I am terrified of people like my father.
If you have read my memoir Born Again in America (A Nation Where Dreams Still Come True).
From the very beginning, the book's main idea is family, faith, and the pursuit of your own happiness. My father and my mother are the main characters. I describe my father as a dreamer. He was more than that. Now, seeing my own life and having my own child, I see that he was more than a dreamer. In a few words, I can describe my father as a man with a heart bigger than he was. He was short. I mention his stature not to diminish his values. His stature is remarkable because he often acted like a giant. I was not the only person who witnessed my father's ideas, tenacity, and values. My father did not believe in dictatorship on a small island like Cuba. He strongly believed in a place governed by the people, for the people; that was his ideal. What I love about my father is that he had strong beliefs; they cost him his life. But he did not change.
Why I bring up this biography about my father. Is simple. I am a Cuban American. I have read the Constitution; I have read the Bible; I went to college and pursued an Associate Degree in Art. With the little I know in my 45 years. I can write this: I am terrified of people like my father. They usually paid the price of being radical, free thinkers and unapologetically themselves. For some they way of viewing things is wrong and extremist. For others, they are the heroes of a thousand journeys and the ”Master of their own fate, the captain of their own soul. "- William E. Henley
When more and more free spirits, free thinkers, and loners become successful in any area, especially at LIFE. Some religions and political parties (government) are not very fond of them.
Sometimes, in some way, they used persecution and tried to sabotage their lives in some ways.
But history is full of great people like my father;
I have read many great books about people like my father who made a great impact on this world, to become the place that today some of us have the chance to enjoy.
Mory Carballo
Poverty
Describing poverty is both simple and complex.
For some, poverty is a state of mind; for others, it is the reality of financial instability.
People like me—and many others—had no idea what poverty was like until they grew older.
I grew up in a small town that felt more like the countryside, in Cuba—a communist island under a dictatorship. According to the Cuban Observatory of Human Rights (OCDH) 8th Report on the State of Social Rights, Cuba's extreme poverty rate stood at 89% in 2025.
If I was poor, then so was everyone else. My house was in very bad condition, but my father said it was only temporary.
My father bought a property with a foundation already laid. He promised to build us a home, so I didn’t think we were poor: we had a foundation and a doorbell that sounded like one in a rich person's house, like the ones we saw on television. It was hard for me to understand poverty. My father also had many ways of making it seem fun.
I didn't know there was no food or money because my family, especially my father, made it seem normal. My mother was more direct about it. My father was naturally funny. I never understood why he was always joking and making us laugh. It was a strategy he used to make us laugh—and to help himself forget about everything, as well.
It wasn’t until my father died, when I was around 24, that I realized we were poor.
Then I came to the United States. Then I realized the real concept of poverty.
Now, more than ever, I try never to see myself in that state of mind or financial instability.
I find ways to live comfortably and not let poverty get close to me.
Poverty Definition: A severe condition where a person lacks the basic physical necessities required for survival, such as clean water, food, shelter, clothing, and basic healthcare.
Mory Carballo
Happy reading
The American Dream.
Nowadays, most people don’t want to talk about the American Dream.
Not even Americans. For me is hard not to talk about the American Dream.
Everything I know about America is from my father. I was born and raised in Cuba. When I was growing up, my father used to teach me how to recite; around 9 years old, I was already reciting a poem in school against the communist government.
You can read the poem in The Memoir Born Again in America,
Author Mory Carhttps://www.morysbooksmore.org/s/New-Edition-Memoir-Water-Mark-Added.pdf
Everything I knew about AMERICA WAS FROM MY FATHER IN CUBA. THE FIRST TIME I HEARD THE WORD DEMOCRACY WAS FROM MY FATHER.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT THE WORD MEANT.
DEMOCRACY ( What is the basic meaning of democracy?
The word democracy most often refers to a form of government in which people choose leaders by voting.
What is a democratic system of government?
A democratic system of government is a form of government in which supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation, usually involving periodic free elections.)
