Tia Rosenda's Legacy

Story takes place around September 22, 1914

Tia Rosenda's Story began on September 22, 1914 and, although she passed away on June 19, 2007, her Legacy will live on eternally in the hearts and in the memories of all of us who had the honor of knowing her...

As I sat at the Rosary and at Mass, listening to everyone attest to her impact on their lives, how she influenced their life decisions, and, of course, her GREAT cooking, it suddenly struck me why we got so much joy from eating her famous beans and chili. It was not so much to satisfy our physical hunger, but to satisfy our emotional and spiritual hunger. She fed all who knew her with her love, not just with her beans...

She LOVED to have company and to hold "open house." It was not the "open house" that was so special, it was her "open heart."

Although she is gone from our sight, I am sure that in that "dwelling beyond the sun" that we sang at Communion, she still holds an "open house" for any of us who wish to "visit" her from time to time. She will continue to nourish us emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually from her dwelling beyond the sun...

She always had her "reasons" for all that she did. Little did we know that her "reasons" for feeding us while she was here was that we continue to look to her, visit her in the "open house" of our soul and continue to be nourished day by day...

When we would visit, she would say, "I had a feeling, you were coming today. I "knuw" it, I "knuw" it!" We always knew she loved us and she "knuw" we loved her. When we visit her in our hearts, she will say, "I had a feeling, you were coming today, I "knuw" it!"

Written by Viola Chavez on June 28, 2007

GIVING DESCRIBES MY MOM

Story takes place around January 1, 1955

I started noticing at a very young age who my mom was. She was a giving person who would always put others before herself.

I remember we were driving home from school one day and she stopped at the bus stop and invited this lady into our car. My mom proceeded to get directions and take her home. After her passenger exited, I asked her who she was. She said she didn't know, she only knew that the lady looked very hot and tired.

There were many times in my life that she exemplefied what a true Christian is suppose to be. She didn't "talk the talk", she always "walked the walk". I sometimes believe that some of her relatives believed she was the rich sister from California because she would always try and send them money. She would cut back on anything she could to be able to help her relatives.

THIS IS WHO MY MOM IS!

Written by Teri Rubi on May 16, 2007

Mis recuerdos de Mama Rose

Story takes place around January 1, 1969

I have had the privledge of being apart of mama's life for thirty seven years.Her daughter Jeannie is my best friend and sister.I remember going over to their house when I was a teenager and having the best chili,tortillas and beans!I love to hear the memories she has of growing up and all the memories she has through out her life.I am so blessed to to have her in my life!She is also very funny.When I call her on the phone and she hasn't heard from me in a while she tells me "I thought you had died":)I love her so much and I am so grateful to her for having my BF!!Thank you Mama'Rose.I love you.

Written by Elsie Cox aka Preguntas on July 6, 2006

Story takes place around June 12, 1985

On June 12, 1985, our family moved to Trona, CA. We left behind all of our family and friends of forty plus years. In a nut shell, we felt like our life had been turned upside down as we were, literally, uprooted from our home and the love and support of our family. We were forced to start a new life (companies don't realize the impact of a job transfer)!

The first person we visited when we moved was our Tia Rosenda. My Tia Rosenda used to visit us often during the summers in Grants, NM, so we were looking forward to seeing her. We lived in Charles Manson's hometown, Trona, CA, in what has been called "The Armpit of the World" so it was nice to go to the big city and visit our Tia and her family. The welcome we received was INCREDIBLE but the one thing we all remember was the FOOD!! We visited her as often as we could. I guess we could all feel her genuine love and concern or maybe it was the food? Anyway, we couldn't wait to go back to visit again and again. Each time, no matter what day of the week or what hour of the day it was, she had a feast prepared - just for us. Not only did we gorge ourselves, but she always sent food home for her "quate" or her "jitas." It got to be a joke. If we said we were going to Auntie's, we would not eat anything until we got there because if we said we had eaten and weren't hungry, you could see the hurt in her face. The moral of this story is never go hungry when you go to Tia Rosenda's.

