My Mom - The Epitome of a Cuban Mother

anonymouscuban

This is my wonderful mother who has dedicated her 82 years on this planet to serving the people around her. She raised 3 of her own kids and helped to raise grandkids and great-grandkids. She was a wonderful wife to my father for 50 years and took great care of him until his last breath. She nursed all of my grandparents through their last days without a single complaint.

She can get a bit melodramatic at times but that's what makes her my mom. She lives to serve others and although she often says otherwise, I don't think she'd want it any other way.

I am guilty of not telling her enough of how much I love her and appreciate all that she's done for me and my family. I do though, very much. Not many women like this anymore. She's one of the last great women.

Rolf

There is still fire in those eyes so cherish that. You're a very lucky man and I suspect she feels lucky too.

divamum

Aw, Alex, I'm all teary after reading that. Make sure she sees it, too. She's amazing (and I have a feeling she knows what a kind and generous boy she raised )

Mitchell

Fantastic post (and the photo is pretty good too). What a lady.

VayCayMom

you are so lucky to be surrounded by such wonderful women.

BBstringer

I don't know you Alex, but those words about your Mom say much about the person you are...and the person you are, I'm sure, says much about your Mom. Great shot....it shows a lot of love.

Mitchell

oh, and the hair light is way to hot.

anonymouscuban

Thanks all. She's a great lady and has really amazed me since my father's passing. My father was my mother's entire world and we feared that she wouldn't be able to cope with his death. Quite the contrary... she immediately took over everything my father once handled and has impressed me with how strong she is. Really cool to see and such a relief that she is able to continue to enjoy life.

A little about the shot. I took this while we celebrated "Noche Buena", Christmas Eve night. Cubans, as many other Latinos, celebrate Christmas Eve. At midnight, all the children open their gifts. On Christmas Day, we rest and recover from the festivities from the night before. I took this while my mother was getting ready to serve dinner. I walked into the kitchen and asked her to turn around. I gave her just a moment to compose herself and too the shot. It's now one of my favorite recent photos of her because it captures her in her "element".

Lightsearcher

What a great portrait and nice reading, what she was cooking... ropa vieja?

Regards,

Marcelo

P.D. You should tell her more often how much you love her.

anonymouscuban

Just got an email from Getty Images. They want this shot for their stock library.

I actually now have quite a few images for sale on Getty Images but I didn't expect this one to be requested. . Now I need to get my mom to sign a Model Release. She's going to get a kick out of that.

Sam

Alex,

Great image and story. Cherish every day you have her.

Sam

Diggers

What a Beautiful photo and write up! I Love this portrait and am not surprised in the least that Getty would pick it up! Congrats!

anonymouscuban

Thanks Sam and Diggers. I truly could not ask for a better mom.

BTW, my mother and father used to perform in the small theatre in their town in Cuba. My father would recite poetry. My mother would act and sing. Somewhere there are photos of them. There is one of my mother, that I've not seen in years but I remember admiring as a child of my mom dress as Geisha from a play she was in. My mother says she has them put away someplace but she can't remember where exactly. When she does find them, I will share them with you.

Molotov Everything

anonymouscuban wrote: »

I took this while we celebrated "Noche Buena", Christmas Eve night. Cubans, as many other Latinos, celebrate Christmas Eve. At midnight, all the children open their gifts. On Christmas Day, we rest and recover from the festivities from the night before.

What's funny to me is I'm half Chilean and my girlfriend is half Cuban and used to live with her Cuban abuela, and she had never heard of this paradigm of exchanging gifts on Christmas eve. My mom (the source of my Chilean half) had told me that's the way they did it growing up in Chile, but with me growing up in America we always did gifts on Christmas morning. When my girlfriend and I moved in together I decided to push for the change over and she was a bit bewildered by the concept of doing gifts on Christmas eve but that's our thing now.

Qarik

nice environmental portrait..its screams out character