<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" version="2.0" xmlns:itunes="http://www.itunes.com/dtds/podcast-1.0.dtd" xmlns:googleplay="http://www.google.com/schemas/play-podcasts/1.0"><channel><title><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></title><description><![CDATA[Madre de un ángel llamado Matías. Escribo para no olvidar, para recordar lo que duele, lo que transforma. Cartas desde el exilio del cuerpo, del país y del alma. Este es mi lugar para quedarme un rato. Tal vez también el tuyo. ✍️]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com</link><image><url>https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rTz5!,w_256,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3c086337-1ec7-449e-9135-478e18f284c7_3232x3232.jpeg</url><title>Nubia Marquez</title><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com</link></image><generator>Substack</generator><lastBuildDate>Fri, 28 Aug 2026 14:46:26 GMT</lastBuildDate><atom:link href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/feed" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><copyright><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></copyright><language><![CDATA[en]]></language><webMaster><![CDATA[nubiamarquez@substack.com]]></webMaster><itunes:owner><itunes:email><![CDATA[nubiamarquez@substack.com]]></itunes:email><itunes:name><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></itunes:name></itunes:owner><itunes:author><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></itunes:author><googleplay:owner><![CDATA[nubiamarquez@substack.com]]></googleplay:owner><googleplay:email><![CDATA[nubiamarquez@substack.com]]></googleplay:email><googleplay:author><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></googleplay:author><itunes:block><![CDATA[Yes]]></itunes:block><item><title><![CDATA[Come, Come, Come: What If They Can Still Hear Us?]]></title><description><![CDATA[A conversation with Mat&#237;as, four geese, and a little guide to recognizing the signs from those we love]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/come-come-come-what-if-they-can-still</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/come-come-come-what-if-they-can-still</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:43:45 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it </span><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/ven-ven-ven-y-si-ellos-todavia-pueden">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg" width="1456" height="1456" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/a3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6235861,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/211874990?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!hA5q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa3126053-64fb-4c41-b36d-6b6221492132_5712x5712.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There are moments when we don&#8217;t need a huge answer. We simply need to know that, somehow, on the other side, they can still hear us.</p><p>After almost three weeks without writing about Mat&#237;as, last Saturday I found myself sitting in his place again.</p><p>It was on Roosevelt Island, on the bench that has so often been the setting for our silent conversations. A place we have returned to again and again because, for us, Mat&#237;as is there too: in the trees, in the river, in the wind, in the animals that appear, and especially in the geese.</p><p>That day, I needed to talk to him.</p><p>And this time, I decided to do something different.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t simply ask him for a sign.</p><p>I made a very specific request.</p><p>I said:</p><p>&#8220;Mat&#237;as, I&#8217;m going to sit here for a while. If you are okay, if you are very happy where you are, send me a group of geese, pigeons, or little birds while I&#8217;m sitting here.&#8221;</p><p>And I stayed.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t know what would happen.</p><p>I wasn&#8217;t expecting an apparition or anything extraordinary. I had simply made a request, and I decided to remain attentive.</p><p>After a while, they appeared.</p><p>Four geese.</p><p>Together.</p><p>And they came incredibly close to us.</p><p>Geese are not unusual on Roosevelt Island. We&#8217;ve seen them many times. But we don&#8217;t usually see them right there, so close to that bench, and certainly not arriving that way just after I had specifically asked Mat&#237;as to send me exactly that.</p><p>I watched them approach and thought:</p><p>&#8220;Was that you?&#8221;</p><p>I have no scientific way of proving that it was.</p><p>And I don&#8217;t need one.</p><p>Because I know what I felt.</p><p>I felt that my son had heard me.</p><p>But more than anything, I felt that he had answered my question.</p><p>I hadn&#8217;t simply asked him to show me that he was near.</p><p>I wanted to know something much more specific:</p><p><strong>Are you happy where you are?</strong></p><p>And I wanted to know if that happiness was truly immense.</p><p>For me, that day, the answer was clear:</p><p><strong>&#8220;I am here, and I am very happy.&#8221;</strong></p><p>And yes.</p><p>I know he is very happy.</p><h2>How can we communicate with those we love?</h2><p>For a long time, I thought signs simply happened. Something unusual would occur, and we would wonder whether it had been a sign.</p><p>Today, I think we can also create space for communication.</p><p>This isn&#8217;t about forcing our loved ones to send us something.</p><p>And it isn&#8217;t about turning every coincidence into a sign.</p><p>It&#8217;s about talking.</p><p>Asking.</p><p>And paying attention.</p><p>If you want to try, you can begin very simply:</p><p><strong>1. Find a quiet place.</strong></p><p>You don&#8217;t need to be somewhere special. It can be your bedroom, a park, your car, a church, the beach, or a place you once shared with that person.</p><p><strong>2. Talk to them the way you always did.</strong></p><p>You don&#8217;t need special words. Say their name. Tell them how you are. Tell them you miss them. Tell them something that happened that day.</p><p>Love doesn&#8217;t need complicated language.</p><p><strong>3. Make a specific request.</strong></p><p>Instead of simply saying, &#8220;Send me a sign,&#8221; you can ask for something you would recognize.</p><p>An animal.</p><p>A song.</p><p>A word.</p><p>A flower.</p><p>A butterfly.</p><p>A coincidence.</p><p>Something that has meaning for the two of you.</p><p><strong>4. You can give it a time frame.</strong></p><p>I told Mat&#237;as I would be sitting there for a while and that, while I was there, I wanted him to send me one of those signs.</p><p>Not because I thought I could control how it should appear.</p><p>I was simply creating a space where I could pay attention.</p><p><strong>5. Don&#8217;t decide beforehand what the sign has to feel like.</strong></p><p>Maybe it will be something you see.</p><p>Maybe something you hear.</p><p>Maybe a dream.</p><p>Maybe a memory that suddenly arrives with a strength you weren&#8217;t expecting.</p><p>And maybe nothing will happen.</p><p>That&#8217;s okay too.</p><p>It doesn&#8217;t mean they aren&#8217;t listening.</p><p><strong>6. And above all, don&#8217;t be afraid to talk to them.</strong></p><p>Sometimes we think that because our loved ones have departed, we have to stop talking to them.</p><p>I don&#8217;t think that way anymore.</p><p>I still talk to Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Because our bond didn&#8217;t end when he departed.</p><p>It simply had to find another way to exist.</p><h2>And as I write this, another sign arrives</h2><p>As I am writing this post, I just received a call from <strong>Aida</strong>, Andr&#233;s&#8217;s aunt, in Venezuela.</p><p>She always carries Mat&#237;as in her heart. She always says that there are three of us.</p><p>She just told me that last night she dreamed about the three of us: Andr&#233;s, her, and me.</p><p>In the dream, she was trying to talk to us, but we couldn&#8217;t hear her.</p><p>Mat&#237;as could.</p><p>He looked at her.</p><p>He smiled.</p><p>He showed her those little white teeth we know so well.</p><p>And then he did something that broke my heart.</p><p>With his little hand, with those chubby little fingers I remember so well, he gestured to her:</p><p><strong>&#8220;Come, come, come.&#8221;</strong></p><p>I don&#8217;t know what that dream means.</p><p>And perhaps we never will.</p><p>Each person can interpret it through their own beliefs, their own spirituality, and their own relationship with those who have departed.</p><p>But there is something that deeply moved me:</p><p>In the dream, Mat&#237;as was happy.</p><p>He was smiling.</p><p>He was listening.</p><p>And when Aida tried to get closer to him, he recognized her.</p><p><strong>&#8220;Come, come, come.&#8221;</strong></p><h2>Maybe our bonds simply learned another way to speak</h2><p>Since Mat&#237;as departed, I have learned to look differently.</p><p>To listen differently.</p><p>To wait differently.</p><p>I no longer need a manifestation to be something extraordinary.</p><p>It can be a song.</p><p>A dream.</p><p>A word.</p><p>An animal appearing at exactly the right moment.</p><p>A coincidence that touches something very deep inside us.</p><p>Four geese.</p><p>I don&#8217;t know if Mat&#237;as made those four geese walk toward us.</p><p>But I know that I asked him a question.</p><p>I asked him if he was very happy where he was.</p><p>And when I saw them approaching, my heart understood the answer.</p><p><strong>&#8220;I am here, and I am very happy.&#8221;</strong></p><p>For me, that was enough.</p><p>And now, as I finish writing these words, I receive Aida&#8217;s call telling me that, in her dream, Mat&#237;as was smiling at her and gesturing with his little hand:</p><p><strong>&#8220;Come, come, come.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Perhaps that is one of the most beautiful things we can learn when someone we love departs:</p><p>That love does not disappear.</p><p>That conversations can continue.</p><p>And that sometimes, when we dare to ask&#8230;</p><p><strong>they find a way to answer.</strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/come-come-come-what-if-they-can-still?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/come-come-come-what-if-they-can-still?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-211874990&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-211874990"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Ven, ven, ven: ¿Y si ellos todavía pueden escucharnos?]]></title><description><![CDATA[Una conversaci&#243;n con Mat&#237;as, cuatro gansos y una peque&#241;a gu&#237;a para aprender a reconocer las manifestaciones de quienes amamos]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/ven-ven-ven-y-si-ellos-todavia-pueden</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/ven-ven-ven-y-si-ellos-todavia-pueden</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 15:43:38 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo </span><strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/come-come-come-what-if-they-can-still">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg" width="1456" height="1456" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/f2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6235861,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/211871963?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Fk7R!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Ff2226dae-eba1-4d47-8433-b2d730fbb73d_5712x5712.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hay momentos en los que uno no necesita una respuesta enorme. Solo necesita saber que, de alguna manera, al otro lado todav&#237;a nos escuchan.</p><p>Despu&#233;s de casi tres semanas sin escribir sobre Mat&#237;as, el s&#225;bado pasado volv&#237; a sentarme en su lugar.</p><p>Fue en Roosevelt Island, en esa banca que tantas veces ha sido escenario de nuestras conversaciones silenciosas. Un lugar al que hemos regresado una y otra vez porque, para nosotros, Mat&#237;as tambi&#233;n vive all&#237;: en los &#225;rboles, en el r&#237;o, en el viento, en los animales que aparecen y, especialmente, en los gansos.</p><p>Ese d&#237;a yo necesitaba hablar con &#233;l.</p><p>Y esta vez decid&#237; hacer algo diferente.</p><p>No le ped&#237; simplemente una se&#241;al.</p><p>Le hice una petici&#243;n espec&#237;fica.</p><p>Le dije:</p><p>&#8220;Mat&#237;as, voy a estar aqu&#237; sentada. Si est&#225;s bien, si est&#225;s muy feliz donde est&#225;s, m&#225;ndame un grupo de gansos, de palomas o de pajaritos mientras yo est&#233; aqu&#237;.&#8221;</p><p>Y me qued&#233; sentada.</p><p>No sab&#237;a qu&#233; iba a pasar.</p><p>No estaba esperando una aparici&#243;n ni algo extraordinario. Solo hab&#237;a hecho una petici&#243;n y decid&#237; permanecer atenta.</p><p>Al rato aparecieron.</p><p>Cuatro gansos.</p><p>Juntos.