MY FAMILY IS PROUD TO BE U.S. CITIZENS

My dear mother, Maria Luisa Navarro-Holmes, was born in the small town of Arispe, in the state of Sonora, Mexico, on June 21, 1922. She recently passed to a better life in heaven.

Since she was little, her dream was to live and raise a family in the United States, the land of opportunity. But while her dream of starting a family was turning real, she became a widow and moved from Sonora to the border town of Tijuana, in the late 1940s to raise her firstborn child, Rafael. Me and my brother Armando were born in Tijuana. The three of us grew up in Tijuana with a single mother under tough financial circumstances. It was especially difficult for single mothers in those days.

My mother never lost her dream of moving to the United States. In 1961, she married a much older gentleman named Paul Holmes. He was a retired sergeant major of the Marines Corps, and he brought us to this country, to help us seek a better life and opportunities.

It was difficult for us to adjust during the first few months because of learning the new language and living in a totally new environment. But we adjusted. We settled in the Normal Heights neighborhood of San Diego. I was 12 years old at that time.

We attended local schools and learned the language and customs of our great new country, despite the racial discrimination of the early 1960s. But we always maintained the values, language and memories from our old country only 15 miles away.

In the next few years, all of us were very proud to become United States citizens, thanks to the guidance, love and discipline of our parents. As the years continued, we became productive and successful citizens. We learned about the history of this great country and all it had to offer us.

Paul Holmes, my stepfather, passed away in the early 1990s. My dear mother, Maria Luisa, became a senior care assistant for San Diego County, my older brother, Rafael, became a successful construction worker, and my younger brother, Armando, moved to Northern California, attended Sonoma State University and became a professor. And I fulfilled my dream career of becoming a law enforcement officer and a special assistant to the San Diego County district attorney, under Bonnie Dumanis and Summer Stephan.

I’ve carried that patriotism to my own family, too. My wonderful wife, Maria, of over 54 years of marriage, became a very successful owner of La Casita restaurants, and our six children have become productive and successful members of our community.

They are also very proud to be United States citizens.

We are a small example of why millions of people around the world continue to have their dream of one day becoming citizens of our great country, the land of democracy and opportunity.

Navarro