Nowadays, in 2026 in America, I self-published a memoir titled Born Again in America.
I enjoy the freedom that my father would like for me. I would love to say my father was wrong about America and the idea of American democracy.
Unfortunately, no matter what I had to say, my father was right. On so many things, I am so grateful that, at the end of the day, I can say he did a great job with me.
My father unintentionally taught me how to Dream Big.
My father never left Cuba; my father was my American hero.
There are two books I will recommend for you
The American Dream by Jim Cullen: A short history of an idea that shaped a nation.
I also recommend the memoir
Born again in America ( A Nation where dreams still come true )
Author Mory Carhttps://www.morysbooksmore.org/s/New-Edition-Memoir-Water-Mark-Added.pdf
Thank you for reading
Mory Carballo
“A Corazón Abierto.”
If life were a war zone, I'd be dead—I live without a life jacket.
Vivo “A Corazón Abierto.”
I can't live any other way.
Mory Carballo
Happy Reading
Donde Sino
Donde Sino. ( Visit Mory’s YouTube Channel )
Not long ago, my daughter asked me, " Mom, what does
“ Dónde sino” means in Spanish.
I explained to her that the translation in English is simple
“Where Else”
However, I used the phrase from two points of view on my YouTube channel
Grammatically, in Spanish Donde Sino " has two ways of writing.
I did my research before I used the phrase on my YouTube channel.
You write «dónde sino» in Spanish
when you are saying that it is only here; there is no other place.
Like in English,
“Where else.”
You are specifying the place; you have made it clear that it is here, where else. Donde Sino
Also, if you are Cuban, this blog will be familiar to you or bring back memories if you are no longer living in Cuba.
I remember back when I was in Cuba the was a TV show called
23YM Dónde Si No
If you noticed, they wrote the Donde Si No separately.
These are Key Facts About the Show, if you want to know more about the show.
The Host: The variety show is hosted and directed by the well-known Cuban actress and presenter Edith Massola.
Format: It is a weekly musical and cultural variety program that airs on Saturday afternoons on Cuban national television (Cubavisión).
Content: The show serves as a major platform for Cuban music, theater, cinema, and celebrity interviews. It is highly regarded for its lively atmosphere, often inviting top musical acts and actors to perform or discuss upcoming cultural events in Havana.
The Meaning Behind the Title: The name 23 y M directly references the famous intersection of 23rd Street and M Street in the Vedado neighborhood of Havana, a bustling cultural hub right in the heart of the city's entertainment and nightlife district.
Where if not (separate): It is used when the "if" works clearly as a condition and the "no" denies the verb or element that follows it, allowing both terms to be separated or interpreted in a pure conditional way.
In my channel, I used Donde SINO at Mory’s very specifically.
I tell the viewers: It’s here,
Donde Sino
at Mory’s in the USA.
Happy Reading
Donde Sino
At
Mory’s Blog
Some dreams began small, like a coffee seed, then grew as big as they could reach the sky.
Coffee is a small seed that our ancestors found and passed down from generation to generation for us to enjoy. I can go on and on, but you know the history of coffee. I remember when I was a child in school; we used to go pick coffee beans on the coffee farm. I used to eat the little seed them; the natural juice is delicious.
Coffee became a major business market. So many countrys had benefit there economic with this little seed. There are so many health benefits, pros an con, in this small seed.
That has become a little coin of gold for some.
Now we can’t even enjoy a cup of coffee without saying it is expensive.
Let’s come to America; for example, we have the Starbucks major retail coffee shop.
Inspired by Italy, reimagined in Seattle
Our story began in 1971 along the cobblestone streets of Seattle’s historic Pike Place Market. It was here that Starbucks first opened its doors with bins of fresh-roasted whole bean coffee from around the world. The name was inspired by the classic tale “Moby-Dick,” evoking the seafaring tradition of the early coffee traders. The logo is a twin-tailed siren who beckons customers to experience our coffee.
Our next chapter began 12 years later when Howard Schultz first experienced Italy’s cafés on a trip to Milan. He returned to Seattle inspired to bring the warmth and artistry of Italian coffee culture to Starbucks. In 1987, we became a coffeehouse, dedicated to serving exceptional coffee with passion and care.
Over the decades that followed, Starbucks would grow to welcome millions of customers each week and become a part of the fabric of neighborhoods all around the world, making each day a little brighter by bringing people together over coffee.
We are in 2026. Yes, Starbucks is the largest and most dominant coffee shop chain in America.
Ask me, a stay-at-home mom who can barely afford a coffee at home without winning an argument with my husband.
However, like Starbucks, I had my story as well.
I am an immigrant who came to America 17 years ago, to be precise, May 9, 2009.
I come from one of the islands in the Caribbean, Cuba. I had no idea what Starbucks was. The first three years, while I was fresh out of a boat, I remember drinking my Cuban coffee at home or my coffee in a small coladita in the closet Cuban coffee restaurant. Until one day I found a job in a retail store in the mall; the first time I tried Starbucks coffee, I fell in love. With this coffee, the logo, the place, the customer service, until today nothing can replace the memories this country girl from a small town in Cuba had with coffee and Starbucks.
For me goes more than a simple coffee, are memoirs from my first job in America, which makes me feel like the city girl in Seatle that go from her car to her nice office job.
The feeling I have goes beyond Starbucks. Starbucks does not need my review, doesn’t need my support.
But for me, Starbucks has a place and a promise that they have kept. And if you ask me, that is what makes America different: the idea from a small coffee shop to the biggest and tastiest favorite place that you can experience, a gathering and a small, talked-about business.
That is the idea they had: to keep the promises. Some dreams began small, like a coffee seed, then grew as big as they could reach the sky.
Happy Reading
Mory
Be careful when someone calls you Unbalanced.
I bring this post because we woman often been called unbalanced.
I grew up around music, dancing, fighting sometimes, and bullying; for me, that was normal.
I am not making anyone feel bad. Because, believe it or not, the people who were the same way probably got comfortable doing that, being in this environment.
Then I left my environment; even in the same country I was living in, not everyone was like this.
When I was growing up, I realized I was poor; my family was struggling and juggling many things at once.
No one in my family was unbalanced. They were mentally stable, and they were just the product of their generation and sometimes the systems.
Now I am not unbalanced; I am juggling too many things at once. That is who I am now; I realized that is me. Is not about finding a way of making money; I am like this always, in movement. My brain can stay quiet, and when it is quiet, I can hear a lot. That's why sometimes I keep my mind busy.
I bring the simple definition from Merriam-Webster Dictionary (the oldest and one of the most famous Merriam-Webster dictionary publishers in the United States)
Unbalanced
Not in a state of balance: not balanced:
such as: not having equal weight on all sides
an unbalanced load
The weight was unbalanced.
: not having good or equal amounts of all the necessary parts of something
He's been eating an unbalanced diet.
: not completely sane
mentally unbalanced people
Juggling
: to keep several objects in motion in the air at the same time by repeatedly throwing and catching them
He is learning to juggle.
He juggled four balls at once.
: to do (several things) at the same time
She somehow manages to juggle a dozen tasks at once.
It can be hard to juggle family responsibilities and/with the demands of a full-time job.
: to make changes to (something) to achieve a desired result
I'll have to juggle my schedule a bit to get this all to work out.
Thanks for reading.
Mory Carballo
New Book
If you are new to my blog, I warmly invite you to follow me on this ongoing self-help journey of discovery. I am currently writing a self-help book titled It Was the Mirror, and I would love to take you along with me as it unfolds. Why this title? And why a self-help book?
Four years ago, after I published my memoir Born Again in America, I promised myself and my readers that I would bring this next book to life. The title came from a deeply personal place: it arrived from within me, from someone who stood before the mirror and chose to really see her reflection. She chose to examine and work through each line of self-doubt, anger, self-pity, and insecurity she found there. The process began with me, but as I moved through it, I realized I likely was not alone. That realization led me to want to help other women face and navigate their own challenges.
