Isdalida Herrera

Isdalida Herrera

My mother, my hero.

Throughout my life I have had a plethora of heroes. World peacemakers and those who have fought for love, justice, and equality such as Dr. Martin Luther King. Jr., Jesus, Cesar Chavez, and Mother Teresa have been on my list of heroes for long as I can remember. From the time I fell in love with writing in grammar school, authors and poets were added to my list of heros as well. I started out with Beverly Cleary and a few others, then eventually came to include Shakespeare, Emily Bronte, Steinbeck, Pablo Neruda and more. Later I added others to the list, such as Oprah Winfrey, Ludwig Van Beethoven,and Harriet Tubman. Each year I seem to find more and more heroes in the world, and for that I am glad.

I find a hero to be anyone who has done something great for this Earth, whether they have touched the life of only one person or millions. A hero's life, actions, and ideals move you, reach your spirit, and motivate you to do great things as well. To me, no one fits this definition moreso than my mother, Isdalida Herrera.

If there is anyone I have ever come across that embodies all that is good, it is her. She is selfless, loving, caring, a wonderful mother, an incomparible wife, the ideal grandmother, and a wonderful human being, in general.

I think what is most ironic to me is that I had this hero right in front of me all along, yet I didn't even realize what a hero she truly was. While I was looking to the rest of the world for heroes, I overlooked looking inside my own home. My mother is a hero because of all the sacrifices she has made in her life, so many of which have been for me. Though she is not perfect, as no one really can be, and like any mother and daughter we have had our ups and downs, the ups so far outweigh the downs that the downs seem meaningless.

My mother was a beloved teacher in Colombia, South America, the country where she was born. Due to the ever-increasing political and social conflict there, she and my father immigrated to the United States before I was born. Having very little money upon arrival, she became a low-paid food service worker at a local hospital, pushing very heavy refrigerated carts to bring patients their meals. She has since held the same job, despite the fact that she has a college degree and once had a highly respected teaching position. My father has a leg handicap as well as various health problems, and was consequently often out of work duing certain times of my childhood. She has always been their steady source of income and rarely complains regardless of how tired she often looks. She has cared for my father better than any health professional ever could, and has always been the rock in our family.

She has also always been a dedicated mother as well. Despite the fact that she worked (and continues to)full-time, she never missed a school talent show, a piano recital, an ice skating practice, a doctor's appointment or anything, and was always there to help with homework, boyfriends, etc. She has always encouraged me to to strive for high goals, to keep a strong work ethic,to never falter in my morals and ideals, and most of all, to accept life as it comes and to make the best of it rather than dwell on the negative. She has taught me the importance of honesty, dedication, and optimism. Even through the rough patches she has always somehow found, and has helped me find, the beauty and joy in life. Though her job may not be desirable, nor her earthly riches grand, the treasures she possesses and has shared with me are immeasurable. I feel like the richest daughter in the world.

Now that I am a mother, myself, and my mother a grandmother, I have grown to see her as an even greater hero. She has been my rock throughout my life, a ceaseless friend, a constant companion. I see her now as the same for my daughter and can honestly say that my daughter loves my mother as much as my daughter loves me. Their bond is that close, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I could easily go on for days with detail after detail about what a wonderful, selfless, compassionate, loving human being she truly is. I am blessed to be her daughter and to have her as my hero.