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My mom passed away in 2021 at the age of 91. She had lived in the US for 60 years and had never returned to her beloved homeland of Guatemala. She was a proud American but also proud of her Guatemalan heritage. She spoke English perfectly with the most beautiful accent. She taught us to love and respect our country but to also love and respect our heritage and culture.

I am a proud Latina American because of her.

Te quiero mucho Mama

Happy Mothers Day Mom

  you are no longer with us but I want to thank you for always being there fpr me.Through good and bad.I love you and always will.

   MY Mom

My mother, my superhero, endured unimaginable hardships, including surviving an emotionally abusive marriage, to raise her four children. After leaving that abusive situation, she managed to raise them on her own. She became a nurse and spent the next fifty years helping others heal. She even cared for her own grandchild suffering from a debilitating and terminal disease. I witnessed her envelop her family in the kind of love and strength only a few people can show when facing such a great loss. And she did the same for me when my husband unexpectedly passed away when my daughter was just ten years old. By example, she taught me the importance of facing every challenge with hope, courage, and integrity. At 87, soon to be 88, she remains the center of our family. Her smile continues to light up a room, and her innate capacity for goodness and spreading joy uplifts everyone who has the privilege of having her in their lives. She is simply the heart of my heart, and I love her dearly.

Hi! My mom's super power is being a great listener. She knew you were struggling with an issue but didn't pry. She would let you open up when you were ready. She didn't interrupt you with her opinions or bombard you with questions. She let you speak & nod her head.  She would wait patiently until you asked for her thoughts & then shared her wisdom. She still does & we're all grateful.🙏

My mom’ super power was super chef. My mom worked at night, driving from Waldorf MD to McLean, VA as a federal government worker, and by the time she got home we were already gone for school. Back then there was no “microwave” to heat or cook meals so my mom prepared enough meals for at least 5 days on Saturdays her day off, froze some of them and I was responsible for heating and serving my dad and three brothers, cleaning the table and doing the dishes as a child until I was about 16. My biological mom died when I was 7 and my dad remarried and my mom who raised me did an exceptional job for a woman who married a widower in 1969 with 4 children, 9 and under and had no children if her own. Now that’s a super mom!

When I was a girl in the 1970s, I belonged to Girl Scout Troop 532 in Southern California. Our troop was known for being active, mischievous, and endlessly creative, and always finding ways to get ourselves into trouble.
One crisp autumn evening, with school just a few months underway, we gathered at the Girl Scout house in the city park, waiting to board the bus for our annual fall camping trip. The sky was darkening, the air misty, and a storm was clearly on its way. Girls from all the local troops were assembled, chattering excitedly, sweaters pulled tight against the chill.
Impatient as ever, we began to chant, trying to hurry the leaders to let us board. Between our shouting and the roar of the idling bus engine, it was nearly impossible to hear what our troop leader was saying. Soon, it became clear. The camping trip was canceled. A big storm was coming, and disappointment settled over the group like a huge gray cloud.
I looked at my mom, and I could tell she saw the disappointment on my face. With a giggle and creativity, she said, “Invite your troop over to our house.”
And that’s exactly what I did. That night, our house transformed into a Girl Scout camp. There were sleeping bags everywhere! Girls slept in the living room, the den, and three bedrooms upstairs. There were giggles, whispered conversations, and the constant shuffle of friends claiming sleeping spots. Somehow, amid the chaos, my mom orchestrated a pancake breakfast the next morning. That weekend wasn’t just about avoiding disappointment. It was about generosity, creativity, and the kind of warmth that leaves a lasting mark. My mom didn’t just save the day for me; she saved it for an entire troop of girls.
When my mom passed, I shared this story at her memorial. My old Girl Scout friends nodded in agreement—it was a core memory for all of us, a small but shining example of how one person’s kindness can ripple out and touch many lives.

At The Kitchen Sink

One day while I was standing at my kitchen sink, I began to ponder, to just stand there and think, soon tears were streaming down like raindrops from the Sky and I heard my husband saying, was it I who made you cry.

It was at that moment, when it became so clear, what it means to be a mother, one so

precious and so dear. I began to think back on the things I never knew, until I was

standing there, and it all became so true.

All the things I thought were natural, were

indeed a hefty chore, but I had never once hummed while sweeping up my floor and all

the clothes that I'd left laying on the bathroom floor, they weren't picked up by fairies washed and put back in a drawer and those cakes that I smelled baking when I opened up the door, well magic didn't bake them like I thought it had before and the supper on the table and the popcorn on the couch that just did not happen but I had never figured that all out

Mom was always standing there to give me a little kiss and to listen to my problems which were own a lengthy list,  but somehow all around me all these things were always done, and she was somewhere singing about something God had done. That is the moral of the story of her life, that is why she was smiling in the middle of the strife, not complaining and not screaming I have too much to do but humming about Jesus, that is what always got mom through.

It was during my break down, there at my sink, where God whispered to me softly it can be easier than you think, I have never felt emotion, nor have I loved as deep, as I loved my Mother that day standing there at my kitchen sink.

I am blessed to still have my momma and it is only because of who she is that I was able to overcome many obstacles in my life. God has blessed us tremendously.  

Everlasting Influence 

My mom, a blessed memory, still plays an active role in all I think about, say, and do. She always encouraged me to pursue my dreams. At 65, I am going back to school to be a licensed Music Therapist-what I originally went to college for. I don’t regret choosing a career as a Teacher of the Visually Impaired for 41 years. I loved it. My desire to help others, as well as myself, something she always wanted for me, is now my goal and I will pursue it passionately. She always withheld her energy until the time was right to release it towards the most important things to her  - family, faith, and the future. I know I can never fill her shoes, but because of her, I am grateful to be able to fit comfortably in my own.

     I didn't appreciate my Mom until I was older, as a teenager I always thought I'll never act like that or think like that. But guess what I learned many lessons from her, I think I'm a better parent and person because of her. My Mom got Alzheimer's in her 70's and now every time I forget something, I think oh no I've got it now. But because I know the signs I don't freak out too much. I have pictures and objects that I've kept for the happy memories and I thank you Mom and Love you

My mother was a farm wife. She prepared all the meals, kept a garden so we could have homegrown (pesticide free) veggies, ran after equipment parts for the farm and then took the time to sew all four of us girls matching yellow (with flowers) Easter dresses.