</p><p>Y se acercaron much&#237;simo a nosotros.</p><p>Los gansos no son extra&#241;os en Roosevelt Island. Los hemos visto muchas veces. Pero normalmente no los vemos precisamente all&#237;, tan cerca de esa banca, y mucho menos llegar de esa manera mientras yo acababa de pedirle a Mat&#237;as que me enviara precisamente eso.</p><p>Los vi acercarse y pens&#233;:</p><p>&#8220;&#191;Fuiste t&#250;?&#8221;</p><p>No tengo una manera cient&#237;fica de demostrar que s&#237;.</p><p>Tampoco necesito tenerla.</p><p>Porque s&#233; lo que sent&#237;.</p><p>Sent&#237; que mi hijo me hab&#237;a escuchado.</p><p>Pero, sobre todo, sent&#237; que hab&#237;a respondido a mi pregunta.</p><p>Yo no le hab&#237;a pedido simplemente que me demostrara que estaba cerca.</p><p>Yo quer&#237;a saber algo mucho m&#225;s espec&#237;fico:</p><p><strong>&#191;Eres feliz donde est&#225;s?</strong></p><p>Y quer&#237;a saber si esa felicidad era realmente grande.</p><p>Para m&#237;, ese d&#237;a, la respuesta fue clara:</p><p><strong>&#8220;Estoy aqu&#237; y soy muy feliz.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Y s&#237;.</p><p>S&#233; que est&#225; muy feliz.</p><h2>&#191;C&#243;mo podemos comunicarnos con quienes amamos?</h2><p>Durante mucho tiempo pens&#233; que las manifestaciones simplemente ocurr&#237;an. Que un d&#237;a algo extra&#241;o pasaba y uno ten&#237;a que preguntarse si aquello hab&#237;a sido una se&#241;al.</p><p>Hoy pienso que tambi&#233;n podemos abrir un espacio para la comunicaci&#243;n.</p><p>No se trata de obligar a nuestros seres queridos a enviarnos algo.</p><p>Ni de convertir cada coincidencia en una se&#241;al.</p><p>Se trata de hablar.</p><p>De pedir.</p><p>Y de estar atentos.</p><p>Si quieres intentarlo, puedes comenzar de una manera muy sencilla:</p><p><strong>1. Busca un lugar tranquilo.</strong></p><p>No necesitas estar en un sitio especial. Puede ser tu habitaci&#243;n, un parque, tu carro, una iglesia, la playa o ese lugar que compart&#237;as con esa persona.</p><p><strong>2. H&#225;blale como siempre.</strong></p><p>No necesitas utilizar palabras especiales. Puedes llamarlo por su nombre. Cu&#233;ntale c&#243;mo est&#225;s. Dile que lo extra&#241;as. Cu&#233;ntale algo que ocurri&#243; ese d&#237;a.</p><p>El amor no necesita un lenguaje complicado.</p><p><strong>3. Haz una petici&#243;n espec&#237;fica.</strong></p><p>En lugar de decir solamente &#8220;m&#225;ndame una se&#241;al&#8221;, puedes pedir algo que sea reconocible para ti.</p><p>Un animal.</p><p>Una canci&#243;n.</p><p>Una palabra.</p><p>Una flor.</p><p>Una mariposa.</p><p>Una coincidencia.</p><p>Algo que tenga significado para ustedes.</p><p><strong>4. Puedes establecer un per&#237;odo de tiempo.</strong></p><p>Yo le dije a Mat&#237;as que estar&#237;a sentada all&#237; durante un rato y que, mientras estuviera all&#237;, quer&#237;a que me enviara una de esas se&#241;ales.</p><p>No porque pensara que pod&#237;a controlar c&#243;mo deb&#237;a manifestarse.</p><p>Simplemente estaba creando un espacio para prestar atenci&#243;n.</p><p><strong>5. No decidas de antemano c&#243;mo debe sentirse la se&#241;al.</strong></p><p>Quiz&#225;s sea algo que veas.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s sea algo que escuches.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s sea un sue&#241;o.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s sea un recuerdo que aparece de repente con una fuerza que no esperabas.</p><p>Y quiz&#225;s no ocurra nada.</p><p>Eso tambi&#233;n est&#225; bien.</p><p>No significa que no te escuchen.</p><p><strong>6. Y, sobre todo, no tengas miedo de hablarles.</strong></p><p>A veces pensamos que porque nuestros seres queridos partieron debemos dejar de hablarles.</p><p>Yo ya no pienso as&#237;.</p><p>Yo sigo hablando con Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Porque nuestro v&#237;nculo no termin&#243; cuando &#233;l parti&#243;.</p><p>Simplemente tuvo que encontrar otra forma de existir.</p><h2>Y mientras escribo esto, llega otra se&#241;al</h2><p>Mientras estoy escribiendo este post, acaba de llamarme desde Venezuela <strong>la t&#237;a Ida</strong>.</p><p>La t&#237;a de Andr&#233;s.</p><p>Ella siempre lleva a Mat&#237;as en su coraz&#243;n. Siempre dice que nosotros somos tres.</p><p>Me acaba de contar que anoche so&#241;&#243; con nosotros tres: Andr&#233;s, ella y yo.</p><p>En el sue&#241;o, ella intentaba hablarnos, pero nosotros no la escuch&#225;bamos.</p><p>Mat&#237;as s&#237;.</p><p>&#201;l la miraba.</p><p>Se re&#237;a.</p><p>Le mostraba esos dientecitos blancos que tanto conocemos.</p><p>Y entonces hizo algo que me parti&#243; el coraz&#243;n.</p><p>Con su peque&#241;a mano, con esos deditos gorditos que recuerdo tan bien, le hizo:</p><p><strong>&#8220;Ven, ven, ven.&#8221;</strong></p><p>No s&#233; qu&#233; significa ese sue&#241;o.</p><p>Y quiz&#225;s nunca lo sepamos.</p><p>Cada persona puede interpretarlo desde sus propias creencias, desde su propia espiritualidad y desde la relaci&#243;n que tiene con quienes han partido.</p><p>Pero hay algo que me conmovi&#243; profundamente:</p><p>En el sue&#241;o, Mat&#237;as estaba feliz.</p><p>Estaba sonriendo.</p><p>Estaba escuchando.</p><p>Y cuando la t&#237;a Ida intent&#243; acercarse a &#233;l, &#233;l la reconoci&#243;.</p><p><strong>&#8220;Ven, ven, ven.&#8221;</strong></p><h2>Quiz&#225;s nuestros v&#237;nculos solo aprendieron otra forma de hablar</h2><p>Desde que Mat&#237;as parti&#243;, aprend&#237; a mirar de otra manera.</p><p>A escuchar de otra manera.</p><p>A esperar de otra manera.</p><p>Ya no necesito que una manifestaci&#243;n sea algo extraordinario.</p><p>Puede ser una canci&#243;n.</p><p>Un sue&#241;o.</p><p>Una palabra.</p><p>Un animal que aparece en el momento exacto.</p><p>Una coincidencia que toca algo muy profundo dentro de nosotros.</p><p>Cuatro gansos.</p><p>No s&#233; si Mat&#237;as hizo que esos cuatro gansos caminaran hasta nosotros.</p><p>Pero s&#233; que yo le hice una pregunta.</p><p>Le pregunt&#233; si estaba muy feliz donde estaba.</p><p>Y cuando los vi acercarse, mi coraz&#243;n entendi&#243; la respuesta.</p><p><strong>&#8220;Estoy aqu&#237; y soy muy feliz.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Para m&#237;, eso fue suficiente.</p><p>Y ahora, mientras termino de escribir estas palabras, recibo la llamada de la t&#237;a Ida cont&#225;ndome que Mat&#237;as, en su sue&#241;o, le sonre&#237;a y le hac&#237;a con su peque&#241;a mano:</p><p><strong>&#8220;Ven, ven, ven.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Quiz&#225;s esa sea una de las cosas m&#225;s hermosas que podemos aprender cuando alguien que amamos parte:</p><p>Que el amor no desaparece.</p><p>Que las conversaciones pueden continuar.</p><p>Y que, algunas veces, cuando nos atrevemos a preguntar&#8230;</p><p><strong>ellos encuentran la manera de responder.</strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/ven-ven-ven-y-si-ellos-todavia-pueden?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/ven-ven-ven-y-si-ellos-todavia-pueden?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-211871963&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-211871963"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Matías and Lucas: Two Children, Nine Years, and an Eternal Love]]></title><description><![CDATA[What do we do with love when death arrives?]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-and-lucas-two-children-nine</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-and-lucas-two-children-nine</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:08:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it </span><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/almas-que-se-encuentran-los-caminos">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png" width="1456" height="813" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!jNua!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7fa5e0dd-8b0d-4de5-bbd6-6ab42595654a_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>A few weeks ago, an image circulated on social media and sparked all kinds of comments.</p><p>It was Lucas&#8217;s birthday.</p><p>Lucas was turning 9.</p><p>But Lucas was not at a party.</p><p>He was not blowing out candles surrounded by his friends.</p><p>He was not opening presents.</p><p>Lucas was trapped beneath the rubble after the double earthquake that devastated La Guaira, Venezuela.</p><p>And while his parents desperately waited, hoping that rescue teams would find him alive, they decided to sing Happy Birthday to him.</p><p>They brought him a cake.</p><p>They sang to him.</p><p>They celebrated his ninth birthday.</p><p>And some people criticized them.</p><p>They judged them.</p><p>They wondered how they could celebrate a birthday in the middle of such a tragedy.</p><p>I, however, find myself asking something different:</p><p><strong>Who has the right to tell parents how they should love their child?</strong></p><p>They were not celebrating Lucas&#8217;s death.</p><p>They were celebrating his life.</p><p>They were celebrating his nine years.</p><p>They were saying, perhaps with the only strength they had left:</p><p><em>Lucas, we are here.</em></p><p><em>We have not forgotten you.</em></p><p><em>Today is your birthday.</em></p><p><em>We are still waiting for you.</em></p><p>And perhaps that cake was not a celebration.</p><p>Perhaps it was hope.</p><p>Perhaps it was love.</p><p>Perhaps it was the way his parents found to continue being his mother and father while waiting, in the middle of an unimaginable tragedy, for their son to return to their arms.</p><p>The next day, Lucas was found without life.</p><p>And then I thought of Mat&#237;as.</p><p>My Mat&#237;as.</p><p>On July 26, he turned 9 years old.</p><p>Lucas turned 9 on July 6.</p><p>Two children.</p><p>Two completely different stories.</p><p>Two birthdays.</p><p>Two families forever changed by the greatest love there is and by a pain no parent should ever have to know.</p><p>Lucas and Mat&#237;as never met in the physical world.</p><p>But today, I feel that they are connected by something that goes beyond their stories.</p><p>They both turned 9.</p><p>They were both deeply loved.</p><p>And they both have mothers who, in different ways, have had to learn how to live in a world where their children are no longer physically present.</p><p>Lucas&#8217;s mother is also a psycho-oncologist, and she has recently specialized in supporting patients and families throughout the journey of illness, treatment, and grief.</p><p>I think about that, and it moves me deeply.</p><p>Because sometimes life takes us to places we would never have chosen.</p><p>And perhaps, one day, her experience, her knowledge, and her own heart will become a refuge for other families.</p><p>Not because pain makes her stronger.</p><p>But because she knows, from the inside, the territory that others are only beginning to walk through.</p><p>I know there are people who still do not understand why some of us continue to celebrate our children&#8217;s birthdays after they are gone.</p><p>Why we post their pictures.</p><p>Why we write about them.</p><p>Why we say, <em>&#8220;Happy Birthday.&#8221;</em></p><p>Why we light candles.</p><p>Why we bring flowers.</p><p>Why we continue to talk about them.</p><p>The answer is simple.</p><p><strong>Because we are still their mothers.</strong></p><p>Death changed our motherhood.</p><p>It changed our lives.</p><p>It changed the way we hold, remember, and celebrate.</p><p>But it did not change the fact that they existed.</p><p>It did not change the love.</p><p>It did not erase their birthdays.</p><p>It did not erase their names.</p><p>It did not erase the nine years they lived.</p><p>And perhaps this is something our society still does not know how to accept.</p><p>We want grief to have rules.</p><p>We want to know when someone should cry and when they should stop crying.</p><p>When they can smile.</p><p>When they can talk about their child.</p><p>When they should remain silent.</p><p>What is allowed and what is not.</p><p>But grief does not work that way.</p><p>There is no right way to miss someone.</p><p>There is no right way to remember.</p><p>There is no right way to celebrate the life of someone who is no longer here.</p><p>A cake can be grief.</p><p>A song can be grief.</p><p>A photograph can be grief.</p><p>A smile can be grief.</p><p>A birthday can be grief.</p><p>And saying <em>&#8220;Happy Birthday&#8221;</em> to a child who is no longer here can also be one of the deepest ways of saying:</p><p><em>&#8220;Your physical life mattered.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;Your existence matters.&#8221;</em></p><p><em>&#8220;I still love you.&#8221;</em></p><p>Perhaps the problem is not that some people celebrate their children&#8217;s birthdays after they are gone.</p><p>Perhaps the problem is that we still live in a society that does not know what to do with love when physical death arrives.</p><p>Because we believe that when someone is no longer here, we must stop talking about them.