Mother’s Day — possibly the most tender holiday out of the bunch. We love to celebrate our mamas for all they have done for us: the sacrifices, the late nights, the love, the hugs. This year, the winner of our Mother’s Day contest is Mimi Lopez for her touching essay on the amazing obstacles her mother overcame to secure a better life for her family and become a role model for her children.
Mimi will receive a prize basket worth $100 from Valerie’s Attic in Historic Downtown, and a $25 gift certificate for her mother.
THE WINNER
Determined. Intelligent. Courageous. Responsible. Achiever. I can truly say all those words best describe my mother. I have been beyond blessed to have such an amazing woman in my life, and I am honored to call her my mother.
My mother, Margarita, was born in Mexico and is the oldest of six siblings. At the age of 11 she was brought to the United States. She came not knowing a single word in English and was enrolled in school by my grandmother. Due to the language barrier she was placed in the third grade. In Mexico, she was in the fifth grade. She states she felt embarrassed and often times was bullied.
At the age of 16, she dropped out of school and started working in the fields picking strawberries with her parents. Later, she started working at Taco Bell and moved up to become a shift manager. One day she states, that while working there, she saw an older coworker. The lady was cleaning tables and taking out the trash. That’s when she thought to herself, “Is that going to be me in the future? Who’s going to want to hire me?”
After much consideration she decided to talk to her husband, my dad, about her desire to continue her studies and move forward in life. My dad supported her 100%. She spoke to her supervisor from Taco Bell and requested her shift be moved because she wanted to work on getting her GED.
After three months, she was able to get her GED and enrolled in HCC part time while still working at Taco Bell. After several months she left her job at Taco Bell and enrolled full time in HCC.
She was later able to get a job in the Healthy Start Program, where she worked for four years before leaving and enrolling in USF full time. This I remember as if it were yesterday. I hated staying home with the boys, which were my dad and little brother, while my mom worked the night shift at McDonald’s. The house felt so boring and empty without her.
Now, at the age of 27, I fully understand why she did what he did. She wanted a better future — something that, at my young age, I did not comprehend. I just knew that I hated staying with the boys.
With hard work and determination, she was able to graduate with her bachelor’s in social work. She returned working for the Healthy Start Program, and she has been there for 12 years. She started doing home visits as a case manager and is now the family resource coordinator supervisor for the Healthy Start Program at Tampa General Hospital and Brandon Regional Hospital.
She has such a passion for what she does. I really admire her desire to help the families in need. In my opinion, my mom is an example that it is never too late to pursue your dream and that nothing should stop you from reaching your goals. I can only imagine that having a husband and two children, and working part time and attending USF full time was extremely tiresome! But she did it. I’m starting to believe that my mom has some sort of magical powers.
She currently works full- time for the Healthy Start Program as I mentioned earlier, and she is also a Sunday school teacher. She works with preteens ages 10 to 13. I have asked my mom several times, “How do you not get tired?” She simply responds, “I love what I do.”
It just amazes me how great of an example she is to me. She pushes me and my brother to always do our best at everything and to always put the Lord in all our plans.
There is a quote I once heard that said, “You have to preach what you teach so people can believe you.” And I can truly say my mom does that. If it weren’t for my mom I don’t think I could be where I am now. All that I am or hope to be, I owe to my mother. I don’t think I could ever pay her back for everything she has done for me. She has such a great and generous heart. Those who know my mom know she goes above and beyond her role of being a friend, sister, mom, daughter and wife. My family might not be the richest or wealthiest family in Plant City, but I believe we are beyond blessed to have such an amazing woman in our lives, and I get to call her “Mom.”
— Mimi Lopez
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Not Always Family
I noticed your contest, and even though my mother lives in Michigan, I have a very dear friend who stepped in when I moved down here almost 20 years ago. Her name is Emily Keene Youvan, and she lives right by the library in the huge, two- story house.
