CHAPARRAL — Roberto and Mary Alice Mata, married for nearly 50 years, share smiles and hold onto each other's hands inside their home. A Christmas tree is decorated with the names of family members, and photos of children and grandchildren cover an entire wall, with crosses scattered throughout.
The Matas fill their home in Southern New Mexico, a few minutes from the Texas border, with warmth and gratitude, a stark difference from the uncertainty and fear that has defined much of 2020.
The family is not immune from the year's despair. In April, three family members tested positive for COVID-19. Roberto Mata spent more than six weeks in the ICU, as close to death as one can be.