David

My Mother’s Hebrew name was Sara, but she preferred to be called Sonia. She was born in Bialystok, Poland in 1909, immigrated to Mexico City in 1930, married her husband and my father Yudie in 1931, and gave birth to me, her second of three children in 1935. She died in 1985. One of my cousins said of Sonia, that your mother had standards. Sonia did have standards, high expectation for our conduct and education and behavior, along with a commitment to Jewish religious observance, the existence of a Jewish homeland in Israel. While Yiddish was her home language, she learned, on her own effort, both the English and Spanish languages. In English she wrote thoughtful and evocative poetry.

Her advice to me: Her wisdom was not in what she said, but what she did. When I was learning how to write in English script in the early years of my schooling, my teacher sent home a note that my handwriting skills were poor. Sonia made me practice, again and again, from the afternoon into the night, or so it seemed, until I had improved considerably. I recount that story often because it influenced my life thereafter. She taught me to practice, devote time, practice, improve, meet standards, achieve with the effort. Years later, when I was in Officer Candidate School of the United States Coast Guard, I took the Red Cross Senior Life Saving Course. To pass, I had to swim multiple laps in a properly sized pool. At the conclusion of the swimming, the observing instructor marked that I passed the test, saying that he had never before seen "so little talent and so much determination."

I love you, Mom.