</p><p>Stop saying their name.</p><p>Stop celebrating their life.</p><p>As if remembering means holding on to the past.</p><p>As if loving after death means we are not moving forward.</p><p>But I have learned that it is not that way.</p><p>I can keep living.</p><p>I can laugh.</p><p>I can make plans.</p><p>I can love.</p><p>I can move forward.</p><p>And at the same time, I can celebrate my son&#8217;s ninth birthday.</p><p>I can say:</p><p><strong>Happy Birthday, Mat&#237;as.</strong></p><p>And I can think of Lucas.</p><p>His nine years.</p><p>His parents.</p><p>That cake.</p><p>That song.</p><p>That love that refused to disappear, even in the middle of the rubble.</p><p>Because perhaps that is what we do with love when death arrives.</p><p>We do not let it die.</p><p><strong>We learn to carry it in a different way.</strong></p><p>And perhaps that is why, even though our children are no longer physically here, their birthdays continue to come.</p><p>And we continue to celebrate.</p><p>Not because we do not know that they are no longer here.</p><p>But because we know that they lived.</p><p>Because they are loved.</p><p>Because they exist.</p><p>Because they are ours.</p><p>And because the love&#8212;the immense love we feel for them&#8212;does not end when physical life ends.</p><p><strong>Love does not die.</strong></p><p>It changes form.</p><p>But it remains.</p><p>Happy Birthday, Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Happy Birthday, Lucas.</p><p>Nine years old.</p><p>Two eternally loved children.</p><p>And two mothers who, each in her own way, continue to say:</p><p><strong>You are here.</strong></p><p><strong>You belong here.</strong></p><p><strong>We still love you.</strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-and-lucas-two-children-nine?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-and-lucas-two-children-nine?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208891531&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208891531"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Matías y Lucas: Dos niños, Nueve años y un Amor Eterno]]></title><description><![CDATA[&#191;Qu&#233; hacemos con el amor cuando la muerte llega?]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-y-lucas-dos-ninos-nueve-anos</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-y-lucas-dos-ninos-nueve-anos</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 29 Jul 2026 14:08:08 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo </span><strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/souls-that-find-each-other-the-invisible">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png" width="1456" height="813" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:813,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:8570636,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/208888447?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!vPnT!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0c76d09d-0edd-4f24-834c-ee5abe7eb34f_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hace unas semanas, una imagen recorri&#243; las redes sociales y provoc&#243; todo tipo de comentarios.</p><p>Era el cumplea&#241;os de Lucas.</p><p>Lucas cumpl&#237;a 9 a&#241;os.</p><p>Pero Lucas no estaba en una fiesta.</p><p>No estaba soplando las velas rodeado de sus amigos.</p><p>No estaba abriendo regalos.</p><p>Lucas estaba atrapado bajo los escombros, despu&#233;s del doble terremoto que devast&#243; La Guaira en Venezuela.</p><p>Y mientras sus padres esperaban, desesperadamente, que los equipos de rescate pudieran encontrarlo con vida, decidieron cantarle cumplea&#241;os.</p><p>Le llevaron una torta.</p><p>Le cantaron.</p><p>Celebraron sus 9 a&#241;os.</p><p>Y algunas personas los criticaron.</p><p>Los juzgaron.</p><p>Se preguntaron c&#243;mo pod&#237;an estar celebrando un cumplea&#241;os en medio de una tragedia.</p><p>Yo, en cambio, me pregunto algo diferente:</p><p><strong>&#191;Qui&#233;n tiene derecho a decirle a unos padres c&#243;mo deben amar a su hijo?</strong></p><p>Ellos no estaban celebrando la muerte de Lucas.</p><p>Estaban celebrando su vida.</p><p>Estaban celebrando sus nueve a&#241;os.</p><p>Estaban diciendo, quiz&#225;s con la &#250;nica fuerza que les quedaba:</p><p><em>Lucas, aqu&#237; estamos.</em></p><p><em>No te olvidamos.</em></p><p><em>Hoy es tu cumplea&#241;os.</em></p><p><em>Seguimos esperando por ti.</em></p><p>Y quiz&#225;s esa torta no era una celebraci&#243;n.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s era esperanza.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s era amor.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s era la manera que encontraron sus padres de seguir siendo mam&#225; y pap&#225; mientras esperaban, en medio de una tragedia inimaginable, que su hijo pudiera regresar a sus brazos.</p><p>Al d&#237;a siguiente, Lucas fue encontrado sin vida.</p><p>Y entonces pens&#233; en Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Mi Mat&#237;as.</p><p>El 26 de julio cumpli&#243; 9 a&#241;os.</p><p>Lucas cumpli&#243; 9 a&#241;os el 6 de julio.</p><p>Dos ni&#241;os.</p><p>Dos historias completamente diferentes.</p><p>Dos cumplea&#241;os.</p><p>Dos familias atravesadas por el amor m&#225;s grande que existe y por un dolor que ning&#250;n padre deber&#237;a tener que conocer.</p><p>Lucas y Mat&#237;as nunca se conocieron en el plano f&#237;sico.</p><p>Pero hoy los siento unidos por algo que va m&#225;s all&#225; de sus historias.</p><p>Los dos cumplieron 9 a&#241;os.</p><p>Los dos fueron profundamente amados.</p><p>Y los dos tienen madres que, de maneras diferentes, han tenido que aprender a vivir en un mundo donde sus hijos ya no est&#225;n f&#237;sicamente presentes.</p><p>La mam&#225; de Lucas, adem&#225;s, es psicoonc&#243;loga y acaba de especializarse para acompa&#241;ar precisamente a pacientes y familias durante el proceso de la enfermedad, tratamiento y duelo.</p><p>Pienso en eso y me conmueve profundamente.</p><p>Porque a veces la vida nos lleva a lugares que jam&#225;s habr&#237;amos elegido.</p><p>Y quiz&#225;s, alg&#250;n d&#237;a, su experiencia, su conocimiento y su propio coraz&#243;n puedan convertirse en refugio para otras familias.</p><p>No porque el dolor la haga m&#225;s fuerte.</p><p>Sino porque conoce, desde adentro, el territorio que otros apenas comienzan a recorrer.</p><p>Yo s&#233; que hay personas que todav&#237;a no entienden por qu&#233; algunas madres seguimos celebrando los cumplea&#241;os de nuestros hijos despu&#233;s de su muerte.</p><p>&#191;Por qu&#233; ponemos sus fotos?</p><p>&#191;Por qu&#233; escribimos sobre ellos?</p><p>&#191;Por qu&#233; decimos &#8220;feliz cumplea&#241;os&#8221;?</p><p>&#191;Por qu&#233; encendemos velas?</p><p>&#191;Por qu&#233; compramos flores?</p><p>&#191;Por qu&#233; seguimos hablando de ellos?</p><p>La respuesta es sencilla.</p><p><strong>Porque seguimos siendo sus madres.</strong></p><p>La muerte cambi&#243; nuestra maternidad.</p><p>Cambi&#243; nuestras vidas.</p><p>Cambi&#243; la manera en que abrazamos, recordamos y celebramos.</p><p>Pero no cambi&#243; el hecho de que ellos existieron.</p><p>No cambi&#243; el amor.</p><p>No borr&#243; sus cumplea&#241;os.</p><p>No borr&#243; sus nombres.</p><p>No borr&#243; los nueve a&#241;os que vivieron.</p><p>Y quiz&#225;s eso es algo que nuestra sociedad todav&#237;a no sabe c&#243;mo aceptar.</p><p>Queremos que el duelo tenga reglas.</p><p>Queremos saber cu&#225;ndo alguien debe llorar y cu&#225;ndo debe dejar de llorar.</p><p>Cu&#225;ndo puede sonre&#237;r.</p><p>Cu&#225;ndo puede hablar de su hijo.</p><p>Cu&#225;ndo debe guardar silencio.</p><p>Qu&#233; est&#225; permitido hacer y qu&#233; no.</p><p>Pero el duelo no funciona as&#237;.</p><p>No existe una manera correcta de extra&#241;ar.</p><p>No existe una manera correcta de recordar.</p><p>No existe una manera correcta de celebrar la vida de alguien que ya no est&#225;.</p><p>Una torta puede ser duelo.</p><p>Una canci&#243;n puede ser duelo.</p><p>Una fotograf&#237;a puede ser duelo.</p><p>Una sonrisa puede ser duelo.</p><p>Un cumplea&#241;os puede ser duelo.</p><p>Y decirle &#8220;feliz cumplea&#241;os&#8221; a un hijo que ya no est&#225; tambi&#233;n puede ser una de las formas m&#225;s profundas de decir:</p><p><strong>&#8220;Tu vida f&#237;sica import&#243;.&#8221;</strong></p><p><strong>&#8220;Tu existencia importa.&#8221;</strong></p><p><strong>&#8220;Te sigo amando.&#8221;</strong></p><p>Quiz&#225;s el problema no es que algunas personas celebren el cumplea&#241;os de sus hijos despu&#233;s de su muerte.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s el problema es que todav&#237;a vivimos en una sociedad que no sabe qu&#233; hacer con el amor cuando la muerte f&#237;sica llega.</p><p>Porque creemos que cuando alguien ya no est&#225;, debemos dejar de hablar de esa persona.</p><p>Dejar de nombrarla.</p><p>Dejar de celebrar su vida.</p><p>Como si recordar fuera aferrarse al pasado.</p><p>Como si amar despu&#233;s de la muerte fuera no avanzar.</p><p>Pero yo he aprendido que no es as&#237;.</p><p>Yo puedo seguir viviendo.</p><p>Puedo re&#237;r.</p><p>Puedo hacer planes.</p><p>Puedo amar.</p><p>Puedo avanzar.</p><p>Y al mismo tiempo puedo celebrar los 9 a&#241;os de mi hijo.</p><p>Puedo decir:</p><p><strong>Feliz cumplea&#241;os, Mat&#237;as.</strong></p><p>Y puedo pensar en Lucas.</p><p>En sus 9 a&#241;os.</p><p>En sus padres.</p><p>En esa torta.</p><p>En esa canci&#243;n.</p><p>En ese amor que se neg&#243; a desaparecer, incluso en medio de los escombros.</p><p>Porque quiz&#225;s eso es lo que hacemos con el amor cuando la muerte llega.</p><p>No lo dejamos morir.</p><p><strong>Aprendemos a llevarlo de otra manera.</strong></p><p>Y quiz&#225;s por eso, aunque nuestros hijos ya no est&#233;n f&#237;sicamente aqu&#237;, sus cumplea&#241;os siguen llegando.</p><p>Y nosotros seguimos celebrando.</p><p>No porque no sepamos que ya no est&#225;n.</p><p>Sino porque sabemos que <strong>vivieron</strong>.</p><p>Porque son amados.</p><p>Porque existen.</p><p>Porque son nuestros.</p><p>Y porque el amor, ese amor inmenso que sentimos por ellos, no termina cuando termina la vida.</p><p><strong>El amor no muere.</strong></p><p>Cambia de forma.</p><p>Pero permanece.</p><p>Feliz cumplea&#241;os, Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Feliz cumplea&#241;os, Lucas.</p><p>Nueve a&#241;os.</p><p>Dos ni&#241;os eternamente amados.</p><p>Y dos madres que, cada una a su manera, siguen diciendo:</p><p><strong>Aqu&#237; est&#225;s.</strong></p><p><strong>Aqu&#237; perteneces.</strong></p><p><strong>Aqu&#237; te seguimos amando.</strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-y-lucas-dos-ninos-nueve-anos?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/matias-y-lucas-dos-ninos-nueve-anos?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208888447&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208888447"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Souls That Find Each Other: The Invisible Paths We Share]]></title><description><![CDATA[Reflections on love, goodbyes, and the mysteries that connect our lives beyond time.]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/souls-that-find-each-other-the-invisible</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/souls-that-find-each-other-the-invisible</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:13:44 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it </span><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/almas-que-se-encuentran-los-caminos">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png" width="1456" height="813" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/c7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:813,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6672214,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/208073631?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!2K9F!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc7b88924-1977-4a9d-aac5-3c8be8756b2a_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There are questions that arise only in life&#8217;s deepest moments. Questions born not from curiosity, but from love.</p><p>When we lose someone we love, when tragedy touches a family, a community, or even an entire nation, our hearts search for meaning. We wonder why some lives seem so brief, why certain goodbyes come without warning, and why, at times, so many souls seem to depart together.</p><p>Perhaps we will never have all the answers from our human perspective. Yet throughout history, many spiritual traditions have contemplated a beautiful possibility: that some souls are meant to share a journey.</p><p>The idea that certain souls meet not by chance, but because they have something to experience, learn, or awaken in one another.</p><p>Some remain with us for decades. Others stay only a few years, yet leave an imprint so profound that their presence continues to shape us long after they are gone.