I’ve even given the book a working subtitle: Work in Progress. I won’t make false promises — what I aim to do is name the problem, search for practical solutions, put in the work, practice patience, and support readers as they strive to become their best selves while looking into the mirror.
I decided to leave a Po Box address. I want to invite you to send me an anonymous letter if you want to share any experience that I can write down in the book before I publish the book,
For example
I will write your name (Anonymous or Pen name that you have to protect your identity)
I will write your story in the chapter where you decide to share your story,
Chapter 1--------Setback
Chapter 2---------Anger
Chapter 3--------Self-pity
Chapter 4 -------Grief
Chapter 5 -------Insecurity
Then you will write
Your Name,
What was your situation ( ……..)
How do you overcome this, or are you still working on it?
How would you help others to overcome it, or never go through what you went through?
I would also love to send you a journal as a complimentary gift for your collaboration on the self-help book.
Email me as well
or tex
This will be the
Po Box Adress
13624. Tamiami Trail
Suite #232
North Port, FL 34287
My personal email
Cell: 941-661-9932
Thank you
Mory Carballo
If you meet your teenage self…
I wish some adults were more honest with teenagers nowadays. Tell them who we were. What our thoughts and behaviors were.
They might understand better. Feel less criticized and more supported. Maybe show them some scars, some memories, some people and places we used to hang out with before we became this so-called perfect version we want to be.
They will understand and feel less judged. If it wasn’t for my father, many times that would have stopped me from doing many things I want to do as a teenager- sometimes bad things.
I'm glad I have him; I would probably have had an even worse life.
I am glad I have family that cares for me: my sisters, my father, and my mother. Some kids don’t have that; they need someone to tell them that it might not be good for them to do a certain thing. Some kids have so much potential; we should help them.
If I see the teenage me nowadays, I will be gentle with her and will tell her, go to school or open your own business.
Don’t have a family or kids until you are 30th and don’t get addicted to anything, not even to life, because the ride is not that long.
If I see the teenage me, I will tell her you are perfect just the way you are. Your skin, your smile- you are perfect.
If I see the teenage me,
I will tell her I love you.
Mory Carballo
Politic, Religion, & Divorce
Have you noticed that POLITICS, RELIGION, and DIVORCE have one thing in common?
Is there a common denominator in this equation? Of course, it is. Always, someone gets hurt in this case. Clearly, there is. In this instance, it is the least advantaged.
Just Saying.
Mory Carballo
Writer
Author
Memoir
Born Again in America
After gaining weight…
Gaining weight is a topic many women aren't eager to discuss, but I've found a really positive way to view it—as part of life's journey. Let me share my personal story. Before and after I had my daughter, I felt comfortable with my weight. I was around 125, sometimes 130 pounds. For someone who is 4.9’ tall, that’s not bad at all, especially after pregnancy.
I was happy and comfortable in my clothes and with my life. However, last year, I went through a tough period that caused me to gain weight. It wasn’t due to my body malfunctioning; it was because I lost control of my eating habits. I drank a lot, and stress led to some eating issues. I remember trying on some clothes I loved—many of size 2 and 4—and none of them fit anymore.
I felt overwhelmed and even broke down crying sometimes. I weighed 165 pounds.
What I’ve learned is that after gaining weight, your clothes might feel a bit different, especially if you go through big life changes.
It’s kind of like in life—sometimes, certain people and places no longer fit into your new chapter. You can decide whether to go back to your comfortable size or embrace your new one.
Ultimately, it’s all about your personal journey, and you deserve to be kind to yourself every step of the way.
Happy reading & Writing
Mory Carballo
Between Us
I want to tell you a secret. I want to be someone different from me. Someone calmer, smarter, prettier, taller, less loud, more spiritual, less opinionated.
…In my mind, I was a mess, a real mess.
Then I began to observe those I wanted to be like. Little did I know they were just like me in some ways.
Why did I want to be someone else?
