Rosa Isabel Chavez

The breaking of my heart..

I witnessed the burial of my grandmother two weeks ago in her home country.. I knew that would be part of saying goodbye, traveling to see her remains entered in the mausoleum she built for the sake of her daughter’s remains 47 years ago. We were ready and not ready to say goodbye.. she lingeredContinue reading “The breaking of my heart..”

**Questioning the Mission

It’s nothing to be embarrassed about

‘Lo dico perche non ce niente da vergognarsi’Trans: ‘I say it because there’s nothing to be ashamed of’ This is what my Italian friend told me after she announced on a group chat that she may not be able to see me when I go to Italy this summer, because she has cancer. To beContinue reading “It’s nothing to be embarrassed about”

‘I forgot to have children’

My Jewish bubby Carole would joke about herself. And gifted me this postcard with the same sentimnt, a crying woman in pop art style, saying the same. She also would say, ‘my dear Rosie, you know you were born without the DNA strand for ‘kindness”, and it wouldn’t bother me because she was right. CaroleContinue reading “‘I forgot to have children’”

The Queen is Alive and Human Connection is Dead.. or has been replaced.

I am an open book… it is in my nature to speak, to write, to voice what I feel, to blow the whistle LOUD.. as LOUD as possible. Whether it creates turmoil or not, that will not change. This will allow anyone to see, to hear my position but not necessarily understand it, or understandContinue reading “The Queen is Alive and Human Connection is Dead.. or has been replaced.”

You’ve been raised by immigrant’s when..

you’re cautious about what you want to say in front of a group and play it in your head in English before you open your mouth because it’s not your first language.. Yes, you were raised by immigrants. Now.. I KNOW there are more ‘immigrant if’s’ as I have lived and relived my formative yearsContinue reading “You’ve been raised by immigrant’s when..”

A rose by any other name..

There are so many thoughts racing across my mind.. first, I can’t believe I arrived at 50! I have been blessed with 50 years.I can think of the time I didn’t think I would survive 21 years. My adolescence at times lived in the slums both mentally and physically and the exhaustion was felt andContinue reading “A rose by any other name..”

Go on and write a Book..

This has been the sentiment of so many people I encounter lately. It so happens that I am no longer at the place I work for after 15 years of service. 15 years… a lifetime The decision was abrupt and traumatic and not within my control, three things that I have learned to navigate asContinue reading “Go on and write a Book..”

My last day as Ms.

Today will be the last day that I legally go by Ms. and it has been a hard fact to swallow. I am a fan of a TV show called ‘Mom’ and one of their characters was in such a state because she was getting married and had to change her last name.. and sheContinue reading “My last day as Ms.”

To the Class of 2024

This message is for all of you and mostly for the ones I had the honor of meeting and will never forget.. whether you were a pleasure or a pain, my memory is vast. The world is yours and never forget it. You have so much to live for and so much to offer theContinue reading “To the Class of 2024”