Rosie Rivera - My Broken Pieces: Mending the Wounds From Sexual Abuse Through Faith, Family and Love

Published by New American Library,

an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC

375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014

This book is an original publication of New American Library.

Copyright Samalia, Inc., 2016

Foreword copyright Myrka Dellanos, 2016

Lyrics from I Lift My Hands reprinted by permission of Samuel Hernandez.

Lyrics from Cuando Muere una Dama reprinted by permission of Divine Publishing.

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eBook ISBN: 978-1-101-99008-7

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION INFORMATION:

Rivera, Rosie, author.

My broken pieces: mending the wounds from sexual abuse through faith, family, and love/Rosie Rivera.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-101-99006-3

1. Rivera, Rosie. 2. Women television personalitiesUnited StatesBiography. 3. Television personalitiesUnited StatesBiography. 4. Rivera, RosieFamily. 5. Rivera, Jenni. I. Title.

PN1992.4.R5313A3 2015

791.45028092dc23 2015017328

[B]

Designed by Tiffany Estreicher

PUBLISHERS NOTE

Penguin is committed to publishing works of quality and integrity. In that spirit, we are proud to offer this book to our readers; however the story, the experiences, and the words are the authors alone.

Version_1

To Chay: for planting the seed in my heart many years ago. Sister, it now bears fruit.

To all the women who have suffered abuse: you are not alone; we are sisters of brokenness.

To Jesus: for becoming broken to make me whole.

Everyone is broken by life, but afterward many are strong in the broken places.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY

foreword

by Myrka Dellanos

I first met Rosie Rivera at a People en Espaol event in Miami on October of 2012 where they were honoring powerful women in media. Her sister, Jenni, was chosen as one of them. Jenni actually nominated her sister to be part of the poderosas list too and the fans voted for her, so Rosie was chosen to give the keynote speech. I had never seen Rosie in person before, but as I sat watching her, the first thing that struck me was her beauty.

Then she began to tell her story. I recall that she was poised and eloquent as she recounted her sexual abuse as a child and the subsequent physical abuse she endured. My eyes welled up with tears, and my heart pounded as I heard about her years of pain and self-loathing, and the whole room of whos who in media was completely silent and mesmerized by her words. My teenage daughter was so moved that she told me she wanted to meet her. We went up to Rosie after the event, and I told her I wanted to interview her, not about juicy details pertaining to her sister, but about the Love Foundation and their work with battered women. She was warm and welcoming to my daughter and myself, and we exchanged phone numbers. When we walked away, my daughter exclaimed, Love her mom! Teenagers are attracted to people who are real and raw, and Rosie was exactly that. As a journalist, I have been blessed to meet many people, and some I connect with more than others. I had immediate empathy for Rosie, and I realized that day that her story had the power to help and heal others.

Fast-forward three years, and as I read her book, My Broken Pieces, with so many uncensored details, once again, I am moved with compassion and sadness for Rosie and her family but also for so many young girls and boys who go through this pain but do not make it through to tell their story. However, for all the brokenness in Rosies life, there is hope and beauty that outshines evil. This book is a powerful tool in healing especially for so many of us who are wounded souls. What I see through Rosies life is that good does win in the end, and if God is on our side (and He never leaves us nor forsakes us), then we can find relief during the rough times, knowing that better days are ahead. Even in the midst of our darkest days, we can echo Rosies belief that as it states in Romans 8:28:... all things work together for good for those that love God, and I am just so grateful for that conviction too. Without it, so many of us would not be alive today.

My heart was uplifted as I read Rosies story, and for all of you who have experienced loss, tragedy, abandonment, abuse and the darkest of days, remember that just as Rosie is alive and thriving today, so will you be. I pray that everyone who identifies with Rosies story realizes that freedom from pain, guilt and hate is attainable. If theres one thread that is weaved throughout My Broken Pieces, its that out of our brokenness, God can create a beautiful work of art.

introduction

Ever since I was a little girl, I knew I didnt want to go into show business. While I was growing up a Rivera, that was what everyone expected from me, but I had other plans. Whenever my dad would sit me on his lap in the morning and ask me what I wanted to be when I grew up, Id say a teacher, a writer or an astronaut, but never did it cross my mind to become a performer. That was what my talented brothers and sister did, but not me. I was going to be just a great as them, but doing my own thing, whether traveling to the moon or writing a book.

But the summer I turned eight years old, everything changed. My dreams were all but destroyed. The sexual abuse I suffered and kept secret for so many years corroded my soul, and it wasnt long before I lost all sense of self-worth. The beautiful, wide world I had once dreamed of conquering suddenly collapsed and my universe turned dark. I started to believe, deep down in my heart, that I was truly worthless. The innocence of a golden childhood surrounded by so much love and affection faded to black.

For years, I woke up every morning hoping that the day ahead would be my last. All I could see around me was a world of suffering and endless pain, and no matter how hard I tried, I was unable to envision a life beyond the next day. I lived this way for eighteen years and could have continued that way for many more, had it not been for one simple discovery that changed my life.

The first time I told Chay that I wanted to write a book, she said, Yes, Sister, go for it! You are going to be great! Your book will inspire so many people! My big sister encouraged me from the very beginning, and while I knew this was what I had to do, the process wasnt easy. I had to relive and confront many difficult moments from my past. Yet in doing so, I discovered a very important lesson: that as long as you dont know your narrative, as long as you dont own your story, you will never be able to heal. Telling my story here has helped me understand parts of my life that I had never even thought about, and I truly hope that whatever hardships you are going through, these pages may help you understand that you are not a lost cause and you are not alone. God loves you and that is the biggest blessing of them all.