26 de junio de 2009

25 de junio de 2009

Se busca casa para los gatos de Denise

Se está buscando casa para los dos gatos de Denise Anderson. Si alguien está interesado, por favor mandad un e-mail a Concha Fdez. del Rey: CONCHA.FERNANDEZ.DEL.REY@spps.org. Gracias.

21 de junio de 2009

Denise

Queridos amigos,
Ayer fue el funeral de Denise, verdaderamente emotivo y bonito. Denise hubiera estado orgullosa y contenta de vernos a todos juntos.
Muchísimas gracias a Concha, Rafi, Sonia, Maria Antonia, Juanjo, Marina Medina, Maria José, Jake... por la preciosa Eulogia escrita con tanto cariño y leida con tanta emoción, por las flores tan bonitas, por los posters con las fotos de la vida "española" de Denise... Gracias a todos los que habeis mandado recuerdos, fotos, palabras recordando a Denise....  Y muchísimas, muchísimas  gracias a Concha y Jake , que en medio de su dolor nos han guiado y organizado a todos en estos días tan tristes, y lo han hecho con mucho cariño, respeto y ternura. 
Si quereis leer la eulogia y algunos tributos  escritos por amigos de Denise, por favor visitad el blog (http://grupo-cultural-espana-minnesota.blogspot.com)
Los que estais interesados en participar en las flores que compramos de parte de todos para el funeral, por favor mandad un cheque por $20 a Maria José Martin (1769 Wellesley Ave., Saint Paul, MN 55105) El dinero que sobre se pondrá a buen uso patrocinando una beca, proyecto o evento (aún esta por decidir) en honor a Denise.  
Le vamos a echar mucho de menos..... Hasta Siempre Denise.

Eulogia para Denise


If we were to describe Denise, we will say that "she was a friend to her friends". Only that she had friends all over the world. During the last week we have called: Spain, Costa Rica, Peru, Mexico, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay These are some of the countries where she had friends. If you knew Denise, you knew about her friends too. The way Denise talked about her friends just made you want to know them. And when you finally met them, they became your own friends.

 

 

Denise's passion for life was contagious. She loved nature, camping, canoeing,  walking in the woods, bird watching. She was a true citizen of the world.  She cooked paella for friends, she made lefsa for others, and she could prepare the best Argentinian  mate. Denise would embrace the culture and she would become an expert on that culture. She would let you know and teach you about it. Many of us have learned about our own culture through her. When the group of Spanish women was created a few years ago, there was no discussion about the fact that Denise had to be part of it , because she was a true Spaniard at heart

 

Denise had a heart of gold, always there to listen and help. She could be a sister, a friend , a  mother  a shoulder to cry on and the best person to celebrate the happy times. She was a great storyteller also. Who doesn't remember one of her stories? She even won a story telling contest about a time that she met a woman on a train in Spain that showed her a picture of her husband and Denise said I met this guy two years ago in a disco bar.

 

She had a great memory. She could remember names, special ocasions, little details, and she could sing all the verses of almost any  song In Spanish Swedish and English.

 

 

We don't recall one time in the last twenty some years that Denise has been invited to a dinner party, picnic, singing carols etc that she did not come………..late that is true, very late sometimes  but always there with flowers in one hand and her blue party bag filled with a good bottle of wine, manchego cheese, Spanish olives and her three tier dish , to make it all look beautiful.

 

But more than anything, Denise will be remembered for the sparkle in her blue eyes, her beautiful smile, the kind words always prepared and the contagious optimism. One of Denise's favorite sayings sums up her view of life:  every time we did a toast Denise would say " Salud, dinero, amor y tiempo para gozarlo" " Health, love, money and time to enjoy it"

 

We will miss talking, singing, cooking paellas, dancing and laughing at the same old jokes with her. But we are grateful to her for reminding us always that life is a beautiful present and we have to enjoy it. Thank you for your sharing your life with us.

Nuestra querida Denise

Nuestra querida Denise,
 
Hace aproximadamente 15 años cuando decidimos formar un grupo de españolas con las mujeres afincadas en Minnesota, nadie dudó que nuestra presidenta debía de ser Denise Anderson.  No hubo necesidad de contar los votos porque la decisión fue unánime.  
 
Denise era una persona con una sonrisa siempre en los labios dispuesta a ofrecer siempre lo mejor de ella, ese optimismo innato que nos inundaba a todos los que estábamos a su alrededor.
 
