Countdown to 40 and Fabulous-3

May 14 - 3 days to 40

"Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future."   --- Gail Lumet Buckley

It's been really fun this week reflecting on the daunting task of turning 40. So what else should I talk about? I thought it would be a nice idea to talk a little bit about my heritage and my identity. Being the history geek in my family, I have a lot of good information about my relatives, especially on my mom's side. But I think I will focus a little bit on the two women who I was named after.

Baby Rosann (Yes, 40 years ago)

What's in a name?
As my parents tell it, they originally planned on naming me Irene. Can you imagine? IRENE? Ok, well I suppose I wouldn't have known any better right. For a while I didn't like my name. What kind of name is Rosann? And what's worse was that it was spelled so differently from any other Rosann...NO E's....Not in the middle or at the end. No one could ever spell it right.

One day, I expressed to my parents how much I disliked my name. Why couldn't I be named something more trendy like Lisa or Melissa or something? I have no clue how old I was. But that's when my parents explained to me that my name was important. I was named after both my grandmothers. I never disliked my name again.

I never got to meet Rosa, my dad's mom. But she was friends with my mom's family on Fox Street in the Bronx and I have one great-aunt (on my mom's side) who has always spoken very highly about her character and her looks. They lived in the same building and were friends.

This is Rosa Vizcaino Santos

I was very close to my maternal grandmother, Abuela Ana. I am often told we look a lot alike. I still miss her because people always talk about her in the family, about how cool she was. She couldn't speak a word of English but she could tell you how to get anywhere in NYC on the bus. She was funny and pretty and made the best bread pudding you ever had. Just ask Eric (my brother). He would devour it. I'm getting a little teary writing about her now.

This is Ana Pena Mojica

But these are the women for whom I am named and I am proud of that.