</p><p>Perhaps the purpose of a soul is not measured by how long it remains on Earth, but by how much love it awakens.</p><p>Some people enter our lives and forever change the way we see the world. They teach us to love more deeply, to treasure the present moment, and to discover a strength we never knew we possessed.</p><p>Some souls come into our lives to awaken something within us.</p><p>When natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, or other catastrophic events claim many lives at once, the human heart instinctively searches for understanding. It is difficult to accept that so many stories, dreams, and journeys can intersect in a single moment.</p><p>Some spiritual perspectives speak of souls sharing a collective journey&#8212;not as punishment, nor as something we can fully comprehend, but as part of a greater mystery beyond our limited understanding.</p><p>Others find meaning in what these losses awaken in those who remain: compassion, solidarity, kindness, unity, and a deeper awareness of both the fragility and the beauty of life.</p><p>Perhaps the deeper meaning is not found only in asking <em>Why did this happen?</em> but also in asking <em>What is this love inviting us to become?</em></p><p>Because even in the midst of sorrow, love continues to move.</p><p>A person may leave this physical world, yet continue to live in the stories they inspired, the lives they touched, the lessons they shared, and the love they left behind.</p><p>When I think of Mat&#237;as, I realize that a life cannot be measured only by the number of years it lasted.</p><p>Six years may seem brief by the calendar, yet they can hold an eternity of love.</p><p>Mat&#237;as came into my life to awaken something within me. He taught me a way of loving I had never known, a deeper connection with the soul, and a quiet certainty that reaches beyond reason: true love does not disappear when physical presence changes.</p><p>Perhaps some souls are meant to walk beside us for a lifetime.</p><p>Perhaps others come for only a season, carrying a mission far greater than we can understand.</p><p>Perhaps they arrive to remind us that we are more than our bodies, that every encounter carries meaning, and that love continues to unite souls even when our eyes can no longer see them.</p><p>I do not know all the answers.</p><p>But I do know this:</p><p><em>The souls we love never stop being part of our journey.</em></p><p>And as long as love exists, no goodbye is ever truly the end.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/souls-that-find-each-other-the-invisible?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/souls-that-find-each-other-the-invisible?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208073631&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208073631"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Almas que se encuentran: los caminos invisibles que compartimos]]></title><description><![CDATA[Una reflexi&#243;n sobre el amor, las despedidas y los misterios que unen nuestras vidas m&#225;s all&#225; del tiempo]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/almas-que-se-encuentran-los-caminos</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/almas-que-se-encuentran-los-caminos</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 22 Jul 2026 15:13:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo </span><strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/souls-that-find-each-other-the-invisible">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png" width="1456" height="813" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/b9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:813,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:6672214,&quot;alt&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/208073021?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" title="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nKB5!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fb9bb0a56-d908-4ff9-9e69-9033665d6b34_2752x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hay preguntas que nacen en los momentos m&#225;s profundos de la vida. Preguntas que no vienen de la curiosidad, sino del amor.</p><p>Cuando perdemos a alguien que amamos, cuando una tragedia toca a una familia, a una comunidad o incluso a un pa&#237;s entero, nuestro coraz&#243;n busca respuestas. Nos preguntamos por qu&#233; algunas vidas parecen ser tan cortas, por qu&#233; algunas despedidas ocurren de manera inesperada y por qu&#233;, en ocasiones, muchas personas parten juntas en un mismo acontecimiento.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s nunca tendremos todas las respuestas desde nuestra comprensi&#243;n humana. Pero a trav&#233;s de los siglos, diferentes tradiciones espirituales han contemplado una posibilidad: la existencia de almas que comparten un camino.</p><p>La idea de que algunas almas se encuentran no por casualidad, sino porque tienen algo que vivir, aprender o despertar juntas.</p><p>Algunas llegan para acompa&#241;arnos durante d&#233;cadas. Otras permanecen solo unos a&#241;os, pero dejan una huella tan profunda que su presencia contin&#250;a transform&#225;ndonos mucho despu&#233;s de su partida.</p><p>Porque quiz&#225;s la misi&#243;n de un alma no se mide &#250;nicamente por el tiempo que permanece en este mundo, sino por el amor que despierta.</p><p>Hay personas que llegan y nos cambian la manera de mirar la vida. Nos ense&#241;an a amar m&#225;s profundamente, a valorar el presente, a descubrir una fuerza que no sab&#237;amos que ten&#237;amos.</p><p>Algunas almas llegan para despertar algo en otros.</p><p>Cuando ocurren grandes tragedias naturales, como terremotos, inundaciones u otros eventos donde muchas vidas se separan al mismo tiempo, el ser humano busca comprender ese misterio. Nos cuesta aceptar que tantas historias, tantos sue&#241;os y tantos caminos puedan encontrarse en un mismo instante.</p><p>Desde algunas perspectivas espirituales, se habla de almas que comparten experiencias colectivas. No como un castigo ni como algo que podamos comprender completamente, sino como parte de un misterio mayor que supera nuestra visi&#243;n limitada.</p><p>Otras personas encuentran significado en la forma en que esas p&#233;rdidas despiertan algo en quienes permanecen: solidaridad, compasi&#243;n, uni&#243;n, ayuda y una conciencia m&#225;s profunda de la fragilidad y belleza de la vida.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s el verdadero significado no est&#225; solamente en entender por qu&#233; ocurri&#243;, sino tambi&#233;n en observar qu&#233; nace despu&#233;s.</p><p>Porque incluso en medio del dolor, el amor sigue creando movimiento.</p><p>Una persona puede partir f&#237;sicamente y, aun as&#237;, continuar viviendo en las historias que dej&#243;, en las ense&#241;anzas que sembr&#243;, en las transformaciones que provoc&#243; y en el amor que permanece.</p><p>Cuando pienso en Mat&#237;as, entiendo que una vida no puede medirse solamente por sus a&#241;os.</p><p>Seis a&#241;os pueden parecer poco para el calendario humano, pero pueden contener una eternidad de amor.</p><p>Mat&#237;as lleg&#243; a mi vida para despertar algo en m&#237;. Me ense&#241;&#243; una forma de amar que no conoc&#237;a, una conexi&#243;n m&#225;s profunda con el alma y una certeza que nace m&#225;s all&#225; de la raz&#243;n: que el amor verdadero no desaparece cuando cambia la forma de presencia.</p><p>Tal vez algunas almas vienen a caminar junto a nosotros durante toda una vida. Tal vez otras vienen por un tiempo m&#225;s breve, pero con una misi&#243;n inmensa.</p><p>Tal vez algunas vienen a recordarnos que somos mucho m&#225;s que un cuerpo, que cada encuentro tiene un significado y que el amor es una energ&#237;a que contin&#250;a uniendo caminos, incluso cuando ya no podemos verlos.</p><p>No s&#233; todas las respuestas.</p><p>Pero s&#237; s&#233; algo:</p><p><em>Las almas que amamos nunca dejan de formar parte de nuestro camino.</em></p><p>Y mientras exista amor, ninguna despedida es realmente el final.</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/almas-que-se-encuentran-los-caminos?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/almas-que-se-encuentran-los-caminos?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208073021&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-208073021"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[When the Pain Feels Like It Will Never End]]></title><description><![CDATA[Grief transforms life, but love remains]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/when-the-pain-feels-like-it-will</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/when-the-pain-feels-like-it-will</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:08:10 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it </span><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/cuando-el-dolor-parece-no-tener-fin">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg" width="1456" height="1456" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:736449,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/206051051?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!B8_f!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F91bf1433-9414-4149-9955-8bc259d6ac3a_1920x1920.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There are moments when the world breaks apart in a single instant.</p><p>There are those who are waiting today for a call that will never come. Others are still searching for a loved one. There are families who do not know where to begin rebuilding their lives.</p><p>When tragedy strikes, words often feel too small.</p><p>I know this because one day I also discovered that there are pains for which there are no sufficient answers.</p><p>After the passing of my son Mat&#237;as, I understood something that no one can teach you until you experience it yourself: <em>love does not end when a life ends.</em></p><p>Love changes its form.</p><p>It can no longer be held in our hands, but it continues to embrace our hearts.</p><p>With time, I learned that remembering does not mean living trapped in the past. Remembering can also become a way of continuing to love.</p><p>So, to those who are walking through darkness today, I want to say this with all my heart: do not allow pain to make you believe that love has disappeared.</p><p>It has not.</p><p>It lives in every memory that makes you smile through your tears. It lives in every act of kindness that is born after loss. It lives in every person who chooses to keep going in honor of the one they love.</p><p>Today, I continue to pray for Venezuela, for those who grieve, for those who wait, for those who help, and for those who, even with broken hearts, find the strength to rise once again &#128591;.</p><p>Because I have learned that even in the darkest night, <strong>love remains stronger than despair.</strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/when-the-pain-feels-like-it-will?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/when-the-pain-feels-like-it-will?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-206051051&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-206051051"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Cuando el dolor parece no tener fin]]></title><description><![CDATA[El duelo transforma la vida, pero el amor permanece]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/cuando-el-dolor-parece-no-tener-fin</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/cuando-el-dolor-parece-no-tener-fin</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 08 Jul 2026 14:08:05 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGb9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo </span><strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/when-the-pain-feels-like-it-will">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGb9!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGb9!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg 424w, 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data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:736449,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/206050333?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGb9!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGb9!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGb9!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!sGb9!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe8d27865-543d-45a2-b35e-9f4b73f8b160_1920x1920.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hay momentos en los que el mundo se rompe de un instante a otro.</p><p>Hay quienes hoy esperan una llamada que nunca llegar&#225;. Otros siguen buscando a un ser querido. Hay familias que no saben por d&#243;nde empezar a reconstruir sus vidas.</p><p>Cuando una tragedia golpea, las palabras parecen peque&#241;as.</p><p>Lo s&#233; porque un d&#237;a yo tambi&#233;n descubr&#237; que existen dolores para los que no hay respuestas suficientes.