and gleaming smile, she embraced all of us with her passion for song and though many of us did not know her personally, you could feel the warmth her heart held when you listened to her music. Though I am nowhere near talented as the late Selena, I can relate to her ambition, passion, and drive to turn what she loved into a career all while remaining close to her family and finding the love of her life. As I reminisce about all the memories of 1995, wonder what could have been, it reminds me that time waits for no one and things in life will always happen that we cannot control. It may be 21 years that they have both been gone and I may not be a religious person, but I am more than sure Henry is dancing away in heaven as Selena sings to him and all of the other cumbia loving angels up there.

My Favorite Selena Songs: