Photo Credit: PDP, via Pixabay

Her name is Magda. At age 15, she packed a suitcase with only two outfits and left behind everything else she knew. Her parents were not able to come, so she boarded the plane alone. Once her feet landed on U.S. soil, she worked. First, she sweat it out at a factory putting labels on glass bottles. Then, she was the Avon lady. Eventually, she learned to keep the books and got an office job. At night, she went back to school. Every day, she kept reaching forward and making a better life for her family. Today, you will find her in the corner office with the initials CPA after her name.

She speaks fluent English with an accent. She pays taxes and votes her conscience. Her story is a picture of the beauty of America, the Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.

My mom is one of the bravest women I have ever met….

“Going There” was birthed on the blog of my friend Deidra. Her hope was “to encourage ongoing dialogue about topics of race, ethnicity, and culture in a way that is thoughtful and that shows respect, with the goal of advancing our understanding of the beautiful diversity in the humanity that surrounds us.”  I never envisioned myself writing a “going there” post, but a few weeks ago, I got a little irked after reading something on Facebook, and this Cuban girl started typing away. To read the rest of this post, head on over to Deidra’s.

If you are visiting here for the first time, welcome to my little spot on the web. I write about lessons learned as I work to live out my faith day by day.

If you’d like to read more about my crazy Cuban life, check out The C-Word, 25 Random Facts About Me, Lost in Translation, A Strong Embrace, In a Pressure Cooker