We are forever grateful for the love and support our Tia has provided us since June 12, 1985. She definitely made our transition to California a whole lot easier. THANK YOU Tia!

Written by Viola Chavez on June 14, 2006

How To Do Laundry The Proper Way

Story takes place around August 15, 1987

I noticed that Gayla was so nice to contribute a story about my mom. She too has been the lucky(?) recipient of being assigned a nickname by my mom. She calls her "La Pesetuda" and for good reason, and that name has stuck with her all these years. But, I was the one that named her little Sienna "La Pesetudita" and believe me, she's even more pesetuda than her momma ever was. Now, on to my mother and another one of her famous episodes.
Whenever my mom would come down to visit me, one of the first things she would do is gather all the towels and throw rugs that didn't suit her fancy and promptly disperse of them in the garbage can. Now, how would you feel if I was visiting you and threw away all your favorite towels and throw rugs? But to her credit, she would eventually replace them with ones of her choice.
One day while she was here, I noticed that she had gone into the laundry room to use the washing machine and she came back complaining that she couldn't find any detergent in there just some stupid off-name brand. Now, if anybody has ever watched my mom do laundry, it's hilarious because she would always "play" with the washing machine, stopping it in mid cycles numerous times and changing the settings over and over again instead of letting the damn machine finish it's normal cycle. Not only is this hilarious but totally unnecessary but it can also damage the machine. But what do I know about doing laundry. But I digress.
So, I very tactfully and gently explained to her that I use the gray water from the laundry room to water a bunch of fruit trees and therefore I couldn't use any kind of harmful detergents and chemicals that could poison the soil. So, thinking that all this made perfectly good sense to her and she understood completely and she would use my very expensive "green environment friendly" detergent, I left to go to work. All of you that know my mom have probably already guessed what she did next. After I left, she promptly went to the store and bought every harmful detergent and chemical ever invented by man to do her laundry. To this day, I'm still trying to figure out what was in those other mysterious bottles she bought. Well, rather than make a big scene out of it, I just let it go thinking that this one time won't make any difference. WRONG! Within a couple of months every single tree had withered and died.
So, the moral of the story is: DON'T TELL HER WHAT TO DO AND HOW TO DO IT!

Written by Tony Rubi on October 19, 2006

MAKES MARIE SEEM LIKE A WUSS

Story takes place around January 1, 1988

Do I know any stories about my mom or what! Does Superman fly? Does a bear...... Well, you get the idea. I would like to share just a "few" of those stories with you but there are so many. But for right now, I'll just relate one that comes to mind. Believe me, when I get through relating all those stories about her, she's going to make that Marie of "I Love Raymond" seem like a wuss. For those of you that have seen this comedy show on TV, you know exactly who Marie is and what she is.
One time when she was visiting me out here in the boonies, I had just bought a brand new set of expensive Teflon pans and she wasted no time digging into them as you all know just how much she loved to cook and especially "guisar" (sautéing for those that don't understand our Spanish slang). She was so entranced with these new type of pans and constantly commented on how wonderful they were because the food didn't stick to it. This was a surprising revelation on her part because if you know my mom, you know that modern technology and her don't get along at all and she will fight it tooth and nail. I noticed that she was using a heavy metal spoon to stir the food in the Teflon pan and I suggested to her, very, very tactfully, that she should use the plastic one instead because the metal one would ruin the Teflon finish. She gave me a dirty look but begrudgingly she did start using the plastic utensil. I left her alone for a little while and when I returned and much to my horror, she was busy wielding the biggest knife I had in the house cutting up the meat in my brand new expensive "ex" Teflon pans. She must have noticed that horrified look on my face because she tried to explain it all away by saying that she couldn't find a plastic knife. The moral of this story is - DON'T TELL HER WHAT TO DO!!!
In closing I have a couple of comments to make about her uncanny ability to provide appropriate nicknames for everybody. However, I don't think it's fair for her to call "Sleeping Beauty", Sleeping Beauty. While the beauty part is certainly accurate, the sleeing part is not. I know for a fact that I have seen that Lisa awake at least a half-dozen times. Well, OK, maybe just once or twice. And to her poor husband Jason, he has my complete sympathies. Ever since he married her, he has had this huge cross to bear. It seems that whenever she's awake and they go anywhere, someone is always hitting on her because she's so darn cute. Poor Jason. He has it rough.
And as far as my mom's propensity for coming up with nicknames, I wish to express my eternal gratitude to Teri because she and she alone, has been responsible for inspiring my mom to come up with more than a half-dozen nicknames just for her. Nobody has come close to this great honor, not even the very formidable Bonnie. Yes, she even got my poor jita one; she calls her "Caritas" a nickname that she thoroughly hates and she thinks is completely inaccurate. (I don't think so!). Let's see, there's also "Manitas", "Lolita", and "Bala Perdida", and she also very unjustly got one for my poor Mark as "So & So". But contrary to popular opinion, my mom wasn't the ones that came out with the names of "Pikinini" and "The Laurie Boy".
Well, more Marie stories to follow; but in the meantime, please remember that just like Marie in the TV series, she does all these things, not out of spite and rancor, but out of "love".

