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| A lot like home |
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| Written by Sonya Zaragoza | Home in Patterson | |
| Wednesday, 16 July 2008 | |
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“As hard as it was to lose the only home we had ever bought, it was especially hard for me, because it was the longest I had ever lived in one place. I finally had felt like I had a home with memories of my own. I was proud that my children had grown up in the same schools and had friends since kindergarten. That, too, was something I had never been able to experience.”  Sonya Zaragoza Mayfield has a main intersection downtown, and no matter which side of the street you are on, you can see the tall, steepled building with rich red bricks that look beautiful against the blue skies and the thick Kentucky bluegrass. That building was the City Hall. I remember it well, because every December, I would see that strange older man with a red suit and white beard sitting in a caboose that was parked in the yard there. One of my fondest memories of Kentucky was of one evening when, after hearing the news forecast snow, my brother and two sisters and I waited by our bedroom window with the lights out to see if the forecast would prove true. It did. I don’t know if we were more excited about the snow or possibly getting to stay home from school the next day. We lived out on a rural road, so if it snowed, that meant the bus couldn’t take us to school. We waited patiently, and then, like magic, the snow began to fall. The large flakes fell quickly and steadily as we cheered and clapped. Our front yard was large, with a gravel road that led to the main road. There was a floodlight that stood very high and could light up the whole front yard when it was on. That night, the lamp was on, and it looked mystical as the snow danced through the light beams and fell slowly to the ground. After some time, it looked as if God had poured buckets of whipped cream on our yard. I left Kentucky when I was 9 years old and moved to Oklahoma. When I was 12, we moved again, this time to Arizona, By the time I was 18, I had lived in three states and about 21 cities. Moving around so much made it hard to feel like any place was really home. At 18, I was married and had my first daughter, Breanne, and by age 20, we welcomed our second daughter, Lynda. In 1991, my husband got a new job that sent us to Tracy. While living in Tracy, we had our son, Victor, and our youngest child, Krista. We bought our very first home in Patterson in 2000. We were so proud and excited to move into our brand-new house. We would sometimes stop by in the middle of the night after our busy work days, just to catch a glimpse of what new framing studs were put up and how the streets were being developed into a neighborhood. In 2007, with a job change that affected our income negatively by 30 percent and other unforeseen circumstances, our house went into foreclosure. It was hard packing up. I cried when I found a box of small dresses my daughters used to wear. I looked into the back living room and remembered where my husband stood as the house was being built and said, “Look, honey, we can stand right here every morning and look at those mountains!” It was extremely difficult. Fond memories flooded my mind, but I knew we had each other and we could go on. We moved into a brand-new rental house and stayed in Patterson. I am thankful to have such a nice place to live. As hard as it was to lose the only home we had ever bought, it was especially hard for me, because it was the longest I had ever lived in one place. I finally had felt like I had a home with memories of my own. I was proud that my children had grown up in the same schools and had friends since kindergarten. That, too, was something I had never been able to experience. One evening recently, I was sitting on my porch swing, thinking about my daughter Lynda. I was thinking how proud I was of her winning second runner-up in the Miss Patterson pageant and all the fun she had with all the beautiful girls that were in this year’s pageant. I thought about those girls and knew that some of them carried deep hurts and burdens as the years have gone by. Yet they stood together and represented our town with such courage. I was proud as I thought about Patterson and how it truly has been our home. Just as I was walking into the house, I heard a small voice addressing me from the bushes. “Would you like me to make you some bread? Are you hungry?” the little voice asked. I smiled and quickly said, “Yes! I would love to have some bread.” Two beautiful little girls popped out of a bush, and soon, a handsome boy emerged from another. One was holding a metal pie pan they had filled with ingredients of tan bark, leaves and grass. My delicious “bread” was then topped off with a half-sucked-on Jolly Rancher candy. After sampling the “bread,” the children headed home. I could hear one of them say, “That neighbor lady is so nice. I wonder if I can call her Mrs. S, if I forget her name?” I smiled as they walked away and thought about the word “neighbor.” I knew at that moment I was indeed, finally, home.
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I wanted to let Mrs. Zaragoza know that I grew up in Murray, KY and have lived in Patterson for three and a half years now. I enjoyed reading her article.
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Enjoyed your article. I was born in Mayfield, KY in 1947 AND I STILL LIVE THERE! Hope you share your Mayfield name in a future article!
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My dad was born in 1947 too and he still lives there his name is Gerald Almond Harris. I am glad you enjoyed reading the article I will definatly mention my Mayfield name again!
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I am so proud of my big sister. To think of where we have come from and to see where you are now has inspired me that it's not to late to go for my dreams and be the person i'm supposed to be. When I was a little girl, I always wanted to be like my big Sister. I still do.
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I've been living in my current city for over 10 years and I'm sorry to say that it has yet to grow on me. Even though I've been blessed to say that I have lived in only two cities in all my 42 years, I could only wish that I had the pride that Mrs Zaragoza has for her town. Maybe I should move to Patterson.
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 written by nicole , July 20, 2008
To me, this meant so much. It was the great detail that caught my attention. I loved this quote. I do feel i can relate to this article very easily. Can not wait to see more coming from Mrs. Zaragoza. Thank you for your devotion to this article and the intesity you put into every word. I deeply appreciate it.
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I am so proud of you Sonya! This was an amazing story and very well written! I so enjoyed reading it. I look forward to reading future articles from you. Thank you for sharing, I can totally relate to not feeling like I had a longterm home until recently also.
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 written by Paula , July 21, 2008
Sonya is one of the most loving and positive women I have ever known. I am a co-worker of hers and her love for people and her ability to have fun in whatever situation she is in, has carried many people through what might have been "just an ordinary day here on earth". Sonya has a love for Jesus Christ that penetrates to all people, no matter what they act like, look like, or if they smell good or not. Her story about her childhood and experience in losing her home was quite moving, and from knowing her, I know she and her family will bounce back and start over with "another home". This will not take her down. Paula
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I just wanted to say fantastic writing!!! I can't wait to read more from you.......let me know if you ever want to get coffee. We can talk about what a wonderful community we live in!!
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This was such a touching story. When you were talking about your childhood and the snow, I felt as if I was there! As a child I moved once and it was hard for me, I can only imagine how hard it must have been to move that many times. Well I wish you and your family the best of luck and happiness. God Bless.
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Sonya, you are an inspiration! I look forward to reading more of your articles!
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