Meeting Fr. Gilbert through my brother Antonio was, for me, a great gift from God. Not only for his smile and contagious joy, the pleasant and intelligent conversations, and his priestly availability for what was necessary, but for his example in illness. He knew how to bear the difficulties with integrity and Christian vision. He became a genuine part of our extensive and great family. I don't know what he saw in me, but I was surprised by his interest and perseverance in getting me to illustrate the book of poems he was composing [Madre España and Illustrated Poems]. His magic phrase was he "saw the affection with which you take care of your mother (who suffered from Alzheimer's disease ), and I want to write a book." He liked the photo of my parents reflected on the book's cover, saying, "I can assure you that they looked at each other with love until the end of their days." That convinced me. I kept the last conversation with him on the phone – he was already in León – for myself. He was laughing at all the angel illustrations that appeared in the book. He read several poems from his new book [Recovecos/Crevices] that will be published soon ... He was pure energy. I didn't have time to tell him I was thinking precisely of him when I drew all those angels. I imagined him as the good angel who promised to take care of us ... with loving prayer. — MACHÚS AGUIRRE, award-winning painter
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