“To Selena with Love” Helps Us Remember How To Love Her

By Wuicho Vargas

Selena Quintanilla-Perez was, and will still be, our Queen of Tejas, our beautiful flower of Corpus Christi. It is March already, and along with the arrival of spring celebration, comes that horrible day when she was murdered.

It has been more than a decade and we still mourn her absence and that horrible truth that we will never see her and hear her sing again. As a homage to her legacy, love as a wife, and strength as a woman, Chris Perez has shared his most sincere and thoughtful memories with her in his book “To Selena with Love.”

It has been more than a decade and the expected arrival of this book was never meant to be fulfilled. One of the reasons was that Perez did not want it to be published is that he didn’t want it to be viewed as opportunistic. He did not want to share a book that would be considered just a way to pull a dollar using Selena’s memories. Thankfully, and after much consideration and years, he came to his senses and decided to complete this — his homage to her.

As the saying goes, “Recordar es vivir,” and Perez revisits those memories that are impregnated by the scent and love of his beloved wife. Because during that day of March, he not only lost Selena but also the friend and the love of his life, for which he gave the world and challenged every obstacle that was between Selena and him.

Selena is brought back to life with Perez’s memories, very intimate and personal memories. From the problematic beginning of their relationship, the problems he had to endure with Abraham Quintanilla’s overprotective attitude towards Selena, to the mischievous actions that almost broke him and Selena apart, and that horrible tragedy that took her away from him, Perez shares it all.

Perez, from beginning to end, expresses his sincere feelings about everything that happened before and even after Selena’s death. The devastation he had to endure, but the then the realization of his own strengths, and resurrection from within the ashes to conquer the music world once again, and to tell the world about his delightfully lived experience he had as a husband, boyfriend and best friend of Selena Quintanilla-Perez.

“To Selena with Love,” is Perez’s way of exposing a side of himself that he wanted to share — but that it wasn’t humanly possible for him to do before. It was just too painful for him. Now, and after more than 15 years after Selena’s death, Perez has gathered the strength to allow us to experience those feelings he had for Selena along with the beautiful memories. “To Selena with Love” is Perez’s ultimate romantic letter to Selena. Con mucho amor, Selena siempre vivirá en nuestro recuerdo.

Wuicho Vargas is a writer who lives in McAllen, Texas.

[Courtesy Photo]

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