Nowadays, I walk with confidence. Some days you will look at me and say, "She looks like a millionaire." She looks like she has it together. The whole time. Other days you might think, "Is she a homeless person?" Is she okay in her mind?
Both days are me; that is who I am. That is always me.
I decide once and for all: every time I look in the mirror, this is who I am.
No one else is just me and the mirror.
It was the Mirror.
Work in progress... (self-help book)
Mory Carballo
Author of the memoir
Born Again in America
A nation where dreams still come true.
Available as an ebook on Amazon
also a
journal available at Amazon as well
A place where you can try your dreams.
Journal your thoughts.
American Dream.
I understand why some Americans feel upset and frustrated whenever an immigrant talks about the American Dream. It took me a while to see things from their perspective and truly grasp their feelings. After reading some books and reflecting on my own journey as an immigrant from Cuba 17 years ago,
I’ve been on this path as an independent author, and along the way I’ve had the chance to meet other authors and some native Americans. Some of them admire not just my journey but also my ideals and sometimes my naive hope in the dream and concept of America. One thing many Americans may not realize is that we did not leave everything behind just to take something from others. Most of us leave because we’ve been mistreated or misunderstood in our homelands. We believe that America is still a place where people like us can at least try to pursue our dreams.
Author
Mory Carballo
Born Again in America ( memoir)
Journal
A place where you can try your dreams.
Liberation
I feel a responsibility in my heart to liberate myself, and in doing so, I feel I have liberated others from the same prison. For many years, a woman, especially one from Latin America, a European background, or a Hispanic background, has been seen as more submissive, as a woman who has been abused and taken advantage of by men, generation after generation. In some cases, these things are true, and in other cases, for some reason, they are hard to understand. However, today, with advanced technology and a more educated society, women have come to understand one thing. Women have finally realized that they don’t fear men or what men are capable of doing, such as hitting, screaming, and other forms of psychological or physical abuse. Women have understood that their biggest fear is how capable and destructive women can become if they use their maximum capacity—spiritual, psychological, physical, and more. I stronlgy belive woman can become more destructive then man.
I am currently writing a book titled ( It Was the Mirror ). Is a self-help book dedicated only to woman, man can read the book, but the main focus is women.
This book begins with me. I chose to help women face the inner battle we glimpse in the mirror—anger, self-doubt, insecurity, self-pity. I discovered I wasn’t alone.
My goal is not to tell people what to do; hopefully, to mirror my best reflection to them. With all my imperfections and my own downfalls, I am always trying to become better.
Feel free to send me a letter about your own personal struggle that I can use in my Book
anonymously.
This book begins with me. I chose to help women face the inner battle we glimpse in the mirror—anger, self-doubt, and insecurity. I discovered I wasn’t alone. Families suffer when we mishandle anger, setbacks, and pity, and project them onto those closest to us. We often treat others better than we treat our loved ones.
I am working on having a Po Box soon; you don’t have to email; you can send me a letter for now until I get the Po Box.
Thanks. Happy reading and writing.
Where are you from?
Where are you from? After 17 years living in the United States of America, I still find myself sometimes very confused when someone asks me that question. I was born and raised in Cuba, and I cannot change where I was born, my height, my skin color, or the way I speak with this accent. When someone asks me where I am from, I instantly answer, “I am from Cuba,” with pride, sadness, and a little bit of nostalgia. No matter how American I want to feel, or how much I want to be a Floridian, I owe to my ancestors the place where I come from. I carry in my blood some tobacco, rum music, shades of black, white, and brown, flashes of red and purple, and sometimes a bright pink — the colors of an island so vibrant that it remains my responsibility to preserve. Not just for people like me, but for them. Not just for the millions who have left to find a better life, but for all of us who feel for them. We must preserve the island in memory of those who never left, like my father and the millions of Cubans who still keep believing in a better Cuba.
I invite you to read the memoir Born Again in America by Mory Carballo
Happy Reading
https://www.amazon.com/Born-Again-America-Nation-Dreams-ebook/dp/B0B5FT294Y