Elsa Mora

Much love to all the Moms in the world!

Today I want to send a big hug to all the mothers out there in the world, specially to my Mom Margot. She has been the first most important person in my life since I was born. My Mom is a real inspiration to me. She raised 4 children on her own with absolutely no help. Mom worked in the most awful jobs in order to support her family. She never had the chance to go to school. She didn't graduate from anything but she became a Master o life.

My Mom has gone further than most people who lived under similar circumstances. When she moved to the USA she immediately learned how to drive, how to use a computer and other things that have helped her become 100% independent. She has always been open to learning anything that could be good for her. That interest in learning was one of the most important things that she taught her children.

My Mom is a fighter and a believer in justice. She feels people's pain as her own and she helps everyone around her. Mom had to struggle her whole life raising a severe Schizophrenic daughter (my sister Ileana). She went through the pain of seeing her child in the hospital all the time, very close to losing her life. But that didn't kill her positivism and drive. 

I could write a whole book about my Mom but with this post I just wanted to say: Un millon de gracias Mami por ser una inspiracion para tus hijos!

Con mucho amor!

Elsita :)

 

A Small Difference.

In this society where we need to become experts at not drowning in the sea of superficiality coming out from so many places, I constantly need to remind myself to stop, take a deep breath and look at my roots so I can stay connected to human essence.

Yesterday I watched a very modest video about the lives of 3 women from the province where I was born in Cuba (watch below). It broke my heart. It was like revisiting my past. I saw my Mom in each one of these women. I grew up in a very similar environment. These women are part of that invisible group of human beings that exist all over the world right now. They're struggling. They don't have the basic things. They don't have dreams anymore, they just try to keep going one day at a time.

And here I am with all these luxuries: a nice car, a nice house, computers, telephones, nice clothes, air conditioner/heater, water 24 hours a day, electricity, food...All those things that make life easier and that we tend to take for granted.

Three weeks ago I felt a deep need to simplify my life. It all started with a funny feeling in my stomach. I got rid of 50% of my shoes and clothes. I got rid of so many objects. Each trip to Goodwill was a relief. The more things I took out of my house the lighter I felt inside. My heart came to the realization that the less material things I had the more space for the spirit.

I am grateful for the life I have, for the family I have, for my friends. But a part of my heart is sad to know that right now, as I write this, there are so many people out there struggling. I know that I can't change the world. But I will always give my best from this modest place that I have in the universe. I will always try to make a small difference by raising children that are sensitive and considerate, by creating art that is meaningful and by being as real as possible. But one day when the kids are older and I have the freedom to travel, I also want to do concrete things to help people from the province where I was born in Cuba, specially women. 

 

My Friend's Story. Helping one Another.

To purchase the original drawings and papercuts that you see on this post please follow THIS LINK. Your purchase will be highly appreciated. One hundred percent of the sales will go to Rosa and her 3 children. Please read the story about my friend below:

Title: Mother Bird.

Rosa and I met for the first time in Diego's school playground. We became instant friends. Rosa comes from Mexico. She's tall, svelte and has a very friendly expression on her face. Her personality is soft and calm. She is such a generous and wise woman. Rosa is the mother of 3 children age 6, 9 and 12. They all go to Diego's school. The six year old boy as well as the 12 year old girl are Autistic just like Diego. They're very high funtioning in the spectrum so they attend regular classes. They are great kids, very well behaved and sensitive.

Title: Good Morning.

Before the holidays Rosa's husband had a stroke. He has been in a comma ever since. Unfortunately his brain is so damaged that he won't be able to come back from the comma. He will be disconnected from artificial life sometime this week. Rosa wanted to wait for the children to be back to their normal routine after the winter break. As you can imagine there is no easy way to deal with something that difficult.

Title:The World in my Hands.

Rosa is an amazing mother, she has strong instints about how to do in order to help her children deal with this tragedy. But then, there is the pressure of life. She works as a maid, as you can imagine her income is very tiny. Her husband's contribution to the family economy was key. Now she finds herself alone and responsible for taking care of her 3 children, 2 of them with special needs. The feeling is overwhelming. 

Title: Self-Reliance Exercise.

I talked with our school principal yesterday so very soon we will start organizing a fundraiser in order to support Rosa and her family. I don't think that we will be able to raise a lot since the majority of our school families have low income. But anything will help. I also want to contribute a grain of sand with my art. I found a group of original artworks in my studio that I have already listed on Etsy. See all the images in the body of this post in case you would like to purchase one. 100% of the profits will go to my friend. The sooner she gets this help the better.

Title: Best Friends.

Based on their age, Rosa's children have reacted to this tragedy in individual/different ways. The first reaction was of course hope: Mom, do you think that maybe Dad will get better? Rosa has been very honest from the beginning so she said, unfortunately no. The 12 year old is confused and a bit angry: Why? Why did this happened? The 9 year old has been very concerned about the future: Are you going to bring a stepdad to our house? The 6 year old is still trying to make sense of everything. But in general non of them have really gotten to the point where they really understand that Dad will never be back.

Title: Eight Small Friends.

I have offered Rosa to help as much as possible with the children. They will be coming to my house this weekend. I want to take them closer to the bright side of life through art. They need to do activities that help them express their feelings in  a way that they enjoy. Aftear reading several articles about how to deal with children that lost a parent I have a much better idea about how to help.