Written by Tony Rubi on June 5, 2006

"Cereals, of course"

Story takes place around July 20, 1991

My brother and I would go to Grandma's house before we went to school every morning. The first thing she would ask us is if we ate. If we did not eat anything, she would whip up some breakfast burritos, pancakes, chorizo, or whatever. If we said that we ate, her response was always, "What did you eat? Cereals, of course?". She was always excited we we would say, "Bacon & Eggs!".

Written by Jeremy Moseley on July 20, 2007

Look at the Baby she is sick.....

Story takes place around January 1, 1997

Hello all, my name is Gail (Martinez) Zazueta, and one of my fondest memories that I have of my Tia, is when she would come down and visit us here is Arizona, she would stay with my Mom (Esther) many times.

One time when my daughter (Sienna) who was about 6 years old, and I were staying with my Mom as well. Tia came to visit, and my daughter became very fond of her and wanted to spend the day with her. Sienna was supposed to go to school and instead she went and marked herself with a marker like she had chicken pox, all over her body, when my Mom went to get Sienna in the am, my Tia told my Mom she is sick she can't go to school. My Mom knew better than to argue with my Tia so she ended up letting Sienna stay home the whole day with her, Lord only knows how spolied Sienna was that day with Tia.

Written by Gail Zazueta on October 16, 2006

Sleeping Beauty

Story takes place around June 1, 2000

Everyone who has spent any time with Grandma knows that she can make the best nicknames. A nickname from Grandma is a rite of passage. It is an official welcome into the family. Well...in the summer of 2000 my wife Lisa was officially welcomed into the family with her new nickname...Sleeping Beauty. The name came about, as you can imagine, because she loves to sleep. When I would go to visit Grandma at about 10 am, Lisa would still be sleeping. So Grandma would say,"Where is Sleeping Beauty. Sleeping of course!" This has become the running joke for years. Anytime I go to Grandma's house she will say, "Where's-a-Sleeping Beauty?" Even if I tell her, "Grandma, Lisa is working right now." I get the same response..."Yep, still asleep."

Written by Jason Moseley on May 27, 2006

Mother's Day 2006

Story takes place around May 15, 2006

Yesterday was Mother's Day and I received the greatest gift possible-- a way to honor my mom and all she means to me and the family who adore her. Against all odds, she is making a comeback from yet another injury. As we celebrated Mother's Day with her, I can't recall a time she looked more beautiful. Even though she didn't see the same reflection in the mirror as she did in her more youthful days, I hope she realized how her amazing spirit shone through. Thank you Jeremy for this wonderful gift. Happy Mother's Day to you Mom (aka "Elizabeth Taylor").