</p><p>Despu&#233;s de la partida de mi hijo Mat&#237;as entend&#237; algo que nadie puede ense&#241;arte hasta que lo vives: <em>el amor no termina cuando una vida termina.</em></p><p>El amor cambia de forma.</p><p>Ya no puede abrazarse con las manos, pero sigue abrazando el coraz&#243;n.</p><p>Con el tiempo comprend&#237; que recordar no significa vivir atrapados en el pasado. Recordar tambi&#233;n puede convertirse en una forma de seguir amando.</p><p>Por eso, a quienes hoy atraviesan la oscuridad, quisiera decirles algo con todo mi coraz&#243;n: no permitan que el dolor les haga creer que el amor desapareci&#243;.</p><p>No desapareci&#243;.</p><p>Est&#225; en cada recuerdo que los hace sonre&#237;r entre l&#225;grimas. Est&#225; en cada acto de bondad que nace despu&#233;s de la p&#233;rdida. Est&#225; en cada persona que decide seguir viviendo para honrar a quien ama.</p><p>Hoy sigo orando por Venezuela, por quienes lloran, por quienes esperan, por quienes ayudan y por quienes, aun con el coraz&#243;n roto, encuentran fuerzas para levantarse una vez m&#225;s &#128591;.</p><p>Porque he aprendido que, incluso en medio de la noche m&#225;s oscura, <strong>el amor sigue siendo m&#225;s fuerte que la desesperanza.</strong></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/cuando-el-dolor-parece-no-tener-fin?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/cuando-el-dolor-parece-no-tener-fin?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-206050333&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-206050333"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Después del terremoto, el amor permanece]]></title><description><![CDATA[Una carta para Venezuela, escrita desde el coraz&#243;n de una mam&#225; que tambi&#233;n ha aprendido a vivir con la ausencia]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/despues-del-terremoto-el-amor-permanece</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/despues-del-terremoto-el-amor-permanece</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:09:02 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo </span><strong><a href="https://nubiamarquez.substack.com/p/after-the-earthquake-love-remains">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png" width="615" height="922.5" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1536,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:615,&quot;bytes&quot;:2663003,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/204376312?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!1k9Q!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F1234f7dd-24d3-4e80-859e-b8c2af18e279_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hay momentos en los que las palabras parecen demasiado peque&#241;as para sostener el peso de lo que siente el coraz&#243;n.</p><p>Hoy, Venezuela est&#225; de duelo.</p><p>Hay familias que han perdido a quienes m&#225;s aman. Otras han perdido su hogar, sus recuerdos, la sensaci&#243;n de seguridad. Muchas permanecen de pie en medio de un dolor inimaginable, pregunt&#225;ndose c&#243;mo la vida pudo cambiar en un solo instante.</p><p>Si t&#250; eres una de ellas, quiero abrazarte desde la distancia.</p><p><strong>El duelo es una de las expresiones m&#225;s profundas del amor. Solo lloramos con tanta intensidad aquello que hemos amado profundamente. Y aunque la p&#233;rdida transforma nuestra vida para siempre, el amor jam&#225;s desaparece.</strong></p><p>S&#233; que en momentos como estos surgen preguntas para las que quiz&#225; nunca encontremos respuestas. &#191;Por qu&#233;? &#191;Por qu&#233; ellos? &#191;Por qu&#233; ahora?</p><p>No pretendo tener esas respuestas.</p><p>Pero despu&#233;s de caminar por el dolor m&#225;s profundo que una madre puede experimentar con la partida de mi hijo, Mat&#237;as, mi alma aprendi&#243; algo que ninguna tragedia ha podido arrebatarme:</p><p>No somos solamente un cuerpo.</p><p><code>Somos almas eternas viviendo una experiencia humana.</code></p><p>El cuerpo regresa a la tierra, pero el amor no desaparece. La conciencia no desaparece. La esencia de quienes realmente somos contin&#250;a su viaje.</p><p>Creo, con todo mi coraz&#243;n, que quienes partieron no fueron abandonados. Fueron recibidos por un Amor infinitamente m&#225;s grande de lo que nuestra mente puede comprender. Hoy est&#225;n rodeados de paz, abrazados por Dios, libres del dolor, del miedo y del sufrimiento.</p><p>Y me gusta imaginar que entre ellos hay ni&#241;os sonriendo nuevamente, abuelos reencontr&#225;ndose con quienes tanto extra&#241;aban, animalitos corriendo libres, y cada alma descubriendo que la muerte nunca fue el final.</p><p>Solo fue el regreso a Casa.</p><p>Para quienes permanecen aqu&#237;, s&#233; que el camino puede parecer imposible.</p><p>Habr&#225; l&#225;grimas.</p><p>Habr&#225; silencios.</p><p>Habr&#225; d&#237;as en los que simplemente respirar ser&#225; un acto de valent&#237;a.</p><p>No apresures tu duelo.</p><p>Honra cada l&#225;grima.</p><p>El amor no conoce calendarios.</p><p>Pero cuando tu coraz&#243;n est&#233; preparado, permite que la esperanza se siente a tu lado.</p><p>No para borrar el dolor&#8230;</p><p>Sino para recordarte, con infinita ternura, que la separaci&#243;n es temporal, mientras que el amor es eterno.</p><p>A todos los que hoy sufren en Venezuela:</p><p>Que puedan sentirse sostenidos, incluso cuando crean que est&#225;n solos.</p><p>Que manos compasivas lleguen hasta ustedes.</p><p>Que los desconocidos se conviertan en familia.</p><p>Que la bondad nazca en cada rinc&#243;n.</p><p>Y que la Luz de Dios envuelva a cada alma: a quienes permanecen aqu&#237;, a quienes partieron y a quienes hoy est&#225;n aprendiendo a vivir con una silla vac&#237;a en la mesa.</p><p>No sanamos porque olvidamos.</p><p>Sanamos porque el amor contin&#250;a encontr&#225;ndonos.</p><p>En una respiraci&#243;n.</p><p>En un recuerdo.</p><p>En un amanecer.</p><p>En un acto de bondad.</p><p>Hoy abrazo a Venezuela con mis oraciones.</p><p>Que la paz alcance cada coraz&#243;n roto.</p><p>Que la esperanza encuentre cada alma cansada.</p><p>Y que nunca olvidemos:</p><p>El amor es m&#225;s fuerte que el miedo.</p><p>El amor es m&#225;s fuerte que cualquier tragedia.</p><p>Y el amor... nunca muere.</p><p></p><p>Con todo mi coraz&#243;n, </p><p>La mam&#225; de un &#225;ngel que vive en el cielo y en mi coraz&#243;n &#128153;</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/despues-del-terremoto-el-amor-permanece?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/despues-del-terremoto-el-amor-permanece?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-204376312&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-204376312"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[After the earthquake, love remains]]></title><description><![CDATA[A letter to Venezuela, written from the heart of a mother who has also learned to live with absence]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/after-the-earthquake-love-remains</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/after-the-earthquake-love-remains</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 01 Jul 2026 14:08:59 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it </span><a href="https://nubiamarquez.substack.com/p/despues-del-terremoto-el-amor-permanece">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png" width="646" height="969" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1536,&quot;width&quot;:1024,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:646,&quot;bytes&quot;:2663003,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/204377442?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!zSJM!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0e958a41-35bb-477f-a127-dd43d8a1f417_1024x1536.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There are moments when words feel too small for the weight of what the heart is carrying.</p><p>Today, Venezuela is grieving.</p><p>Some families have lost loved ones. Others have lost their homes, their memories, their sense of safety. Many are standing in the middle of unimaginable pain, wondering how life could change in a single moment.</p><p>If you are one of them, I want to wrap you in love from afar.</p><p><strong>Grief is one of the deepest expressions of love. We only grieve because we have loved so deeply. And although loss changes us forever, love itself is never lost.</strong></p><p>I know that in moments like these, questions arise that may never find answers. Why? Why them? Why now?</p><p>I don&#8217;t pretend to have those answers.</p><p>But after walking through the unimaginable loss of my son, Mat&#237;as, my soul has learned something that no tragedy has been able to take away from me:</p><p>We are not just bodies.</p><p><code>We are eternal souls having a human experience.</code></p><p>The body may return to the earth, but love does not disappear. Consciousness does not disappear. The essence of who we truly are continues its journey.</p><p>I believe with all my heart that those who left this world were not abandoned. They were welcomed by a Love greater than anything we can comprehend. They are now surrounded by peace, embraced by God, free from pain, fear, and suffering.</p><p>And I like to imagine that among them are children laughing again, grandparents reunited with those they missed, beloved pets running freely, and every soul discovering that death was never the end.</p><p>Only a doorway back Home.</p><p>For those who remain, I know the road ahead may feel impossible.</p><p>There will be tears.</p><p>There will be silence.</p><p>There will be days when breathing itself feels like an act of courage.</p><p>Please don&#8217;t rush your grief.</p><p>Honor every tear.</p><p>Love has no timetable.</p><p>But when your heart is ready, allow hope to sit beside your sorrow.</p><p>Not to erase it...</p><p>but to gently remind you that separation is temporary, while love is eternal.</p><p>To everyone suffering in Venezuela today:</p><p>May you feel held, even when you feel alone.</p><p>May compassionate hands find you.</p><p>May strangers become family.</p><p>May kindness rise from every corner of the world.</p><p>And may the Light of God surround every soul&#8212;those who stayed, those who departed, and those who are now learning how to live with an empty chair at the table.</p><p>We do not heal because we forget.</p><p>We heal because love continues to find us.</p><p>One breath.</p><p>One memory.</p><p>One sunrise.</p><p>One act of kindness at a time.</p><p>Today I hold Venezuela in my prayers.</p><p>May peace reach every broken heart.</p><p>May hope find every weary soul.</p><p>And may we always remember:</p><p>Love is stronger than fear.</p><p>Love is stronger than tragedy.</p><p>And love... never dies.</p><p></p><p>With all my heart,</p><p>The mother of an angel who lives in heaven and in my heart &#128153;</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/after-the-earthquake-love-remains?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/after-the-earthquake-love-remains?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-204377442&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-204377442"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The first manifestation I remember]]></title><description><![CDATA[The cricket and my father]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-first-manifestation-i-remember</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-first-manifestation-i-remember</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:25:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it </span><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/la-primera-manifestacion-que-recuerdo">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png" width="672" height="896" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1448,&quot;width&quot;:1086,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:672,&quot;bytes&quot;:2036453,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/203427502?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!Gpvw!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5ee66a0b-6f86-493b-83fc-d342b6473ae7_1086x1448.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>The first manifestation I remember had no lights, no extraordinary dreams, no great events.</p><p>It had the sound of a cricket.</p><p>My father passed away on July 22, 2001.</p><p>Shortly after, we moved out of the house where we had lived for so many years. It was a house that had grown along with our family. What began as a small space ended up becoming a home full of memories.</p><p>Among all the things in the house, there was one very special to my father: an old iron cabinet where he kept his tools. He loved it so much that, when he remodeled the house, he built it into a wall to preserve it.</p><p>For years, I heard a strange sound coming from there.</p><p>I always thought it was a cricket.