Now here is my story:
I moved here not knowing anyone, and Emily stopped and introduced herself to me and said if I should ever need anything she was right next door. Her mother owned the farm next to me, and she was out there every day to help her mother.
She has also adopted a boy who would have otherwise been in foster care a few years ago.
She was unable to have children of her own. She helped raise her niece and even paid for her college and has given her niece the farm house to live in since she is an adult.
She invited us into her home and heart. She would watch my girls for me when I had no one else. She taught them the values in life. She taught them to like the finer things, like afternoon tea and the old movies and the love of reading. They learned to swim in her pool.
She was always there when I needed a friend. I got to experience things I would not have gotten to.
When my dog was sick, she not only took him to the vet, she paid for the medicine. And then, when the medicine didn’t work and he had to be put to sleep, she took me back to the vet and paid to have him put to sleep.
She had us over for cook-overs and bought my lunch every time I went over to spend time on the farm with her.
My life here in Florida would in no way have been as good as it has been if it weren’t for Emily’s part in it. And I know my daughters turned out to be fine young women because of her influence in their lives. Her niece, Rachel, has had a better life due to her kindness and love. And her adopted son, Charlie, I know, has had a terrific life, which could have ended up being a terrible life.
Emily has a heart of gold, and even if we don’t talk every week or every month, when we do talk, it’s just like we had seen each other every day. She hired people to work for her who were in desperate need of money and even made up jobs for them. She takes care of her brother’s cows for him.
Emily is one of the greatest mothers I know and deserves to be recognized for everything she has given, not only to me and my girls, her niece and Charlie, but to many people in the Plant City area.
— Rosemary White
Rocky Start
My mother is the best. She had me two months premature and was in labor for 30 minutes. She spent the entire time wondering what was going to happen to me, and if I would be OK being that little.
After everything was clear, we went home and were a happy family.
Then, at nine months, I had something bad happen to me.
Mom was holding me, and I held on her tight — too tight. She noticed something was wrong the way I was so stiff. She rushed me to the hospital, and they waited for a long time. The doctors thought I wouldn’t make it and told her to call family to the hospital. She worried all night, but I managed to pull through.
The doctors diagnosed me with febrile seizures. I was more susceptible to them. Over the years, our doctors came to the conclusion I had epilepsy, that has now transitioned into absence seizures, and my mom endured all of it and made countless trips from Tampa to Brandon to where ever she could to find answers. Because she is my mom.
Growing up, she worried if I would be OK at elementary school. Then, the worry moved to would I be OK hanging out with friends, which turned into the worry of driving, and now I’m older, she’s still worrying me finding something else to worry about. Now that I have hope, I can worry like her in a few years with my future children.
— Delayna Peacock
Surrogate Mother
My name is Alicia Savage. I have lived in Plant City all my life. I have two children, ages 2 and 7. I am 31 years old.
I’m not nominating my actual mother, but my sister, Jacinda Balliett. She will be 40 on May 18 and has raised me all my life. Our mother raised us as a single mother and did the “best” she could. So my sister got me to school, homework, dinner and more than I can admit.
She also has lived here all her life and has worked at Bruner’s Insurance for 19 years in Plant City. She’s known by most and remembered by all. She has no children and has never married, but has dedicated her life to working hard, and raising and guiding me.
She is the best sister, friend and aunt anyone could ever want/ask for. I know this is a different way of entering a Mother’s Day contest, but honestly, I don’t know if anyone would be more qualified for a Mother’s Day gift than her.
We were raised off Kinard Road in Antioch. My grandparents built it in 1963, and we have been here ever since. I live in the home my grandparents built. If it weren’t for Jacinda none of this would be in the family, and I’m sure I wouldn’t be living here with my two children and husband.
In conclusion, I am lucky to have her, and I would love nothing more than to shout it to the world how incredibly awesome she is. But — at the end of the day — I’ll still remind her daily how incredibly lucky I am to have her and how very much I love her.
— Alicia Savage