Written by Jeannie Moseley on May 15, 2006

I Owe You More Than You'll Ever Know

Story takes place around May 22, 2006

Several years back Mom Rubi gave me the nickname, "Kennedy". Although I have never felt worthy of the name, I was grateful considering many of the other nicknames she has given people. My real name is Ken Moseley and I'm fortunate enough to have married Rose's youngest daughter Jeannie. Although it's hard for me to understand, Mom Rubi always seems to feel that she is putting me out when I do the smallest task for her. What she doesn't know is that there is no way any of these little tasks could ever repay her for the gift she gave me on September 10, 1955.
You see, on that date Mom Rubi and my mom were both in the old San Bernardino Community Hospital on Arrowhead Avenue. My mom had given birth to me just 10 days earlier but since she had complications, we stayed for a couple of weeks. I don't believe either of my moms met formally while in the hospital, but their paths sure crossed on that day.
Shortly after 11:39 a.m. they brought this cute little baby girl into the nursery. I believe they placed her in the bassinet next to me with a name plate that read, "Rubi Baby Girl". Well, at least that's the way I would like to remember it! From that point on, destiny stepped into our lives. Who would have known just a short 21 years later, we would be married.
This is a miracle when you consider all the moves our families made during that 21 year period. Although my family stayed in San Bernardino, we did live in four different houses with two different school districts. On the other hand, Jeannie went to school in Arizona for a short time before moving back to San Bernardino.
At San Bernardino High School, Jeannie and her best friend Theresa, had a couple of classes with me and we became friends. Jeannie was always sweet in general and nice to me in particular. I was amazed that she even gave me the time of day. Back then I was a scrawny kid with a bushy haircut. My passions were auto shop and skiing. She, on the other hand, was a beautiful cheerleader (poms as she says) who always seemed to have a boyfriend and knew all the "cool" kids.
One morning a couple of weeks before graduation, Jeannie asked if I was walking with anyone for the graduation ceremony. My heart must have skipped a beat because my mind was racing with a million thoughts all at once. I thought this was the highlight of my young 17 years of life. Imagine me, walking with the most beautiful girl at my high school graduation. Jeannie must have realized what my mind was thinking because before I could make a complete fool of myself, she told me Theresa needed someone to walk with since her boyfriend had already graduated. Well, the thought of walking with Jeannie was an indescribably fantastic feeling, even if it only lasted a fraction of a second!
After graduation, we didn't see each other for two years. On August 20, 1975 destiny decided to make a move. I was working at Desert Rent-A-Car. One of my duties was to make sure the gas tank was full when the customer rented the car. We had an account at the Texaco station at 9th and "F" Street. As I was filling the tank, this cute brown-hair girl pulled into the station in a green Chevy Malibu. She was trying to decide which pump to use and you could see the concentration in her face. As she got out, I realized it was my high school dream girl! We made some small talk and I said we should get together some time. In a surprising move, she said, "OK, how about next week?"
Well, here we are thirty-one years later. No one will ever understand just how truly blessed my life has been. Jeannie has been with me through some tough times but, for the most part, our life together has been one of joy and happiness. Each day I wonder if destiny made a mistake. Remember that feeling I had for a fraction of a second when I thought she asked me to walk at graduation? In my wildest dreams, I never imagined it could last a lifetime!

Written by Kennedy on May 22, 2006

PANICITO CON JELLY (TOAST WITH JELLY)

Story takes place around June 3, 2006

My mom is recently recovering from her second fall, a fall that has made it extremely painful for her to move around. All her meals were eaten in her camita (bed) for several weeks. Time passed and it was apparent that she was not progressing physically or mentally; IT WAS TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE. With lots of love and compassion, my sister advised her that all her meals were to be eaten in the living room for health reasons.

Let me tell you about my most recent incident with her. For anybody who knows my mom, they know that her favorite snack - and I mean favorite- is panicito con jelly. Sometimes she tries to replace her lunch or dinner with her panicito con jelly, which in itself is a challenge, sometime.

