How do I measure success?

On a personal note, I have two children a daughter and a son. For the majority of both their lives, I have been a single mother. Most parents who leave to work everyday, have some sense of guilt for the things we miss that other stay at home parents have the ability to share with their children. I was one of those parents, I also refused to be home on welfare.

I had some really good managers and worked for some really ethical companies with great managers who understood and allowed me to have flexible hours when I needed and in return I moved mountains for them.

I had a great support system, partially due to the fact that I taught my kids to respect themselves and others. People recognized the closeness they had with each-other and they had so much respect for me. They were convinced by the way they each respected others in my absence.

How do I measure personal success? I measure success through the fact that I have raised two successful and children with the strength of a warriors.

My daughter is now a school teacher, her dream has been to have the opportunity to "mold young minds".

1. Awarded "Student of the Year", a senior honor in high school awarded in her freshman year for "her morals and her values" despite her struggling with her academics.
2. A Published Poet
3. A university student who finally got A's using a model of teaching that promotes her creativity.
4. A citizenship award winner every year and every time awards were awarded through middle school.
5. A parent voices advocate, who takes on the legislators to promote childcare in the county
6. An awesome mother, of my first grandchild Tomas Mateo Sanchez Jr.

My son is a varsity football player with a 3.1 Grade Point Average, in advanced engineering courses.

1. A school science fair winner
2. A district science fair contestant
3. A young man with strong convictions to protect and speak on behalf of others who can't do so for themselves.
4. An awesome middle-line-backer otherwise known as "mighty mouse" when he was 8 years old.
5. Always the smallest player, yet coaches from opposing teams named him "the mad man in the middle".
6. The full back who acts as insurance for the quarterback
7. The full back who blocks for the player who ran or rushed the most yards of any other player in the state.
8. The full back that takes 4 really big players to take him down, when he has the ball.
9. A student who just started his junior year of high school and already has a certificate of completion in the "introduction to engineering", from the regional occupational program.

When did I realize I was successful?

Nearly 7 years ago, ironically in the same year each of my kids wrote something in a project for school. When I read each of these papers, I knew I was successful. I had two children who would overcome any obstacle in their paths.

Nothing has changed in this regard, in fact I've witnessed each of them prove they live by these core values. They both will tell you, they are who they are because of me. I showed them in my actions, they saw others learn from me and saw me stand up for those who couldn't stand up for themselves.

Nothing has changed about my children nor the pride and sense of accomplishment I feel for their accomplishments and ability to achieve their goals. We have two great people in this world and they will bring others up with them, because that is our job and the only way to build our community. This speaks to another core value, none of us think in terms of dollar signs.

We don't look to have a house on the hill.

We live in the heart and soul of the lowest income families, because that's who we can help the most.

We have lived in neighborhoods and visit our families in these places.

We have different ideas of what's important.

We dream of giving back to those who need what we can offer.

We have compassion and empathy for others.

Our success together, we measure by our ability to improve and make life better for others.

My daughter molds young minds

My son stands up for others and removes barriers for kids who need encouragement or advice.

I design the solutions that connect people to important things, I research problems in our community and I measure the waste in our spending of government dollars to improve the system of delivery for our community.

This would be my idea of success, my family and how we contribute to a better community.