Inspiration is quite possibly the greatest gift that we can give to our children. The ability to inspire creativity, enthusiasm and hope into someone who later will go on to breathe the same into others. It can come in any form…something you witness, a book, music, blogs, photos, nature, art…but when asked most people will tell you their inspiration comes from people and usually that person is their own mother. In the Oprah Winfrey Network’s Documentary “Extraordinary Moms”, Julia Roberts introduced six mothers that have breathed inspiration not only into their children, but into countless others. Whether famous or not, each mother knew just how important it was to inspire themselves and others.

The show began with Christiane Amanpour, news anchor, well known war correspondent and mother. When trouble broke-out around the world, there always seemed to be a common thread….Amanpour was there. She became our trusted source that brought the world home to us. However, once she had her son, her life changed. Although she loved being a world correspondent, she loved being a mother more. She quickly learned that once you become a mom, all bets are off. Christiane recognized “if you are lucky, you can have it all, but I still don’t believe you can have it all at the same time…something has to give”. For her this meant becoming more careful about her selections in the field and the level of danger she was willing to face. Growing up, her parents always encouraged her to dream big…that a woman can do anything! They allowed her to be her own person…something she believed was important to pass on to her son. Standing in a room full of accolades, Christiane boasts that her proudest achievement was being a mother…”not that I would have known that before” becoming a mom.

Julia then introduced us to Margaret Martin, the founder of the Harmony Project and a mother of three. Her story was powerful. She left an abusive marriage only to be homeless on the streets with her children. “The worst thing about poverty and homelessness for me was looking at my kids and knowing that I couldn’t provide the opportunities that would permit them to develop their own strengths”. She eventually turned her life around and her youngest son, Max, inspired her to make a difference in the lives of inner-city kids. As a young musical prodigy, Max was playing at the farmer’s market when Margaret witnessed gang members stopping and watching as her son played. After watching quietly for over 5 minutes, they reached into their pockets and placed money into young Max’s case. With that, Margaret knew she must make music education accessible to every child and that had to be a major part of her public work. She recognized that kids are precious resources and that music had the ability to take them away from their everyday problems. She founded the Harmony Project that now brings classical music training and instruments to inner-city children. A true gift of inspiration and hope to so many.

The next mother really needed no introduction….Rosie O’Donnell, actress, comedian, talk show host, artist and most importantly a mom. This was a story that many of us have heard. Rosie’s mother had passed away from breast cancer when Rosie was only 11 years old. Her world had been turned upside down and inside out. However, inspiration came into her life in the form of a teacher, Pat Maravel. Pat had recognized that Rosie was needed something and went out of her way to make Rosie feel special. By doing this, Rosie realized “people can be saved by people who are not related to them because it happened to me”. She always knew she wanted to be a mother…and went on to adopt and build a family of her own. The first night Rosie was alone with her first son, Parker, she wept. “It was the first time that I ached for a mother”. Joking now about when Parker told her that she have no idea how hard it is to have a famous gay mom, Rosie knew he was right. At one point when Chelsea was struggling with having a gay mom, Rosie shared “I’m really sorry that I’m gay, but I can’t change it. In the same way that I can’t change that I have brown hair or brown eyes.” Chelsea then replied “well you can wear contacts”. Thoughtfully Rosie told her “I could and a lot of people do because they are ashamed of being gay or they think it’s weird or bad and that’s no way to live or to be free”. Not only is she a a caring mom that validates her children and allows them to own their emotions, but one that strives to be the best she can. On thing that is important to Rosie is that her family doesn’t have secrets. Flooded by them in her childhood, Rosie realized that honesty was important in building trust. She is the first to admit her children have saved her. However, Rosie didn’t saved all of her love for only her kids…she spread it around to so many others that ache for it. With a love for theater, Rosie started a the Maravel Arts Center whose goal is to “to inspire excellence, motivate learning, uplift the human spirit, and to instill a lifelong appreciation of the arts”. A place that teaches every child that they deserve to sit in the velvet seats and that someone cares about them. Rosie is the real deal….a true inspiration to many who truly need it.

The show then gives us a peek into the life of Mayisha Akbar, mother and founder of Compton JR Posse Youth Equestrian program. From the rough streets of Compton, Mayisha does her best to keep kids on the right path…even if it means taking the path on a horse. With 1 in 3 kids dropping out of school, gangs everywhere and many fearing that they won’t live past 15, she knew it was important to provide a safe place for kids to learn to become leaders in their city. How did she do this? By providing a safe place for the neighborhood children and being an inspirational voice for them. She noticed that the boys tended to have more anger issues. However, when they were with horses, being loud, anger and aggressive won’t work…they had to find alternatives. The kids grew to love Mayisha and the horses. When her son was shot at the age of 16 in the crossfire of gangs, she was asked why she didn’t get out of Compton. But for Mayisha there wasn’t really a choice….she couldn’t leave the other kids behind. Now the children in her program must stay in school, get good grades and take care for the horses. In addition, they compete in elite horse shows that can lead to scholarships. Through the horses, they all learn that anger and aggressiveness doesn’t work and “…they learn the power of being quiet and still”. Mayisha is an inspiration mom…providing love and hope to many children.

Then Julia Roberts introduced Norma Bastidas, mother, ultra-marathoner and activist. Her inspiration came from an unlikely source. Her son, Karl, was diagnosed with Cone Rod Dystrophy and was going blind. There wasn’t a cure and Norma felt powerless, except when she ran. Making it her mission to fight blindness, Norma became getting sponsors and running towards her goal. She runs knowing that her son is in the race for his life. With over 1,500 miles under her and donations coming in, she has been able to donate to genetic research for a cure, help fund training for seeing eye dogs and donate to an eye clinic in Africa. Although life pulled her down, she decided to get up and do something about it…a wonderful example for a mother and an inspiration to us all.

Then Julia announced her final guest Secretary of State, former First Lady, activist and mother of Chelsea… Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton. When Hillary isn’t carrying out foreign policy all around the world, meeting with world leaders, or in high level negotiations, she is busy being a mom. Her mother, Dorothy Rodham had been her inspiration in life and Hillary wanted so much to be that for own daughter. Her work ethic began with her own mother who is now 91 and living with her and her husband, President Bill Clinton, in DC. ”Our lives are a mixture of different roles. Most of us are doing the best we can to do whatever is the right balance. For me that balance is family, work and service”. Taught to always question, Hillary has spent her life fighting for the rights of women and children. After Chelsea was born, she spoke out even more on behalf of women and girls…knowing that this was the future for her daughter. In 1995 she gave a speech at the UN Women’s Conference in Beijing and told the crowd “if there is one message that echoes forth from this conference, let it be that human rights are women’s rights…. And women’s rights are human rights, once and for all.” Today Hillary continues to view these rights as important in her work as Secretary of State. Yet in the end, she shares with all of us that “at the end of the day, what matters is your kids…that’s it”. Being a good mom and an inspiration to people all around the world isn’t easy and Hillary has worked hard to be just that.

Making the world a better place for our children and inspiring them is the most important gift we cn give our children. OWN reminded us in this incredible tribute to moms. We don’t all have to run a marathon or give speak at the UN, all we have to do is “do what you can with what you have”. We all have the opportunity to breathe inspiration into our children and those around us…helping to change the world.