I recall one night I was spending the night, it was about 7:00 PM, when she asked me to take her to the baño (restroom). When she was done she called out “Bonnie, are you there?” I quickly went to help her. She slowly washed her little hands, and as she was wiping her hands she requested that I take her to her camita (bed). I thought going to bed so early was a little unusual. Normally her bed time is around 9:00pm but I figured she must be tired. When she was already for bed she was climbing into her camita (bed) on all fours very slowly. When I heard her ask me to bring her panicito con jelly - now this was not allowed and I thought she knew that - I didn’t respond, thinking maybe she had forgotten that rule; but no, she proceeded to ask me again, (with her cute little accent) “BRING ME MY PANICITO CON JELLY, ANYWAY NOBODY IS GONNA KNOW.” I still did not respond, she repeated it again, “BRING ME MY PANICITO CON JELLY, ANY WAY NOBODY IS GONNA KNOW, RIGHT?” Finally I responded very gently, “Mom, I know.” She turned around and gave me the most pathetic & pitiful look. My heart broke watching her struggling with a decision whether to put her little shoes on, get up from bed and walk all the way back to the living room just for her panicito con jelly. I couldn’t stand it anymore, I spoke up and replied, “Okay Mom, just this time. “ Her face lit up! She looked so happy, as if she had just received the best gift ever! Either she got her way, or was just glad she was able to eat her panicito con jelly in bed.

As I proceeded to get her panicito con jelly, She repeated one more time, Loudly I must say, to make sure I heard her, “ANYWAY NOBODY IS GONNA KNOW, RIGHT?”

My cute little mamacita little do you know that our little secret is out. The WHOLE WORLD NOW KNOWS YOU HAD YOUR PANICITO CON JELLY IN BED! You are soooooooooo cute, and I love you so much.

Written by Bonnie Bernier on August 11, 2006

"Thank You. . . For Nothing!"

Story takes place around December 18, 2006

There are so many wonderful stories I’ve have tossed around in my head that it has been difficult to choose just a few. However, just a few weeks ago my mom was so cute and "entertaining" I thought this story would be a good one to share.

After several years of trying to convince my mom she needs cataract surgery, she finally agreed to go through with it. The first time we made an appointment, several years ago, she called me up in the morning to say we had to cancel. When I asked her why, she said it was because she woke up feeling a little dizzy. I tried to schedule another appointment, but she insisted she would be ‘atarantada’ for a long time.

About a year later I approached the subject again, but she was very upset because she said, "Don’t you know my best friend Elisa just died." Needless to say, I had decided not to pursue the issue. To be perfectly honest, to use her own words, "I was a little ‘ascared’," too.

What changed this situation was our visit to her doctor a few months back. While he was examining her, he asked why she had never gone through with her cataract surgery. She looked him straight in the eye and said, "Because Jeannie never took me." Luckily, her doctor is very patient and understanding. He knows her all too well, and thankfully he listened to my explanation instead of jumping to the conclusion that I was just a neglectful daughter.

Consequently, we went ahead with the process, and it became increasingly more challenging for her. It took three pre-op visits to Dr. Remmer’s office. He measured her eye, examined her eye, reviewed instructions, and gave her two bottles of drops to take four times a day for three days prior to the surgery. He scheduled the surgery and post surgery appointments. Since the most difficult task for her is struggling to get in and out of the car, I was more and more concerned that she would call it off at anytime. In fact, I didn’t even request the time away from work until the week before the scheduled surgery.

But we made it; here we were, finally at the surgery center! As the nurse was explaining the procedure to Jason, mom, and me, I could see the trepidation in my mom’s eyes. It was as if she finally realized what was going to take place. If her little feet could have carried her, she would have bolted through the doors and never looked back. The entire ordeal was taking a toll on her, not to mention the fact that she had to arrive by 7:00 A.M., hadn’t slept the night before, Kennedy (her hero) was still at work, and to top it all – she didn’t get to enjoy her ‘panecito’ that morning.