</p><p>When we moved out and rented the house, I told the new tenants:</p><p>&#8220;If you hear a cricket around, don&#8217;t worry. We never managed to find it.&#8221;</p><p>A month later, I went back to visit them and asked:</p><p>&#8212;Is the cricket still making noise?</p><p>The young man answered something I never forgot:</p><p>&#8212;No, that wasn&#8217;t a cricket. It was your father. And it left with you.</p><p>I didn&#8217;t argue. I didn&#8217;t ask anything else.</p><p>I simply stored those words somewhere in my heart.</p><p>Many years have passed since then&#8212;almost 25, to be more exact.</p><p>And today, looking back, I think about that sound and that answer.</p><p>Perhaps some experiences are not meant to be explained.</p><p>Perhaps they are only meant to be remembered.</p><p>&#128153;</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-first-manifestation-i-remember?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-first-manifestation-i-remember?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-203427502&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-203427502"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[La primera manifestación que recuerdo]]></title><description><![CDATA[El grillo y mi pap&#225;]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/la-primera-manifestacion-que-recuerdo</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/la-primera-manifestacion-que-recuerdo</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 24 Jun 2026 16:25:32 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><span>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo </span><strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-first-manifestation-i-remember">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png" width="629" height="838.6666666666666" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!RKnx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fa2f76b52-4e6e-402f-a6b8-b4a3bf238a90_1086x1448.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>La primera manifestaci&#243;n que recuerdo no tuvo luces, ni sue&#241;os extraordinarios, ni grandes acontecimientos.</p><p>Tuvo el sonido de un grillo.</p><p>Mi pap&#225; parti&#243; al cielo el 22 de julio de 2001.</p><p>Poco tiempo despu&#233;s nos mudamos de la casa donde hab&#237;amos vivido durante tantos a&#241;os. Era una casa que hab&#237;a crecido junto con nuestra familia. Lo que comenz&#243; como un espacio peque&#241;o termin&#243; convirti&#233;ndose en un hogar lleno de recuerdos.</p><p>Entre todas las cosas de la casa hab&#237;a una muy especial para mi pap&#225;: un viejo gabinete de hierro donde guardaba sus herramientas. Lo quer&#237;a tanto que, cuando remodel&#243; la casa, lo incrust&#243; dentro de una pared para conservarlo.</p><p>Durante a&#241;os escuch&#233; un sonido extra&#241;o que ven&#237;a de all&#237;.</p><p>Siempre pens&#233; que era un grillo.</p><p>Cuando nos mudamos y alquilamos la casa, les coment&#233; a los nuevos inquilinos:</p><p>&#8220;Si escuchan un grillo por ah&#237;, no se preocupen. Nosotros nunca logramos encontrarlo.&#8221;</p><p>Un mes despu&#233;s regres&#233; a visitarlos y les pregunt&#233;:</p><p>&#8212;&#191;Sigue sonando el grillo?</p><p>El muchacho me respondi&#243; algo que nunca olvid&#233;:</p><p><code>&#8212;No, ese no era un grillo. Era tu pap&#225;. Y se fue con ustedes.</code></p><p>No discut&#237;. No pregunt&#233; nada m&#225;s.</p><p>Simplemente guard&#233; esas palabras en alg&#250;n lugar de mi coraz&#243;n.</p><p>Han pasado muchos a&#241;os desde entonces, casi 25 para ser mas exactos.</p><p>Y hoy, mirando hacia atr&#225;s, pienso en aquel sonido y en aquella respuesta.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s algunas experiencias no llegan para ser explicadas.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s solo llegan para ser recordadas.</p><p>&#128153;</p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/la-primera-manifestacion-que-recuerdo?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/la-primera-manifestacion-que-recuerdo?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-203425481&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-203425481"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[Un safari para agradecer]]></title><description><![CDATA[Cuando las cebras, las jirafas y los leones cuentan una historia que comenz&#243; muchos a&#241;os atr&#225;s.]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/un-safari-para-agradecer</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/un-safari-para-agradecer</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:08:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo <strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/a-safari-to-say-thank-you">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg" width="1080" height="1080" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1080,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:937627,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/201823932?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!rDWs!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F800e46f5-b37f-40f8-b910-375c9aad8b2b_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Hay regalos que parecen peque&#241;os cuando se entregan.</p><p>Una cebra.</p><p>Un le&#243;n.</p><p>Un animal de peluche.</p><p>Un detalle pensado para arrancarle una sonrisa a un ni&#241;o.</p><p>Pero el amor con que se entrega un regalo nunca es peque&#241;o.</p><p>Durante a&#241;os, Luisa llen&#243; de alegr&#237;a la vida de Mat&#237;as con detalles que sab&#237;a que &#233;l amaba. Le regal&#243; su cebra favorita y muchos otros figurines de animales que todav&#237;a conservamos con cari&#241;o.</p><p>Esta semana, mientras atravesaba un momento dif&#237;cil, lleg&#243; a su trabajo sin imaginar lo que la esperaba.</p><p>Sus compa&#241;eros le hab&#237;an preparado una celebraci&#243;n por sus 25 a&#241;os de servicio.</p><p>Y all&#237; estaban.</p><p>La cebra.</p><p>La jirafa.</p><p>El le&#243;n.</p><p>El safari completo.</p><p>Cuando vio todo aquello, se emocion&#243; hasta las l&#225;grimas.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s para otros fue simplemente una decoraci&#243;n hermosa.</p><p>Para nosotros fue imposible no reconocer a Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Porque si algo sentimos al ver esas im&#225;genes fue GRATITUD.</p><p>La gratitud de un ni&#241;o que am&#243; profundamente cada uno de esos regalos.</p><p>La gratitud por una mujer que siempre tuvo tiempo para hacerlo sonre&#237;r.</p><p>La gratitud por alguien que sembr&#243; alegr&#237;a sin imaginar cu&#225;nto permanecer&#237;a en el tiempo.</p><p>No sabemos explicar todos los caminos que toma el amor.</p><p>Pero s&#237; sabemos reconocer la gratitud cuando aparece.</p><p>Y esta semana, la vimos reflejada en cebras, jirafas, leones y l&#225;grimas de emoci&#243;n.</p><p>Gracias, Luisa.</p><p>&#128153;</p><p>La fidelidad era una de las cualidades m&#225;s hermosas de Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Cuando su querida cebra perdi&#243; la cola y comenz&#243; a mostrar las huellas de tantos a&#241;os de amor y aventuras, Luisa le regal&#243; otra exactamente igual. Pero Mat&#237;as sigui&#243; eligiendo la original. La nueva era hermosa, pero para &#233;l no era la misma, porque <code>Mat&#237;as no amaba las cosas por c&#243;mo luc&#237;an, sino por la historia que compart&#237;a con ellas.</code></p><p>Una vez incluso la perdi&#243;.</p><p>Hab&#237;amos caminado desde casa hasta un Mall, cerca de 1 milla, cuando nos dimos cuenta de que la cebra ya no estaba con nosotros. Mat&#237;as se desesper&#243;. Sin pensarlo dos veces, emprendimos el camino de regreso recorriendo el mismo trayecto, esperando encontrar alguna pista.</p><p>Y all&#237; estaba.</p><p>Al lado de un poste de madera.</p><p>Alguien la hab&#237;a encontrado y la hab&#237;a dejado cuidadosamente en un lugar visible para que pudiera regresar a las manos de su due&#241;o.</p><p>Cuando Mat&#237;as la vio, su alegr&#237;a fue indescriptible.</p><p>Aquella cebra volvi&#243; a casa.</p><p>Y desde ese d&#237;a, si era posible, la am&#243; todav&#237;a m&#225;s.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic" width="1456" height="1456" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4tGr!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd69957e4-b2d4-4e8c-a713-984d4875d537_5636x5636.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>Y cuando ya hab&#237;a terminado de escribir estas l&#237;neas sobre la cebra de Mat&#237;as, ocurri&#243; algo que nos hizo sonre&#237;r.</p><p>Andr&#233;s levant&#243; la vista hacia la ventana de nuestra habitaci&#243;n y me dijo:</p><p>&#8220;Ven a ver esto. Parece una cebra.&#8221;</p><p>En la malla de la ventana se hab&#237;an formado unas rayas que recordaban sorprendentemente a una cebra. Andr&#233;s vio una grande. Yo descubr&#237; otra m&#225;s peque&#241;a.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s siempre estuvieron all&#237;.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s nunca las hab&#237;amos notado.</p><p>Pero despu&#233;s de pasar horas recordando la historia de su querida cebra, hablando de Luisa y de la fidelidad de Mat&#237;as hacia aquel compa&#241;ero de aventuras que lo acompa&#241;&#243; durante a&#241;os, fue imposible no detenernos a mirar.</p><p>No sabemos explicar todos los caminos que toma el amor.</p><p>Pero s&#237; sabemos que, a veces, los recuerdos encuentran formas inesperadas de hacernos sonre&#237;r.</p><p>&#128153;&#129427;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg" width="2525" height="3390" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!ezvE!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fdb051827-b30c-4d4a-9af1-3860119483b1_2525x3390.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" 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data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/un-safari-para-agradecer?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-201823932&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-201823932"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[A Safari to Say Thank You]]></title><description><![CDATA[When zebras, giraffes, and lions tell a story that began many years ago]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/a-safari-to-say-thank-you</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/a-safari-to-say-thank-you</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 17 Jun 2026 14:08:53 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it <a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/un-safari-para-agradecer">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg" width="1080" height="1080" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1080,&quot;width&quot;:1080,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:937627,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/jpeg&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/201826152?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!MkW4!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2864f600-b81b-4f00-b51b-b55640bfd687_1080x1080.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>There are gifts that seem small when they are given.</p><p>A zebra.</p><p>A lion.</p><p>A stuffed animal.</p><p>A thoughtful gesture meant to bring a smile to a child&#8217;s face.</p><p>But the love with which a gift is given is never small.</p><p>For years, Luisa filled Mat&#237;as&#8217; life with joy through little things she knew he loved. She gave him his favorite zebra and many other animal figurines that we still treasure today.</p><p>This week, while going through a difficult time, she arrived at work with no idea what was waiting for her.</p><p>Her coworkers had prepared a celebration in honor of her 25 years of service.</p><p>And there they were.</p><p>The zebra.</p><p>The giraffe.</p><p>The lion.</p><p>The entire safari.</p><p>When she saw it all, she was moved to tears.</p><p>To others, it may have seemed like a beautiful decoration.</p><p>For us, it was impossible not to recognize Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Because if there was one thing we felt when we saw those images, it was GRATITUDE.</p><p>The gratitude of a child who deeply loved each one of those gifts.</p><p>The gratitude for a woman who always took the time to make him smile.</p><p>The gratitude for someone who planted joy without ever imagining how long it would remain.</p><p>We cannot explain all the paths love takes.</p><p>But we do know how to recognize gratitude when it appears.</p><p>And this week, we saw it reflected in zebras, giraffes, lions, and tears of emotion.</p><p>Thank you, Luisa.</p><p>&#128153;</p><p>One of Mat&#237;as&#8217; most beautiful qualities was his loyalty.