With fear and frustration my mother one day decided to make a massive change to her life. Growing up in Mexico wasn’t easy for her as she was the rebel child but only because her mother didn’t show her love. She then found someone which she thought was the love of her life. Children came into the picture not so long after their relationship but everything came down hill after that he became unrecognizable. With an unsafe shelter,  being beaten daily with no remorse. She stayed in the beginning because of the children like most do but it was constant and no change was being made on his end. He was an abusive alcoholic who didn’t have the courage to be wise to his children and love them the way they deserved. His actions led to the breaking point to my mothers decision of fleeing for a better life. My two older siblings came from Mexico with my mother escaping their abusive father. They were only 2 and 3 years old, yet they still remember the awful living conditions that they were in. Growing up they had rats being fed by their own skin that appeared near their floor beds. With the only way to save themselves being to leave their unpleasant home in Yurecuaro Michoacan, and go into the United States for better living opportunities.

My mother was crying to my grandmother about how she couldn’t take anymore risks living in an intense home, she said “I need to put my children in a better place, I don’t have enough for a new home, I have to follow the American dream.” My grandmother living under a rooftop that could collapse responded with, “You are right, el Norte has many wealthy homes with washing machines, and you won’t have to hand wash your clothes anymore.” My mother continued talking about how she was going to get through the desert, and my grandmother knew to call one of her nephews who lived in the US who knew a coyote. My mother’s cousin followed through their conversation and said, “It’s going to be hard to cross through and you're going to face many struggles, but I know a coyote that can pay a low amount of money to cross you into the United States. You won’t have to worry about paying, we'll pay for it.” She was afraid of what could happen to her or my siblings but knew that they would make it out. 1 hour later she received a call from her cousin, letting her know that they would begin to cross on June 18, 2004. My mother was prepared and prayed that everything would go well. 

June 18, 2004 their journey began. The heat was extremely heavy through the small amount of wind and my mother began to get devastated. She was carrying my brother on one hand and my sister on the other. While the coyote guided them into the area where the border patrol were, which was la frontera. “BANG BANG BANG” la migra fired towards my mother and siblings. “They’ve caught us, run Maria!” the coyote yelled, my mother thought “If I run I’ll be left alone with my kids in the middle of nowhere.” “No, I’m going to stay with you” she replied. La migra detained my mother, separating her from her kids, but did not stop her from trying again.

August 16, 2004 my mother’s second attempt on crossing into the US began. It was difficult being separated from her kids and realizing that the dessert was the reason she could’ve lost her children. Although my mother stayed strong and knew she would make it through this time. Through the journey her body wanted to give up on her to not carry on but she continued for the future of my siblings. La migra appeared driving by hunting for the wise. My mother was paralyzed in fear while the coyote hid in between two rocks. While la migra drove past, without seeing my mother standing with her two children sobbing to god that they wouldn’t see her. Till this day my mother kept the belief that the Virgin Mary covered her and my siblings with her mantle. Her belief stood with her through the desert as she crossed into the United States. How did they not see her you may ask? She states that she saw a light and that light was the virgin Mary’s mantle covering her from danger.

Arriving in Chicago, my mother stayed with her cousin in a small apartment. With the idea of it being fácil to get a home for her kids, while it wasn’t as easy but difficult. My mother had to work and suffer to keep my sibling with a meal and a caretaker. Even though she qualified for a job as a housekeeper, my mother was always thinking about my grandmother in Mexico. She felt alone in Chicago since she wasn’t as close to her cousin, and believed that she could move to Sacramento where my aunt lived. My aunt was my mother’s motivation to stay in America for her children’s destiny. A month later, she ended up moving to Sacramento with my aunt, where she continued to grow as a mother to have a better future for her children. This led to having the understanding that life is about taking risks to find a better future.