family – Page 2 – On Life, Hope y todo lo demás…

Disappointed but not brokenhearted.

When I was a teen, a terrible one, my father always told me, “lovers come and go, but I will always be there for you through thick or thin because you are my daughter, and I love you unconditionally. Don’t ever forget that.” Now, more than ever, I know this to be true.

by Laura Basset Carbonell

My grandmother at 98 inspires me to be alone.

Every Sunday, I try to call my grandmother who raised me in Spain since I was 3. If I don’t, it’s because I don’t have the heart to call her when I’m sad. Yet, when I call her she cheers me up and makes me laugh.

by Laura Basset Carbonell

My life alone is not lonely.

My father, years ago gave me a book entitled “Solas.” Maybe he knew all along that I don’t belong to the married, to the couple, but to the bunch of people who live happily ever after in the company of friends and family. I agree.

by Laura Basset Carbonell

5 things nobody should live without to lead a happy life.

Looking around you’ll notice that many of the things you own are not that essential, and you could easily do without them. Of course, we can always find an excuse to call a “want” a “need,” as I often do. Many of the things we think we need only serve to overcrowd our lives. However, […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

The gift of time.

When asked what I’d like for my birthday or Christmas, I now rarely know what to say. I actually have everything I really need. Long gone are the days when I always wanted or thought I needed something, of course, I was younger and “things” where much more important. But life changes our priorities and […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

Cancer, death and the aftermath of pain and financial debt.

In my little world, cancer was something that happened to other people. Not until I had my personal encounter with melanoma, did I really know what it meant to suffer from skin cancer. The same went for breast cancer – it seemed foreign – until a friend, the mother of two young children was hit […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

You Are Not Alone: Hope and Help for Caregivers.

If you belong to one of the many Latino families who are facing the prospect of a difficult Christmas because you are caring for your elders and maybe your children, too, this post is for you. Juggling your job, your kids, and older adults, most likely won’t give you time to take for yourself. In […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

Missing a great man.

He was a character. No ordinary man. He was a genius, a philanderer, a writer, a painter, a poet and a celebrated professor. I was young then, when I sat listening to his dissertations on life, his attacks to politicians, and his hatred towards the ordinary. I was too young then to celebrate such a […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

A year of darkness and shared pain.

This year has not been much of a good year for some of my beloved friends. Many have suffered impossible losses, heartbreaks and tragedies that at the time seemed unfair and senseless. These losses have had a profound impact on my friends and myself. We are part of those we care for and love. Therefore […]

by Laura Basset Carbonell

What lights the dark path.

I used to get lost in things I thought were important. A job, a future, clothes (yes!), but along the way all those things ended up filling me with anxiety even if they seemed to be lined up perfectly. Now, the list of important things has changed and what lights my sometimes-dark path and helps […]