As I sit to write this blog about the recent death of my mother, Juanita Marie Ochoa, I celebrate her 87 years on earth. I realize the glimpses of wisdom and startling insight that are emerging in the most unexpected places are in due part to her. For the past 50 years, my dear mother bestowed unconditional love and support for me and my family like no other. All mothers are champions in their own right, based on accepting the responsibility of motherhood that stands as one of the greatest feats known to us. It is with great honor and gratefulness that I tell you about my mom, the champion.

Here is a woman that owned two new cars by the age of 27 in the 1940’s, a time that women did not typically have these types of possessions. But my mom owned them due to her work ethic in an era when the majority of women were settling down to be wives and mothers.

Destiny was bestowed upon my mom at the age of 28 when she met my dad, and the prophecy of marriage and children quickly followed. I say it in this way because if you look at the miracle of my parents’ 57 year marriage, you get nothing but magic and destiny. There were 8 children, 7 boys and 1 girl, with the first 7 being born in 8 years. We lived in a 1,200 square foot house with several dogs, which added to the utter chaos. Yet the driving force of our mom’s love propelled her children toward great heights. All eight of us attended college, five of us have Masters Degrees ~ all from the support and encouragement of parents, who at best, completed two years of trade school. Wow.

Yet the real reason I had to write this blog was not to discuss the blessings I grew up with, but to write about my realization that my dear mom is the driving force behind my passion for working with clients at The Life Empowerment Center (TLEC.) My desire to work with people who faced learning differences was rooted early on in the unconditional support my mom gave me regarding my own learning challenges growing up. She taught me first-hand about the importance of empathy and compassion, and when I became a counselor in 1989, I witnessed the emotional, mental and spiritual pain of misunderstood children with ADHD. I knew, without a doubt, that I wanted to make a difference in helping those children stay connected to their natural born selves, and in the case of the ADHD adults in my practice, get them reconnected to their own sense of self, not what others think they should be.

Here’s a story that used to be embarrassing for me: my mom would type my papers through my senior year in high school because I couldn’t get my thoughts on paper. So I would pace behind her, tell her what I wanted to say, and she’d type away. Talk about a champion of a mother, well there is a true example for sure. Mom did this with grace and understanding that I needed help, and she did whatever it took to help support me in my growth.

So Mom, I honor you for who you are and what you’ve done to lay the foundation for who I am today. TLEC has a new honorary mom on board in the spiritual force of Juanita Marie Ochoa, to hold faith that you can and will make a difference in the world despite any of your learning differences.