</p><p>When his beloved zebra lost its tail and began to show the marks of so many years of love and adventures, Luisa gave him another one exactly like it. But Mat&#237;as continued choosing the original. The new one was beautiful, but to him it was not the same, because <code>Mat&#237;as did not love things for how they looked; he loved them for the story he shared with them.</code></p><p>One day, he even lost it.</p><p>We had walked from home to a mall, nearly a mile away, when we realized the zebra was no longer with us. Mat&#237;as became frantic. Without hesitation, we retraced our steps, following the exact same route, hoping to find some clue.</p><p>And there it was.</p><p>Next to a wooden utility pole.</p><p>Someone had found it and carefully placed it in a visible spot so it could make its way back to its owner.</p><p>When Mat&#237;as saw it, his joy was indescribable.</p><p>That zebra came home.</p><p>And from that day on, if possible, he loved it even more.</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic" width="1456" height="1456" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/e5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1456,&quot;width&quot;:1456,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3387619,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/heic&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:true,&quot;topImage&quot;:false,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/201826152?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!654i!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fe5252cb3-16e3-4921-94c0-9d0bbd93b1ba_5636x5636.heic 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p></p><p>And when I had just finished writing these lines about Mat&#237;as&#8217; zebra, something happened that made us smile.</p><p>Andr&#233;s looked up toward the window of our bedroom and said to me:</p><p>&#8220;Come see this. It looks like a zebra.&#8221;</p><p>On the window mesh, some lines had formed that surprisingly resembled a zebra. Andr&#233;s saw a big one. I discovered a smaller one.</p><p>Maybe they had always been there.</p><p>Maybe we had just never noticed them.</p><p>But after spending hours remembering the story of his beloved zebra, talking about Luisa and Mat&#237;as&#8217; loyalty to that companion from his adventures who accompanied him for years, it was impossible not to pause and look.</p><p>We don&#8217;t know how to explain all the paths love takes.</p><p>But we do know that, sometimes, memories find unexpected ways to make us smile.</p><p>&#128153;&#129427;</p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OPoh!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e066b45-823e-442b-9f99-c27e8e25c7be_2525x3530.jpeg" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OPoh!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e066b45-823e-442b-9f99-c27e8e25c7be_2525x3530.jpeg 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OPoh!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e066b45-823e-442b-9f99-c27e8e25c7be_2525x3530.jpeg 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OPoh!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e066b45-823e-442b-9f99-c27e8e25c7be_2525x3530.jpeg 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!OPoh!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F3e066b45-823e-442b-9f99-c27e8e25c7be_2525x3530.jpeg 1456w" sizes="100vw" loading="lazy"></picture><div 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data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/a-safari-to-say-thank-you?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/a-safari-to-say-thank-you?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-201826152&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-201826152"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[THE RACCOON AND UNCLE MARCO’S BIRTHDAY 🦝💙]]></title><description><![CDATA[A small sign from Mat&#237;as on a special day.]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-and-uncle-marcos-birthday</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-and-uncle-marcos-birthday</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 14:08:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it <a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-mapache-y-el-cumpleanos-del-tio">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png" width="704" height="1227" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1227,&quot;width&quot;:704,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1585569,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/199013973?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F73e4cd45-e077-459c-9279-bac59747d356_704x1527.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!cpKd!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8e8f733e-88bf-478f-8959-28bb37db7f6c_704x1227.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Last Thursday, May 21st, it was Uncle Marco&#8217;s birthday.</p><p>That morning, we sent him a birthday greeting voice note from New York to Florida. While we were recording it, Mat&#237;as&#8217; giraffe started making noise, and I told Andr&#233;s:</p><p>&#8212;Record that too.</p><p>And just before sending the message, I added with a smile:</p><p>&#8212;Don&#8217;t worry, Mat&#237;as is going to send you a manifestation. He&#8217;ll probably send you some little animal.</p><p>It wasn&#8217;t a formal request.<br>It wasn&#8217;t a ceremony.<br>Just a sentence spoken with love.</p><p>A little while later, while Uncle Marco and Aunt Ida were listening to the audio with their son, the dogs started barking insistently.</p><p>They went outside to see what was going on.</p><p>And there it was: a beautiful raccoon &#129437;&#128153; calmly drinking water by the pool.</p><p>The curious thing is that they had never seen one there before.</p><p>So Uncle Marco listened to the message again and was left in shock.</p><p>Just as they were hearing that Mat&#237;as would send a manifestation through an animal, an animal appeared that they had never seen in that place.</p><p>And it was a raccoon.</p><p>The same animal that has appeared so many times in our story.</p><p>The one that first began crossing paths with Mar&#237;a and Andr&#233;s in New York.</p><p>The one that showed up as a small figurine dressed in blue.</p><p>The one that keeps appearing at unexpected moments, as if it simply finds a way to say:</p><p>&#8220;Hi. I&#8217;m here.&#8221;</p><p>Maybe the sign is never just the animal.</p><p>Maybe the sign is the exact moment it appears.</p><p>Because when something shows up exactly when you need it, exactly when you name it, and exactly when you think of someone you love, it stops feeling like just a coincidence.</p><p>And on that special day, on Uncle Marco&#8217;s birthday, the messenger appeared again.</p><p>With his little bandit mask, his tiny paws, and a quiet greeting for the whole family:<br>Happy birthday, Uncle Marco &#129437;&#128153;</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;7d4273bc-1b7d-44c9-9221-b1960eaad380&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Video:</strong> And so this small, special manifestation unfolded.</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-and-uncle-marcos-birthday?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-and-uncle-marcos-birthday?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-199013973&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-199013973"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[EL MAPACHE Y EL CUMPLEAÑOS DEL TÍO MARCO 🦝💙]]></title><description><![CDATA[Una peque&#241;a se&#241;al de Mat&#237;as en un d&#237;a especial]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-mapache-y-el-cumpleanos-del-tio</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-mapache-y-el-cumpleanos-del-tio</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 27 May 2026 14:08:54 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo <strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-and-uncle-marcos-birthday">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!9nTx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fab1ac075-01ce-4c8a-b964-2113be133f23_704x1224.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>El pasado jueves 21 de mayo, fue el cumplea&#241;os del t&#237;o Marco.</p><p>Esa ma&#241;ana le enviamos una felicitaci&#243;n por audio desde Nueva York hasta Florida. Mientras la grab&#225;bamos, comenz&#243; a sonar la jirafa de Mat&#237;as y le dije a Andr&#233;s:</p><p>&#8212;Gr&#225;bala tambi&#233;n.</p><p>Y antes de enviar el mensaje agregu&#233; sonriendo:</p><p>&#8212;Tranquilo, que Mat&#237;as te va a mandar una manifestaci&#243;n. Seguro te manda alg&#250;n animalito.</p><p>No fue una petici&#243;n formal.<br>No fue una ceremonia.<br>Solo una frase dicha con amor.</p><p>Un rato despu&#233;s, cuando el t&#237;o Marco y la t&#237;a Ida estaban escuchando el audio junto a su hijo, los perros comenzaron a ladrar insistentemente.</p><p>Salieron a ver qu&#233; ocurr&#237;a.</p><p>Y all&#237; estaba: Un hermoso mapache &#129437;&#128153;, tomando agua tranquilamente junto a la piscina.</p><p>Lo curioso es que nunca hab&#237;an visto uno all&#237;.</p><p>Entonces el t&#237;o escuch&#243; nuevamente mi mensaje y se qued&#243; sorprendido.</p><p>Justo cuando escuchaban que Mat&#237;as enviar&#237;a una manifestaci&#243;n a trav&#233;s de un animal, apareci&#243; un animal que jam&#225;s hab&#237;an visto en ese lugar.</p><p>Y adem&#225;s era un mapache.</p><p>El mismo animal que tantas veces ha aparecido en nuestra historia.</p><p>El que comenz&#243; a cruzarse en el camino de Mar&#237;a y Andr&#233;s en Nueva York.</p><p>El que apareci&#243; convertido en un peque&#241;o figur&#237;n vestido de azul.</p><p>El que sigue apareciendo en momentos inesperados, como si encontrara la manera de decir simplemente:</p><p>&#8220;Hola. Estoy aqu&#237;.&#8221;</p><p>Quiz&#225;s la se&#241;al nunca es &#250;nicamente el animal.</p><p>Quiz&#225;s la se&#241;al es el momento exacto en que aparece.</p><p>Porque cuando algo llega justo cuando lo necesitas, justo cuando lo nombras y justo cuando piensas en quien amas, deja de sentirse como una coincidencia cualquiera.</p><p>Y ese d&#237;a especial, en el cumplea&#241;os del t&#237;o Marco, el mensajero volvi&#243; a aparecer.</p><p>Con su m&#225;scara de bandido, sus peque&#241;as patas y un saludo silencioso para toda la familia: Feliz cumplea&#241;os, t&#237;o Marco &#129437;&#128153;</p><div class="native-video-embed" data-component-name="VideoPlaceholder" data-attrs="{&quot;mediaUploadId&quot;:&quot;4b758e8a-cd58-4b75-8a22-1691429bcadb&quot;,&quot;duration&quot;:null}"></div><p style="text-align: center;"><strong>Video: </strong>Y as&#237; se vivi&#243; esta peque&#241;a manifestaci&#243;n tan especial</p><p style="text-align: center;"></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-mapache-y-el-cumpleanos-del-tio?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-mapache-y-el-cumpleanos-del-tio?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-199013323&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-199013323"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The Milk Heart]]></title><description><![CDATA[Perhaps the connection was always there &#8212; we just had to quiet the noise to notice it.]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-milk-heart</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-milk-heart</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 14:08:41 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it <a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-corazon-de-leche">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png" width="1341" height="1775" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1775,&quot;width&quot;:1341,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3655540,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/198022577?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!O6d-!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F0a38a0b6-780f-4a0f-9178-9de3464eab8f_1341x1775.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Every morning, when Andr&#233;s prepares his espresso, something very special happens between him and Mat&#237;as.</p><p>As the milk falls onto the coffee, animal shapes appear. Sometimes an elephant, an anteater, a sea lion, a giraffe, or a dog; other times a bird, or figures that are hard to explain. And we look for them the way someone listens to a language they&#8217;ve slowly learned to recognize.</p><p>Today Andr&#233;s said to me:<br>&#8220;Look, Mat&#237;as drew me an elephant.&#8221;</p><p>And I answered:<br>&#8220;Yes&#8230; and look at the upside-down heart he makes when he curls the trunk.&#8221;</p><p>It may sound strange to some people. But for us, it feels natural. Everyday. Like love finding ways to remain present.</p><p>The most beautiful part came afterward.</p><p>I never drink coffee. In fact, I usually don&#8217;t drink anything with breakfast, or maybe just a little juice. But today, without even thinking much about it, I said to my husband:<br>&#8220;I want milk&#8230; please pour me a glass of milk.