Denise era una amante de la cultura y costumbres españolas.  Era una americana con espíritu español.  Gran cocinera con excelente habilidad para preparar paellas con todo detalle (mejillones incluídos).  Sabía dónde encontrar productos finos españoles para sorprendernos en las reuniones que hemos tenido a lo largo de estos años con ella.  Aunque yo no he tenido la suerte de experimentarlo personalmente, me han dicho que hasta tenía una churrera para hacer churros!!! Admiraba tanto nuestra cultura española que hasta hacía esfuerzos por hablar al estilo castellano pronunciando "ce" y "ci" cuando estaba entre nosotros.
 
Denise tenía un corazón de oro, dispuesta a ayudar y a escuchar siempre a los demás.  Su espíritu era jovial y eso se reflejaba en su constante entusiasmo por el saber, siempre tan activa!  Le gustaba sentirse cerca de las personas usando un lenguaje amistoso con ellas.  Denise ha sido la única persona que me llamaba "Mariajo" lo cual daba un toque especial a nuestra amistad...
 
Te echaremos mucho de menos.  Hasta siempre,
 
 
Maria Jose Martin

Algunas palabras sobre Denise

Algunas palabras sobre Denise:

Hace aproximadamente 11 años un grupo de mujeres de España nos reunimos 
por primera vez en casa de Marian con la intención de crear un colectivo 
que se reuniera periódicamente. Nuestra intención era llevar a cabo 
actividades comunes y apoyarnos mutuamente. En la reunión siguiente, 
con un grupo ya más numeroso, empezamos a plantearnos quién debería 
integrar el grupo. Algunas personas sugirieron que la mayor coherencia 
del grupo vendría si todas fuéramos inmigrantes nacidas en España. La 
propuesta no progresó. Todas estábamos de acuerdo en que era necesario 
ser "española" pero quien puso en evidencia que el país de nacimiento no 
podía ser el criterio de selección del grupo, fue Denise. Excluir a 
Denise de nuestras reuniones de españolas era un sin sentido para todas 
aquellas de nosotras que hemos tenido la suerte de compartir con Denise 
el cariño, el conocimiento y el entusiasmo que la unían a España. Con 
el lenguaje, con las paellas o cantando villancicos, Denise es una 
española de honor y lo será siempre en nuestros corazones.

Recuerdos de Denise, escrito por Rafi

 

Minneapolis June 18th 2009

 

 

Memories of Denise,

 

 

I don't remember when or how I met Denise for the first time, probably was at Juanjo's house during a party not too long after I move to the United Sates in 1987.  And probably it was as simple as Denise and me being introduced by someone and 5 minutes later seemed like we have known each other for ever. She had the ability to make friends and to be loved instantly by anyone that met her.

 

It is funny how some of the main events and people in life will cross into your path, change, mold you, and move out without you even noticing it.  It is not until one reflects later on it, that one realizes how a decisive of a role that event or person played in your life.

 

Denise had that kind of influence on me and the people that were lucky enough to count her as a friend. Without any pretension, without even being aware of it, she impacted and influenced all of us and by that, she made us a little bit better persons.

 

 I learned a lot from Denise:

 

 I learned facts: From how to cut the stems of a bouquet of roses, so that they will last longer,  to where to go for the best tea party  in town, to how to brew beer, or handle difficult students and  parents.  Every time  that  I expressed my admiration for how much she knew  about whatever the topic was, she was always very  humble about it. I learned humility from Denise.

 

 I don't recall one time  in the last  twenty some years that I have invited Denise to a dinner, party, singing carols , picnic etc,  that she did not come,….. late that is true, very late……. sometimes  but always there and always among the last ones to go.   I can close my eyes and see her coming up to my house, with flowers in one hand and  her blue party bag, with  a good bottle of wine, the manchego cheese, the Spanish olives and her three tier dish inside, to make it all look beautiful. I learned style and good manners from Denise.  Always ready to dance, to sign and to tell her joke about how do you say mujer insatisfecha en japones Ya ta?   I learned how to have fun from Denise.

 

 I learned how to be a good friend.  The way Denise talked about her friends just made you want to know them, and when you finally did you always ended up being friends with them too.  I am thankful to Denise for all the friends she has shared with me.

She also talked a lot about her mom and the things they'll do together and to tell you the truth,  always made me a little bit sad because I live so far from my mom,  but in more than one occasion after talking to Denise I got up and called my mom in Spain. I learned from Denise how to be a better daughter.

 

 

 

 

 

 But more than anything I learned from Denise the right way to live life. The light on her blue eyes, her beautiful smile, the kind word always prepared and the contagious optimism are all sum up of one of Denise's favorite saying every time we did a toast "Salud, Dinero, Amor y tiempo para disfrutarlo"  "Health, love, money, and the time to enjoy it"

 

I will miss talking, singing, cooking paellas, dancing, and laughing at the same old jokes with her. But I am grateful to her for reminding me always that life is a beautiful present and we have to enjoy it. Gracias Denise.