The Hardest Story I’ve Ever Told...

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Transcript:

Hello friend, and welcome to my very first editor’s note here on Substack. I’m so glad you’re here. If you’ve been with me for a while, thank you for sticking by me through this journey. And to those of you who are just joining—I’m truly grateful to have you here.

As some of you may know, I lost my mom in an extremely tragic and unexpected way. Her passing left me with an overwhelming sense of loss and grief that I’m still navigating every single day. In honor of her, I decided to write a cookbook meets memoir—a collection of her recipes, those Puerto Rican ones I cherish so much, intertwined with my own story and experience of loss. As I pen and shop around my first cookbook, my only intention is that my mom’s recipes and my grief journey create a space for deep connection. My hope is that it finds its place in the world, and that, even if it touches just one person, it softly whispers, “I see you. I’m holding space for you.”

As I record this, I swear, I just realized that this will reach you on the anniversary of her passing. It feels eerie a bit. It’s the sign I never expected, but one I needed more than I realized. So thanks, mom, for letting me know it’s okay to share.

Here’s an excerpt from my cookbook. It captures a moment when I was at my lowest, low—when the pain was unbearable, and the weight of my grief shattered me to my core. It was a time when every part of my soul felt broken, and I could barely comprehend the depth of what I was experiencing.

I guess I should say, I apologize in advance if I need to stop as I attempt to get through this.

While I’ll have lots of free content to share (lots already here), monthly editor’s notes will be exclusive for paid subscribers.

Hugs,