COMFORT FOOD
Oil on canvas comfort food, Cresencia Rivera, mother

COMFORT FOOD

41" H  X  65" W
104.14 cm  X 165.1 cm
2006

This is a painting about my mother.  She died as I was working on it.  I finished it the day of her funeral.  I could have continued to paint - it was a good time to stop.

Below is the text of what I read at her funeral and the obituary that my sister wrote for the funeral announcement.

11/20/2006

My mother was a wonderful person.  A few years back, shortly after her kidney transplant, she went into a coma and it looked like she was dying.  At that time a realization that I wanted to thank her for all she had ever done for me may not be possible.  She recovered and I tried to think a way to show my appreciation.  There were a couple more incidents that also appeared to be the end of her life and the chance to show how really thankful I was. My relationship with my mother was usually one sided because she wasn’t comfortable with the idea of me doing for her.  And that’s because she always wanted to do for everyone else.  Then the answer came to me.  I decided to tell her “thank you” every time I saw her.  I would continue to do whatever I was able to, but each time I saw her I would tell her thank you at some moment during the visit.  After a while I guess she wondered why there was always a thank you every time I spoke to her.  One day she asked me “what for”? I told her, “mom thank you for everything”.  During some of my recent visits I discussed some of my reasons for my appreciation that seem to make her pause.  I don’t know why.

 This is Thanksgiving week.  I’m thankful for my mother.  Thanks mom for giving birth to me.  Thanks for nurturing me when I was an infant.  It seemed that those days before dad died I couldn’t ask for happier memories.  After he died thank you for showing me how to pick yourself up and carry the cross that was handed you.  That was a valuable lesson.  Thanks for putting me on the path towards God – one that I have strayed from, but a path rediscovered.  Thanks for grandpa and grandma.  Thanks for the practical things in life.  Thanks for showing me how to work hard.  Thanks for taking me into the farm fields to work.  Thanks for teaching me how to cook.  Thanks for giving me a love for gardening.  Thanks for the time you gave to me.  Thanks for taking me fishing when I was a boy.  Thanks for all of those fun trips and vacations.  Thanks for putting food on the table and a roof over our heads all by yourself.  Thanks for showing me how it is done.  Thanks for loving me.

 One more thank you is needed.  Thanks to my sister, Monica, for taking such good care of our mother.
 Jacinto J. Rivera

 

Published in the Sacramento Bee from 11/18/2006 - 11/19/2006.

RIVERA, Cresencia Barela Beloved Mother, Grandmother, Sister and Aunt, passed away in peace on Monday, November 13, 2006, in Sacramento, Calif.  Born August 7, 1926, in Tome, N.M., the daughter of the late Perfecto and Gregoria Barela.  Wife of the late Jacinto G. Rivera.  Beloved Mother of Mary Ruth Rivera-Woodson (deceased), Monica M. Rivera, and Jacinto J. Rivera (Margaret).  Grandmother of Rachel S. Rivera.  Sister of Louisa Barela Rivera and Wilfred M. Barela (deceased).  She will be missed by her cousins, nieces and nephews.  After her marriage, she traveled with her husband as a migrant farm worker, working in Texas, Arizona, Washington, Oregon, and California.  In 1950, the family settled in Pleasanton, Calif.  Upon the sudden death of her husband in 1960, Chris returned to the family homes in Barstow, Calif., and Tome, N.M.  In 1964, she settled in West Sacramento, near her sister, Louisa.  She lovingly raised her children to successful careers and cared for her elderly parents until their deaths.  Because of health problems, she reluctantly retired from her job at McClellan AFB in 1992, but continued to care for her home and garden and her two dogs, Rocky and Spike.  Mom was a fantastic cook and a gifted gardener, growing her own fruits and vegetables, along with flowers and cactus.  The family would meet every Sunday for lunch at her house, which always included a tour of her garden.  As a child, she learned to crochet from her mother and she won awards at the California State Fair for her crochet work.  Mom was known for her physical strength and her mental determination.  During her long illness, she fought back from severe setbacks, recovering several times to walk and to drive and to care for her family.  We all love her and will miss her.
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