My Mom, my hero
By Sergio Fernandez

My mom is my hero. She was a beautiful person who enjoyed the simple things in life. Some of her favorite things were the ocean and beach, the beauty of nature, listening to music, good food, family and friends, and most of all, the Lord. She was a mother to five children, teacher, and free spirit.

She taught me many things during her life and here are a few I would like to share...

My mom taught me to simply laugh and enjoy life. She never took anything too serious. She always tried hard to make sure everyone was having fun wherever we were. If someone wasn’t having fun, my mom always tried to cheer them up with a silly joke or comment. She would make sure that everyone around her was happy first. I remember going out to dinner on several occasions with my mom and my wife. We would usually have to change tables two to three times because my mom wanted the best seat available! My wife and I would be eating our food while my mom would look at our dishes and make comments on how good they looked, carefully watching our reactions as we ate. We would make it through our meals and she had barely enjoyed her own because she was so concerned about our satisfaction. She lived a life that exemplified an attitude of service to others. She always lived in the moment, enjoying the things and people in front of her. My mom has instilled this same quality in me.

My mom taught me to be kind to others and make friends wherever you go. She was easy to get along with and would make friends with just about anyone. She would always talk about people in Ocean Beach she’d meet. We’d hear her say “my friend [Bill] down the street.....” and when we would ask her who these people were she’d say “Bill works at the Shell station on the corner, I met him last week.” Next thing we knew, Bill was helping to fix my mom’s car. She was conversational to say the least and I’m sure many people would find this strange, especially these days, but for my mom it came very naturally and others received it well. She was loving to others like Jesus and treated everyone with kindness. Though I am not quite as outgoing as my mom, I will sometimes meet strangers and get into random conversations, just as my mom would.

My mom taught me to be proud of what you do and who you are. She was never one to brag about herself and was genuinely interested in others. However, my mom was proud to be a teacher and work with special needs children. She always wanted to be a teacher and pursued her dreams of doing so by going to school at night while doing her best to raise five children. She didn’t care about money or things. She was happy with her dinged up car and little beach cottage home. She was also proud of her children. I remember when I lived in Ocean Beach and I would go to the grocery store or gas station with my mom, she would tell everyone that I worked for Pepsi. I didn’t think much of it, but she sure did. She would introduce me as “this is my youngest son Sergio...and he works at Pepsi!” You would think that I was a NASA scientist the way she said it! She would also tell everyone around town about my brother Dave being a Navy Seal. Dave knew he could never give her any classified information. She was proud of herself and proud of her kids. I have learned to be proud of myself and always give my best because of my mom.

My mom has now taught me to love the Lord with all my heart. I know how much she loves God and am so thankful that she was part of a loving church. She made great friends there and was able to renew her faith daily. I am thankful for this and have been inspired to grow deeper in my faith and walk with God.

My mom is my hero. She lived a life focusing on the simple but most important things in life: family, friends, laughter, fun, kindness, servitude, and God. She was a fighter her whole life till the very end and I am so thankful that she is and always will be my mom. - SF