"I don't have any college degrees, but I have 9."

My sister received her Master's Degree this weekend.  She is a mother of twins, works full-time as a teacher, and, like many of us, has many demands on her time.  My family attended the ceremony and we all got together to celebrate at my sister's home with lasagna, champagne, and cake once the ceremony was complete.

I couldn't be more proud of my sisters. Elisa earned her Master's Degree several years ago and now Susana has hers to.   I come home after working full-time, tend to only one child, and can't imagine having to go to school at this particular point in my life.  I think it is amazing that Susana made all the necessary sacrifices (time, money, rest sweet rest) to accomplish this huge goal in her life.  She isn't even finished yet!  She may take some time off first, but she plans to resume her education and complete her PhD.  I admire her for continuing to educate herself.  I thank God for giving her a husband that has supported her goals.  I cannot ignore the look of beaming pride on my mother's face after my mom received her "9
th college degree" - two for Susana, two for Elisa, two for me, and three for my dad.  This was as much my mom's accomplishment as it was my sister's.

Now that I'm a mother I see the world differently.  It takes a hundred good and selfless decisions each week to raise a decent human being.  It's demanding.  It's exhausting.  It's the BEST work God has entrusted to me in my life.  Yes, some people become amazing without a good mother.  The odds were against you.  Congratulations! How did you even do it?  The truth is, I don't know if I could have done it.

I look at what I've done, at what I've gone through, at what I strive for and I see my mother every step of the way.  She was there when I moved to American and didn't speak English.  She watched countless hours of American TV with me - Sesame Street, Mr. Roger's Neighborhood, presidential speeches - hoping that I would pick up the English language quickly.  She attended American college in her 30s so she could learn English for the benefit of the entire family.  I remember my mom being there to tell me that other girls were just jealous of me or that they didn't understand me when I moved to a new school and soon made far fewer friends than enemies.  I remember when my first marriage fell apart, I suffered an ectopic pregnancy, and I just couldn't find a way to go on.  My mother, first and foremost, was there to tell me to keep my eye on the prize.  I'm not sure I would have taken the bar exam if it wasn't for her expectations.

She's not my mother because she brought me into the world.  She is my mother because she has made me the woman I am today.

I will repay this great debt.  I will not repay it to my mother.  Yes, she is proud of me.  Yes, she has the peace of believing that, due to all that I have accomplished, I will always be ok - even when she is gone.  Yes, she deserves nothing more than my obedience, my admiration, and my love.


I won't repay the debt to her.  I will pay it forward.  I have a little girl of my own.