As you can imagine, there was anxiety and fear in the air. The nurse placed the drops in mom’s eye and as she started to walk away, my mom politely said, "Thank you." Her nurse, Miki, turned back and looked at her as though she was the sweetest patient she ever had the pleasure of working with. But as Miki got a few feet further away, mom whispered under her breath, "For nothing!"

It was all the three of us could do to contain ourselves. We laughed so hard that we were making a scene. The nurse turned around to ask what was so funny, and I told her what mom had said. Thankfully, she found it amusing, as well. The uneasiness was gone and thanks to my mom, for the first time, it felt as if everything would be okay. And in fact, she handled the surgery like a trooper.

On this day, December 30, 2006, I look back and realize that this is the season for miracles. It is a miracle and a blessing that my ninety-two year old, fragile mother is still here with us. I try so hard not to take that fact for granted. As challenging as it can be, I hope I can help keep her safe and healthy for as long as I am given the honor and opportunity to do so. She has been a tremendous role model to me; she has given unselfishly to her family for as long as I can remember. I pray that I remember to respect that every time I am with her.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you -- my sweet, feisty mother! I love you more than you will ever know, but I will keep trying to show you with every passing day.

With love, honor, and respect,
Jeannie

P. S. On the day of the surgery, Kennedy was just getting off work and unfortunately missed the "fun" part. Although his heart broke because he wasn’t able to help get her there, mom’s eyes lit up when she saw him, and this helped put her more at ease. If it wouldn’t have been for Jason’s help and calming presence before Ken arrived, I don’t think my mom, nor I for that matter, could have made it. Thank you son. You are the spitting image of your dad – and I know there can’t be a greater compliment to you than that!

Written by Jeannie Moseley on December 30, 2006

MY BEAUTIFUL TIA ROSENDA

Story takes place around June 28, 2007

THIS SHORT MEMORY IS OF JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS I HAVE OF MY TIA RUBI: I AM PROUD TO HAVE THE PRIVILIGE OF BEING IN MY TIA ROSENDA'S LIFE. I REMEMBER EVERY TIME SHE WOULD COME TO PHOENIX, SHE WOULD GO TO MY AUNT JUDY'S HOUSE. I WOULD ALWAYS GET EXCITED WHEN SHE CAME OVER. I WOULD ALWAYS LOVE TO STARE AT HER. ONE DAY SHE CAUGHT ME STARING, AND SHE SAID " QUE ME MIRAS? " I ANSWERED HER TIA I THINK YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMAN I HAVE EVER SEEN.I NEED TO SEE YOU ALOT, AND SHE WOULD BLUSH A LOT.SHE IS THE MOST GORGEOUS WOMAN IN OUR FAMILY DO NOT GET ME WRONG ALL THE WOMEN IN OUR FAMILY ARE BEAUTIFUL BUT TIA ROSENDA IS GORGEOUS..... AND I WILL NEVER FORGET EVERY TIME I SAW HER AT ROSENDA'S RESTAURANT IN CHANDLER ARIZONA. I WILL NEVER FORGET HER AND SHE WILL ALWAYS BE IN MY HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Written by CYNDI RENDON (CYNDI SERNA) on June 27, 2007

GOD'S GARDEN

Story takes place around July 8, 2007

Grandma,
You are a beautiful person and I miss you a lot. I should have came to visit before it was too late, but I hope you forgive me. I love you, you will always be in my heart.

I know that we all miss Grandma lots! But here is a poem that my mom read to me that might help us all rejoice in the fact that she is a better place.




God's Garden

God looked around His garden
and found an empty place
He then looked down upon the earth
and saw her tired face
He knew her road was getting rough
that the hills were too hard to climb
He knew she'd never get well on earth again
so He kissed her cheek
and held her in his arms
he closed her weary eyelids
then tenderly wispered "PEACE BE THINE"
and laid her down to rest
Gods garden must be beautiful
for He ONLY takes the best
however she didn't go alone
for a part of me went with her
the day God called her home!!!


(c) Ruth Rettke All Rights Reserved

Written by Davisto on July 9, 2007