When I started writing online, I was homeschooling my 2 youngest kids, Lucy and Jonathan.
So I wrote about that.
Writing a “web log” or “blog,” was all the rage in 2006, so I started keeping that online diary and called it, “My Big Fat Cuban Family.” (With much gratitude to my funny and clever daughter, Amy.)
I wrote about my life and my memories as a way to document who I was and who we, as a family, were in that particular moment in time.
I wrote about growing up Cuban and being proudly American.
My Cuban mom spent most weekends with us, so I wrote about that.
She became a beloved main character in the comedy/drama that was (is?) My Big Fat Cuban Family. But that’s not important right now.
I started cooking Cuban and making the old school recipes we loved with updated versions, so I wrote about that. I eventually collected those recipes and compiled them into a cookbook. I wrote a cookbook! (I know! Shut up!)
I wrote about the familiar pain of loss that we Cuban exiles share. And I was not surprised that we all had the same story and that my writing resonated so far and wide with the Cuban diaspora.
I made acquaintances online that became real life frienda, much to my surprise and delight, so I wrote about that.
My family always celebrated holidays and birthdays and we went HARD on those celebrations.
So I wrote about that.
And we hosted movie nights in the backyard and I over-shared about that.
I’m a retired designer so I designed t-shirts and posters and designed tablescapes for our family celebrations.
So I wrote about that. A lot!
I raised kids who then got married themselves and then I had grandkids.
So I wrote about that.
Back in the day, I hosted giveaways and spent a good deal of my time chatting in my comments section. And I met the most delightful humans there. And I cooked online even over at the classic Babalu Blog in its heyday. How lucky am I?
And when my mom got to be 103 years and passed, I wrote about that.
My heart was so broken by the tremendous hole she left in my life; my writing slowed way down.
But I still wrote about it.
If you never met her, let me introduce you to Luza now as she very articulately explains how internet search engines work: But she calls them, “Cuco and Yayo.”
Get popcorn.
In 2020, Covid tried to take me out and I was hospitalized for 36 days. So many of you prayed and sent me messages and I believe that your prayers and good wishes helped immensely with my recovery.
I’m in awe of what an amazing community we are.
Present day, I’m a grandmother of 6 and I’ve been married for 34 yearsto my wonderfully patient husband, Eric, and I’m still writing about all those things that make up my extraordinarily ordinary life.
Can I just tell you how grateful I am to have all that life documented and preserved for my family?!
And just like life, it happened one day at a time; one post at a time: I blinked and 20 years went by, just like that.
There was life and death and change and growth and tears and celebration. And I wrote about it all.
Today I’m writing to celebrate My Big Fat Cuban Family’s 20 year “Blogoversary!” (is that a word?)
And all I feel is gratitude.
Thank you all who have been along for this crazy ride.
Thank you for following me and the adventures of My Big Fat Cuban Family and for sharing your own stories of being Cuban-American and growing up in your own Big Fat Cuban Families.
Thank you for loving our culture and our music and our food and allowing me the privilege to write about it all. I love that you followed along and cyber-nodded your head in agreement. I love that about you.
Thank you for quoting me when I say, “Oh, the Cubanity!” 😉
And thank you for all your great and generous cyber-love.
In 1934, Argentinian singer Carlos Gardel wrote a beautiful tango called, “Volver.”
The lyric (in Spanish, of course) says…
“Sentir que es un soplo la vida, que veinte años no es nada…”
Translation:
“To feel that life is but a breath, that twenty years are nothing...”
We Cubans, who have been waiting 67 years for our beautiful island to be free again from communist oppression, often quote the “20 years are nothing” line.
And I’ve written about that too.
Even though it sounds a little melancholy, I say it today, not with sadness, but with great joy:
“Veinte años no es nada!”
It’s been 20 years, people!
Let’s celebrate! 🎉
#belikemarta 🖖🏼😎
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