I grew up seeing strength from all around me.  In 1984 my parents left everything behind to give me and my sister a better life in America.  Me, my sister and mom moved here first and then my dad came a year later.  Being so young then I didn’t quite know the magnitute of what my parents did for us.  As I grew older I realized more and more what strength it took for them to leave everything behind, the life they had built there, the years of studying and their careers to give their children a happier and safer life.  Seeing this and all the sacrifices they made and still do for us I think has made me a stronger person and I feel that I get stronger and stronger each day.  Once I had children I realized a new kind of love and that you would do anything for your kids.  It is a love that cannot be explained but it put things in perspective for me for what my parents did for us.  My role models have taught me to teach the same for my kids and I knew from the beginning that I have two tough little girls as they have overcome so many things.  Just recently I was reminded again of how tough these girls are.  As I mentioned in my previous post my daughter had scoliosis surgery and until the moment before surgery to each day after she has had a smile on her face.  Her little sister was a champ throughout the entire process; showing true empathy for her sister and was so very understanding of the entire situation.  It has not even been two weeks since the surgery and she is walking around, getting up and down, doing things on her own all with a smile on her face.  In addition to my parents I now have two more role models in my life and that is my daughters.  They have all shown me what it means to be strong and I am forever grateful for that!!!