Rosa and I talk every morning, she needs to feel the support from her friends so I will always be there for her, it makes a great difference. Somehow we're always able to find a little bit of humor in our conversations so when we say good bye she goes to work with a smile on her face. That tiny smile means the world to me.

As we know it is impossible to control the things that life brings to us. Rosa couldn't do anything to stop that tragedy from happening. But thank God there is the healing power of time. When tragedy hits we need to understand that little by little things will get better. The mind will adapt to the changes and one day we will feel like we're back to normal. I know that that day will arrive for my friend and her 3 children. In the meantime I will do everything in my modest power to ease their pain. 

If you want to write a little note to Rosa in Spanish (she can read a little bit of English as well so feel free to write in English if you don't write Spanish) please send it to my e-mail: elsammora@gmail.com  Just write ROSA on the subject. I'm sure that she will appreciate them very much.

Thanks a lot in advance!

I deeply appreciate the fact that you took the time to read this post.

Love and peace,

Elsita

A friend sent this to me. I thought that I should share it with you.

 

 

Read this and make a copy for your files in case you need to refer to it someday. Maybe we should all take some of his advice.  1. Do not sign the back of your credit cards. Instead, put 'PHOTO ID REQUIRED.'  2. When you are writing checks to pay on your credit card accounts, DO NOT put the complete account number on the 'For' line. Instead, just put the last four numbers. The credit card company knows the rest of the number, and anyone who might be handling your check as it passes through all the check processing channels won't have access to it.  3. Put your work phone # on your checks instead of your home phone. If you have a PO Box use that instead of your home address. If you do not have a PO Box, use your work address.Never have your SS#printed on your checks. (DUH!) You can add it if it is necessary. But if you have It printed, anyone can get it.  4. Place the contents of your wallet on a photocopy machine. Do both sides of each license, credit card, etc. You will know what you had in your wallet and all of the account numbers and phone numbers to call and cancel.. Keep the photocopy in a safe place.  I also carry a photocopy of my passport when I travel either here or abroad. We've all heard horror stories about fraud that's committed on us in stealing a Name, address, Social Security number, credit cards..  Unfortunately, I, an attorney, have firsthand knowledge because my wallet was stolen last month. Within a week, the thieves ordered an expensive monthly cell phone package, applied for a VISA credit card, had a credit line approved to buy a Gateway computer, received a PIN number from DMV to change my driving record information online, and more.   But here's some critical information to limit the damage in case this happens to you or someone you know:  5. We have been told we should cancel our credit cards immediately. But the key is having the toll free numbers and your card numbers handy so you know whom to call. Keep those where you can find them.  6. File a police report immediately in the jurisdiction where your credit cards, etc., were stolen. This proves to credit providers you were diligent, and this is a first step toward an investigation (if there ever is one).  But here's what is perhaps most important of all: (I never even thought to do this.)  7. Call the 3 national credit reporting organizations immediately to place a fraud alert on your name and also call the Social Security fraud line number. I had never heard of doing that until advised by a bank that called to tell me an application for credit was made over the Internet in my name.  The alert means any company that checks your credit knows your information was stolen, and they have to contact you by phone to authorize new credit..  By the time I was advised to do this, almost two weeks after the theft, all the damage had been done. There are records of all the credit checks initiated by the thieves' purchases, none of which I knew about before placing the alert. Since then, no additional damage has been done, and the thieves threw my wallet away this weekend (someone turned it in). It seems to have stopped them dead in their tracks.  Now, here are the numbers you always need to contact about your wallet, if it has been stolen:  1.) Equifax: 1-800-525-6285  2.) Experian (formerly TRW): 1-888-397-3742  3.) Trans Union : 1-800-680 7289  4.) Social Security Administration (fraud line):  1-800-269-0271

 

Being Grateful.

  

Debra and I spending some peaceful and deep moments full of love and light.

Sometimes we experience important things that have a tremendous impact on our lives. Those things could be so deep and affecting that after we experience them we feel as if we have reached a higher level as human beings. A higher understanding of nature, of ourselves and the universe as a whole. That's the way I feel after the precious time that I spent with my beloved friend Debra over the weekend. I'm back in Los Angeles now.

 Being by Debra's side in this last period of her life has been a blessing, an amazing lesson and a gift. I have learned so much, I can't even put it into words. It is something deep that has quietly reached my soul in a way that I haven't experienced before. 

This beautiful photograph of my friend that I was so lucky to bring home with me is full of beauty, in the widest aspect of the word. Debra brought so much beauty into this world, she gave so much, not only to me but to so many other people. Many lives were touched by her generosity, her love and her intelligence.  My heart is full of gratitude. 

Our last minutes together were magic, infused with the energy that comes from the idea behind this papercut that I made specially for her. As I told Debra, we're all like little leaves that one day need to fall from the tree to be part of the Earth again. The transformation of her body reminded me of the delicate and fragile dry leaf that has already fell from the tree. There is beauty in it, even when it's painful. There is beauty in the way nature carries our bodies from the beginning to the end.  

Debra and I will be always connected. She will visit me in so many ways; in the wind, in the little birds from my garden, in the smile of Natalie and Diego, in the clouds when I'm on an airplane, in my studio when I'm creating...I told her that our good-bye wasn't really a good bye but an "hasta luego" as we say in Spanish. We will always see each other not in the physical world which is always limited but in the infinite and free world of the spirit.

 

Te quiero mucho por siempre hermanita. Aqui va una cancion que te dedico con todo mi amor. Nos veremos siempre.

Elsita

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