Sophie Cisneros

Our beautiful and beloved matriarch, who we all deeply loved has now gone to the heavenly embrace of our Glorious Lord. I realized as I set about this task that a sons sees his mother in a different way than those of you who have had different experiences. It is even more difficult to speak on behalf of my older siblings but I will try to convey some shared feeling of the unconditional love , commitment , sacrifice and joy that our mother gave us,. I am her only son and no matter what you may think of me, I truly believe you would have liked my mom. Most people did. She had a warm and friendly smile which in my experience, often connected with everyone she met. It was common that nearly everyone, even staff at restaurants. Doctor\dentist offices, general workers\laborers, neighbors and friends would have some kind of endearing term for her such as ”hun” or “sweetheart.’”

Everyone thinks they have a great mom, but as a kid, I knew, and we knew we had the greatest hero of a Mom that ever could be on this earth because lots of people would tell me so. My mother has definitely earned at being a part of the greatest generation of this country.

She lived through the great depression and made due with what she had. She suffered a lot but my mother as I know her was both remarkably physically and mentally strong willed, and always had God and her faith beside her helping her; She was living in Los Angeles during WW2 and would tell me stories how she would try to help the war effort by trying to volunteer in some capacity at home. Of course she was very young at that time, but witnessed and described to me how devastated mothers were when they realized they had lost their loved ones in war and at wars end; how people, and everyone openly wept for joy that the terrible war had finally ended. Always reminding me to be proud that we were Americans of the greatest nation on earth.

Now a days, people seem to trivialize words like hero and courageous to describe someone who may be in the public spotlight or because they are popular for merely stepping out. Well let me say that my caring mother was a bonafide hero who gave me my life, and later, when I was about seven years old, had actually saved my life. She was always working when the school called her that I was ill, my mother actually carried me while at the same time running to the hospital emergency for my emergency appendectomy that very same day. She definitely earned the Medal of Honor in my book.

My mother loved opera and arias especially the Ave Maria sung by Pavarotti among others. She loved the garden, home grown vegetables and fruit. She especially loved her rose trees and rose bushes. She always had an abundance of planting wisdom to share with me. Among her jobs, she worked tirelessly as a talented seamstress. As far as her work ethic, I think it’s important to be mentioned she worked hard virtually all her life. At home, would sow my school uniforms, create my first book bag for high school, and later, alterations on my Marine Corps uniforms. I never went hungry at home, she always had warmth for me, would stay up nights caring for me when I was sick and always made sure I was properly clothed ,and I don’t even remember if I ever thanked her then. Her value in us having an adequate education and I could see on her glowing face how proud she and my father were when I graduated from the University.

What I really want to say is that if I had just 1\10 of my mother’s parenting dignity and grace I would be gifted. I had the best teacher, my mother, in the world and pray that I will do just as good as a job parenting as my mother and father raised me.

Just to demonstrate, in the last few weeks of my mother’s life she continued to fight and show her profound sense of dignity. Even with her body affected by the cancer and pneumonia, she still was not asking for the normal allotment of painkillers from the nurses. As she wished to maintain full control of her faculties and to retain her lucidity so as to not interfere with her ability to interact with the family showing up to visit, like my sons. I struggle with fact to imagine myself being able to meet my death with even a tenth the dignity that I observed in my mother’s eyes over the past few weeks which swelled me with pride with each minute I spent with her. I owe her so much and I love my mom. I am proud to say that I am her son.