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I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Like Dr. King I have four children, they are minorities. Unlike his children you would never know it. My blond-haired, green-eyed children would probably never be labeled hispanic based on their appearance. I myself am a chameleon. I change hair color like most people change underwear and have been mistaken for everything from Greek, Jewish, Italian, Russian and even Asian. Of course, I am Hispanic. A proud Cuban as a matter of fact, although I credit my diverse appearance to my great grandparents that came from The Canary Islands and Morocco. My point is my children don’t wear their “race” on their sleeves, not because they don’t want to, but because people have preconceived ideas of what hispanics are supposed to look like, and THAT isn’t it.
I am trying to raise my children not to judge people at all, but especially not by their color, religion, heritage. But I guess in the end we are human and we do make decisions about other humans. So if we are going to judge, the content of one’s character is the only thing we should base such judgements on. However I also raise them to understand that people will also judge them, and sometimes it will be based on things they have no control over. But I choose to believe we live in a world with more good then bad, and that if you work hard at being a good human occupant of it, you will be judged as such.
I have chosen to put my good intentions into birth work. I am a midwife. I serve women of all makes and models. I incorporate the science of today with the rich traditions passed down from the granny midwives of the US, the parteras of Central and South America, and the Co-Madronas of Cuba. I can go on and on listing the women who have found eternal life in the hands of generation after generation of midwives, but I think you get my point. Birth work, much like the human race, is a melting pot of knowledge,tradition, and science. It’s fruits are intended to serve woman, all women. I have invested my life in this work because I believe all mothers and babies deserve the care and respect from the moment they take their first breath to the moment of their last. Midwifery has always been a place where no matter your color, religion or background, you gave to the mother everything you knew. Every trick, every prayer, every ritual to ensure a healthy and beautiful delivery. I am honored and humbled that I am given that opportunity day after day after day. Although usually it’s at night. I thank the African midwives who found herbs to heal and the mexican parteras who perfected the use of the rebozo because they did it to help women, all women. Midwives didn’t judge the mother in labor, they only helped her. They provided her with what she needed and they taught new midwives what they could so that the next generation could continue the traditions that were meant to heal and help. So I approach midwifery and birth work like I do the human race. We are one.
Midwifery is the content of my character.
Perhaps I brought it on myself this morning as I sat moping in the office watching what must have been an unreported monsoon, but at 10:00 am sharp I heard the words that will make any birth center owner cringe: “I am with the state of Florida and I am here for an unannounced annual inspection.”
PLUCK!
Several grey hairs and a few shells (kava) later, we passed. Well for the most part. It appears that our water heater was set too high so I will have to write up a “plan of action” on how I will fix it. In other words, I turned down the thermostat and will now have to write a short novel on how I did it.
So today I am grateful that it is over with. The only thing worse than going through inspection is WAITING to go through inspection with no idea of when it will happen. For instance this one was 3.5 months later than expected.
Remember that old saying you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone? Well that would be yoga. Yoga is my church, my refuge, the one place my mind turns off. Yet I have let it slip away from me. Now I find my mind, my soul, and my body miss it. So I am committing to a 30 day yoga binge. I commit to practice every day without exception. So if you see me in downward dog at a long birth, you’ll understand.
Today I am grateful for this shirt. It was given to me last night by a new client. Mom had just taken our tour and wanted to sign up immediately. Once she was all set up her partner handed me this shirt that simply says gratitude. So while I am grateful for the shirt, what I am really grateful for our the amazing families that allow me to experience their journey with them.
Today I am grateful that our New York friends were late for work at the twin towers 12 years ago. Zach had worked in banking and left to pursue medicine just 4 years prior and many of his friends were supposed to be in the upper floors of the towers that morning. While they may have been cursing the road on their way, it was the traffic that morning they saved their lives. 
I don’t take the time to say this everyday, or even think it for that matter… But I am grateful for my husband. Today and everyday. He is the nicest person I know.
He has to be to put up with this spoiled rotten, more than a little crazy, Cuban princess. He should be nominated for sainthood on that alone. Rarely does he ever say no, and when he does, it’s something so huge that I know to listen for my own good. While he is always questioning my sanity, he is always along for the ride.
He tolerates a house full of people and pets, some that don’t even belong to us. He is hot, sexy and smart. He has one major flaw, BIRTHDAYS! He sucks at birthdays. But that being said, it’s become part of who he is and just another reason to love him. We are coming up on 19 years as a couple and 15 married,and can’t remember what life was like without him. I never ever question his love for me, and just hope he knows how much I love him.
Today I have 3 days of gratitude to catch up on. This backlog doesn’t come out of laziness, but from a weekend filled with things to be ever grateful for.
So let’s begin with Saturday:
Today I am grateful for my kids. After my girls’ best friend was hospitalized for a freak accident that could have very well happened to them (they had been together just hours before) I have to take a moment and be thankful for their sweet faces and their good health. My 4 kids are my life, and I have to remember to slow down and enjoy the,
Sunday:
A day to be grateful for my family. It’s been a while since I took a weekend off and just sat and talked politics, religion, and all the other taboo subjects that only family could argue about and walk away friends. So not only am I grateful, but I am recommitting it to make it happen more often.
Monday:
Today… Well today I am grateful for color. I know it seems abstract of a concept, I mean color is everywhere. So much so, I think we often take it for granted. This weekend I had the pleasure of living and breathing in color. As a matter of fact I just sneezed purple. Blue, green, pink, orange et al makes the world a beautiful place and for that I am grateful.
so after a birth all nighter followed by a night of insomnia I have decided I am grateful for the fun things in life like my fast car. It’s the only thing that is even making me consider getting out of bed. So today I am shallow and grateful and…. i’ll say it, a little cooler when I am sitting in this beast aka “FunSized”
So as you probably know or may have figured out, I am a midwife. It would be the easy road to say I am grateful for such a cool job. The honest truth is sometimes at 3:30 am when you are singing show-tunes just to keep from falling over into a coma while covered in god know’s what…. I question my life. But I can always say, I am grateful for 6 week post-partum visits.
Here I get to hold squishy babies and laugh and cry with the mama about the pain and joy of labor and my show-tunes.
I have challenged a friend to find the good in the world even when all you can see is the chaos. Sometimes chaos brings it’s own beauty and it’s our job to find it.
Today I am grateful for the women I work with. To call them my co-workers would be an understatement and an insult to what they truly are. We have made an art of weaving the world of birth into a beautiful friendship. I can’t imagine the laughs and the crys without them. I love you all! Oh and let’s not forget the penis of the house, Ian. Half the laughs wouldn’t happen if they weren’t at his expense. 
What a Wonderful World, Indeed 