, 1939, Lina was
born a twin to a brother Carlos in the village of San Pedro to parents
Bernalda "Miss Bel" and Carlos Alamilla. Three years later they moved to
Belize City where Lina's father got a job transporting logwood from
Belize to Chetumal, Mexico. Young Lina attended and graduated from Holy
Redeemer Primary School and then went into the working world to help her
family. She was first employed as a clerk at Benny's Store, which at the
time was a fabric store. At age 29, Lina had her first child, Omar.
Lina's motherly instincts were natural and her first child meant
everything to her.
She recalls that life in the city was good, but her
mother missed living in San Pedro. After much persuasion, they succeeded
in convincing her father to move back to the village. Everyone returned
to the island except for her twin brother, who had married and decided to
settle in Belize City permanently.
Back in San Pedro, Lina went to work for Mr. Fido and
Mrs. Fina Nuñez in their grocery store, located where Fido's Courtyard is
today. Even though she spent part of the day working, she counted the
minutes until she would be close to her dear child again. The times spent
with him, she says are priceless. She warmly recalls memories of singing
lullabies and telling stories to him. Three years after returning to San
Pedro she married Mr. Juan Guemez, to whom she had another child. The
birth of her baby girl, Yadira made her life complete. Now Lina had two
precious treasures that she cherished with all her heart. A mother is all
love; and that was what she was to her children. Mrs. Guemez and her
husband provided a good education for their children, and taught them
moral values and respect.
Mrs. Guemez was a great mother, in addition to her
other hidden talents. At a very young age she developed a passion for
arts and crafts, especially working with fabrics. She taught herself to
crochet and to sew. While her children were in school she would test her
skills doing small sewing jobs. She quickly evolved into designing
original pieces of clothing for them. Her creations were both simple and
professional. Although not a seamstress by trade, Mrs. Guemez has made
dresses and costumes for hundreds of people in San Pedro. What is more
admirable is that she does it because she enjoys it and therefore does
not charge for her work. She has shared her creations with the Town
Council for events such as the Miss San Pedro Pageant and Mother's Day
celebration. The San Pedro Lions Club always counts on Mrs. Lina's
creative talents when needed for their many functions. Probably her most
visible work has been with the San Pedro Dance Company and ABC
Pre-School. One of her proudest moments is when she designed and created
her daughter-in-law's wedding dress.
Now that her two children are grown up and married,
she is blessed with six grandchildren, all girls. She continues to devote
the same motherly love to them. Mrs. Guemez makes it a point to attend
all their school functions, and because of her active participation, has
been recognized twice by ABC Pre-School as an outstanding grandmother.
Last year she was named Mother of the Year 1999-2000 by the town; a
well-deserved title.
During her conversation with the San
Pedro Sun she commented, "My advice to the children of
San Pedro is to listen to their parents and obey them. I would like to
tell the youth to listen to advice and to stay away from drugs; to set
positive goals and work hard to achieve them so that they can be good
citizens of San Pedro."
As we celebrate Mother's Day this weekend, we honor
Mrs. Lina Guemez for being an exemplary mother and a wonderful friend to
her children and to San Pedro. The title of Mother of the Year is one
that will remain with her for a lifetime. Congratulations and thank you
Mrs. Lina Guemez for all the motherly love you have shared with "Our
Community."