We Are Not So Different, Are We…
#41 The ache to belong sounds familiar in any language.
☕️ Cafecito with Coach Maggie #41 – Rekindle Your Passion For Life ☕️
Welcome to your Saturday morning Cafecito—your dose of encouragement and clarity for the next step God is calling you to take. Whether you're new or have been with me since the beginning, I’m so glad you’re here. 💛
Good morning, friend —
Place.
A training word I use to teach my Maddie where her home is.
It’s where she finds her favorite blanket, her treats, her safety. It’s her place of belonging.
And really—we are not so different from our four-legged friends.
We, too, long for that place. That sense of acceptance. That quiet confidence that we belong.
As you may have read in my recent Mis Raíces Me Llaman, I’ve been feeling a heart tug to speak to my birth culture… to the little girl Magaly Caridad who once felt caught between two worlds.
But something unexpected happened after I shared a bilingual post last week.
The responses poured in.
Not just from Latinas. Not just from Spanish speakers.
But from women—humans—who knew what it felt like to not fit in.
And it wasn’t just about culture.
It turns out, we are not so different, are we?
The details may vary, but the ache is familiar:
Wanting to belong, but not knowing where.
Quieting your voice to survive.
Letting go of a part of yourself to be more acceptable, more professional, more “normal.”
And here we are…
Maybe fumbling forward.
Maybe circling back.
Maybe somewhere in between.
I’ve been trying to find the perfect GPS metaphor to guide us—but if I’m honest, the directions feel a little fuzzy right now.
I don’t have a perfect map.
What I do have is this table, this pause, this cafecito with you.
My original goal was to speak to my family—most of them no longer in Cuba.
I wanted to share what it was like growing up without them.
Why, when they finally arrived in the U.S., I felt so different from them.
It’s been years since their arrival. I’m sure they have their own ah-ha moments about living between two cultures.
But I still need to share mine.
And here’s what surprised me the most…
My non-Hispanic readers don’t want to be left out.
They not only want to read the stories—they’re finding them relatable.
That is humbling.
So I’m holding both things at once:
A longing to speak in the language of my roots…
And a responsibility to continue speaking in the language we’ve shared here all along.
Because your responses reminded me:
Belonging is not a language—it’s a recognition.
It’s that moment when someone’s story bumps up against your own, and something inside says,
“Yes. Me too.”
🌿 Coming Next Saturday:
Simplemente… Magaly Caridad
A Spanish-language post every other Saturday—stories of faith, memory, identity, and womanhood.
If Spanish isn’t your language, don’t worry—there will still be ways to connect.
The heart behind the stories often transcends translation. And where it doesn’t, I may share a short reflection in English too.
My hope is that these stories will open something in all of us:
A bridge. A mirror. A seat at the table.
Because we are not so different, are we?
💬 I’d Love to Hear From You
What did this stir up for you?
Was there a moment that spoke directly to where you are right now?
Feel free to share in the comments below — I read every one and would love to know what resonated.
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With gratitude and Cafecito in hand,
💃💃💃
Coach Maggie (aka Magaly Caridad)
Speaker | Creative Breakthrough Coach | Author
Helping women show up fully alive—owning their story, releasing indecision, and living boldly in God’s calling.