&#8221;</p><p>We finished breakfast. I got up to bring the plates into the kitchen and left the glass behind on the table.</p><p>Then Andr&#233;s called me.</p><p>&#8220;Look what Mat&#237;as just drew for you here.&#8221;</p><p>At the bottom of the glass, <strong>the milk drifted toward the edges and left, at the center, a perfect heart. Waiting for me&#8230;</strong></p><p>And honestly&#8230; I didn&#8217;t feel surprised.<br><code>I felt love and peace.</code></p><p>Because when you live this kind of connection day after day, it stops feeling like coincidence and begins to feel like language.</p><p>Over time, I&#8217;ve come to believe that maybe it&#8217;s not about &#8220;learning&#8221; how to connect with the people we love who are no longer physically here. Maybe the connection has always existed.</p><p>Maybe what we really need is to unlearn.</p><p>To undo the beliefs that harden the way we see.<br>To let go of the need to control, to explain everything, to dismiss what is deeply felt.<br>To quiet the mind.<br>To set the ego aside, even just for a moment.</p><p>And then something begins to open.</p><p>I&#8217;m not saying everyone should see signs in a cup of coffee or a glass of milk. Every connection finds its own language. But I do believe, deeply, that love does not disappear, and that life continues to speak to us in very subtle ways.</p><p>Sometimes it arrives as a memory.<br>Sometimes as an unexpected animal.<br>And sometimes&#8230; as a tiny milk heart waiting at the bottom of a glass &#128153;</p><p><code>Matias, we love you&#8230;</code></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-milk-heart?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-milk-heart?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-198022577&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-198022577"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p><p></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[El corazón de leche]]></title><description><![CDATA[Quiz&#225;s la conexi&#243;n siempre estuvo ah&#237;; solo ten&#237;amos que silenciar el ruido para notarla]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-corazon-de-leche</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-corazon-de-leche</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 20 May 2026 14:08:39 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo <strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-milk-heart">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png" width="1341" height="1775" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:1775,&quot;width&quot;:1341,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:3655540,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/198021008?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!nzkG!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F2828ae0b-ffa6-4700-a474-a1295db3bef7_1341x1775.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p>Cada ma&#241;ana, cuando Andr&#233;s prepara su espresso, ocurre algo muy especial entre &#233;l y Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Mientras la leche cae sobre el caf&#233;, aparecen formas de animales. A veces un elefante, un oso hormiguero, un le&#243;n marino, una girafe, un perro, otras veces un ave o figuras dif&#237;ciles de explicar. Y nosotros las buscamos como quien escucha un idioma que ya aprendi&#243; a reconocer.</p><p>Hoy Andr&#233;s me dijo:<br>&#8220;Mira, Mat&#237;as me dibuj&#243; un elefante.&#8221;</p><p>Y yo le respond&#237;:<br>&#8220;S&#237;&#8230; y mira el coraz&#243;n al rev&#233;s que hace cuando enrosca la trompa.&#8221;</p><p>Puede sonar extra&#241;o para algunos. Pero para nosotros es natural. Es cotidiano. Es amor encontrando maneras de seguir presente.</p><p>Lo m&#225;s hermoso vino despu&#233;s.</p><p>Yo nunca tomo caf&#233;. De hecho, normalmente desayuno sin bebidas, o apenas un poco de jugo. Pero hoy, sin pensarlo demasiado, le dije a mi esposo:<br>&#8220;Quiero leche&#8230; s&#237;rveme un vaso de leche, por favor.&#8221;</p><p>Terminamos de desayunar. Yo me levant&#233; para llevar los platos a la cocina y dej&#233; el vaso sobre la mesa.</p><p>Entonces Andr&#233;s me llam&#243;.</p><p>&#8220;Mira lo que Mat&#237;as te acaba de dibujar aqu&#237;.&#8221;</p><p>En el fondo del vaso, <strong>la leche se abri&#243; hacia los bordes y dej&#243;, en el centro, un coraz&#243;n perfecto. Esper&#225;ndome&#8230;</strong></p><p>Y honestamente&#8230; no sent&#237; sorpresa.<br><code>Sent&#237; mucho amor y paz.</code></p><p>Porque cuando uno vive este tipo de conexi&#243;n d&#237;a tras d&#237;a, deja de sentirse como coincidencia y empieza a sentirse como lenguaje.</p><p>Con el tiempo he entendido que quiz&#225; no se trata de &#8220;aprender&#8221; a conectar con quienes amamos y ya no vemos f&#237;sicamente. Tal vez la conexi&#243;n siempre ha estado all&#237;.</p><p>Tal vez lo que realmente necesitamos es desaprender.</p><p>Deshacer muchas creencias que nos endurecen la mirada.<br>Soltar la necesidad de controlar, de explicar todo, de ridiculizar lo sensible.<br>Hacer silencio mental.<br>Dejar el ego a un lado por un momento.</p><p>Y entonces algo empieza a abrirse.</p><p>No digo que todos deban ver se&#241;ales en una taza o en un vaso de leche. Cada conexi&#243;n encuentra su propio lenguaje. Pero s&#237; creo profundamente que el amor no desaparece, y que hay formas muy sutiles en las que la vida sigue habl&#225;ndonos.</p><p>A veces llega en forma de un recuerdo.<br>A veces en un animal inesperado.<br>Y a veces&#8230; en un peque&#241;o coraz&#243;n de leche al fondo de un vaso &#128153;</p><p><code>Matias, te amamos&#8230;</code></p><p></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Subscribe now&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/subscribe?"><span>Subscribe now</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-corazon-de-leche?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Share&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-corazon-de-leche?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email&utm_content=share&action=share"><span>Share</span></a></p><p class="button-wrapper" data-attrs="{&quot;url&quot;:&quot;https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-198021008&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Leave a comment&quot;,&quot;action&quot;:null,&quot;class&quot;:null}" data-component-name="ButtonCreateButton"><a class="button primary" href="https://substack.com/@nubiamarquez/note/p-198021008"><span>Leave a comment</span></a></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[El racún que no era solo un racún]]></title><description><![CDATA[Porque algunas presencias no dependen del cuerpo para seguir acompa&#241;ando]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-racun-que-no-era-solo-un-racun</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-racun-que-no-era-solo-un-racun</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 14:08:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Este post est&#225; disponible tambi&#233;n en ingl&#233;s. Puedes leerlo <strong><a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-that-was-never-just-a">aqu&#237;</a></strong></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png" width="1152" height="921" data-attrs="{&quot;src&quot;:&quot;https://substack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com/public/images/abd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png&quot;,&quot;srcNoWatermark&quot;:null,&quot;fullscreen&quot;:null,&quot;imageSize&quot;:null,&quot;height&quot;:921,&quot;width&quot;:1152,&quot;resizeWidth&quot;:null,&quot;bytes&quot;:1926414,&quot;alt&quot;:null,&quot;title&quot;:null,&quot;type&quot;:&quot;image/png&quot;,&quot;href&quot;:null,&quot;belowTheFold&quot;:false,&quot;topImage&quot;:true,&quot;internalRedirect&quot;:&quot;https://www.nubiamarquez.com/i/196937956?img=https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png&quot;,&quot;isProcessing&quot;:false,&quot;align&quot;:null,&quot;offset&quot;:false}" class="sizing-normal" alt="" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!87yx!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fabd53425-a8e7-42af-b77d-2ff4c786d3dc_1152x921.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><br>No recuerdo que los mapaches (racunes) tuvieran un significado tan especial antes.</p><p>Sin embargo, recuerdo una vez que est&#225;bamos caminando alrededor del Lago de Minnewaska State Park. Yo cruc&#233; por un tronco improvisado como puente junto a Mar&#237;a, pero Andr&#233;s decidi&#243; irse por la parte de abajo con Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Y fue ah&#237;, lejos de nosotras, cuando un rac&#250;n apareci&#243; frente a ellos. Andr&#233;s se qued&#243; detenido un rato, ense&#241;&#225;ndoselo a Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Nada m&#225;s en particular, adem&#225;s de haberlo visto alguna vez en zool&#243;gicos, libros o videos.</p><p>La conexi&#243;n vino despu&#233;s de que Mat&#237;as parti&#243;.</p><p>Primero comenzaron a aparecerles mapaches a Maria y Andres mientras &#233;l conduc&#237;a el carro de Mar&#237;a en plena ciudad de Nueva York, cerca de la casa. Luego, Mar&#237;a encontr&#243; en su trabajo un peque&#241;o y hermoso figur&#237;n de mapache, vestido de azul &#8212;el color favorito de Mat&#237;as&#8212; colocado en un lugar com&#250;n, como si estuviera esper&#225;ndola. Mar&#237;a lo tom&#243; y desde entonces la acompa&#241;a siempre; lo puso en su carro rojo como adorno central.</p><p>Despu&#233;s, en la casita de campo de Mar&#237;a &#8212;la cual bautiz&#243; como <em>Mat&#237;as&#8217; House</em>&#8212; est&#225;bamos limpiando el frente lleno de hojas, y hab&#237;a dos animales decorativos muy sucios. Cuando los lavamos, descubrimos que uno era un rac&#250;n. Un animal poco com&#250;n para decoraciones de casa.</p><p>Y as&#237; siguieron apareciendo.</p><p>Debajo del carro. En momentos inesperados. Como peque&#241;os &#8220;hola&#8221; disfrazados.</p><p>Ahora Mar&#237;a vive en Texas.</p><p>Y esta semana, una vecina le toc&#243; la puerta para mostrarle algo &#8220;extra&#241;o&#8221;:</p><p>&#8220;Jam&#225;s hab&#237;amos visto racunes aqu&#237;&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>El video mostraba un rac&#250;n caminando tranquilamente&#8230; y luego subiendo justo hacia el techo donde vive Mar&#237;a.</p><p>Como si supiera exactamente d&#243;nde encontrarla.</p><p>Y ah&#237; es donde todo cambia de significado.</p><p>Porque quiz&#225;s no se trata de que el rac&#250;n representara algo desde antes.</p><p>Sino de que, despu&#233;s, ciertas presencias encuentran nuevas formas de hacerse notar.</p><p>Como si el amor &#8212;cuando ya no puede sostenerse en el cuerpo&#8212; empezara a usar la naturaleza como lenguaje.</p><p>Y en ese lenguaje, el rac&#250;n se convirti&#243; en algo profundamente personal para Mar&#237;a.</p><p>No porque lo fuera antes.</p><p>Sino porque empez&#243; a aparecer cuando m&#225;s necesitaba sentir que no estaba sola. &#129437;&#129293;</p><p>Y ah&#237; entend&#237; algo que quiz&#225;s el amor nos ense&#241;a demasiado tarde:</p><p>Ellos no se van.</p><p>Solo dejan de existir dentro de los l&#237;mites f&#237;sicos que nosotros entendemos.</p><p>Porque cuando el cuerpo ya no puede abrazar, el amor aprende otras maneras de aparecer.</p><p>A veces en canciones.<br>A veces en sue&#241;os.<br>A veces en recuerdos inesperados.<br>Y a veces&#8230; en un rac&#250;n que encuentra exactamente a la persona que necesita sentir que no est&#225; sola.</p><p>Hoy el rac&#250;n es la conexi&#243;n m&#225;s profunda entre Mat&#237;as y Mar&#237;a, su querida &#8220;del carro rojo&#8221;. Como si ahora que ella est&#225; lejos, &#233;l quisiera recordarle:</p><p><strong>&#8220;Todav&#237;a estoy aqu&#237; contigo.&#8221; &#129437;&#128153;</strong></p><p><code>Un rac&#250;n, una distancia y un v&#237;nculo que sigue vivo m&#225;s all&#225; del cuerpo.</code></p>]]></content:encoded></item><item><title><![CDATA[The raccoon that was never just a raccoon]]></title><description><![CDATA[Because some presences don&#8217;t depend on the body to keep accompanying us.]]></description><link>https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-that-was-never-just-a</link><guid isPermaLink="false">https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/the-raccoon-that-was-never-just-a</guid><dc:creator><![CDATA[Nubia Marquez]]></dc:creator><pubDate>Wed, 13 May 2026 14:08:49 GMT</pubDate><enclosure url="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png" length="0" type="image/jpeg"/><content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>This post is also available in Spanish. Read it <a href="https://www.nubiamarquez.com/p/el-racun-que-no-era-solo-un-racun">here</a></p><div class="captioned-image-container"><figure><a class="image-link image2 is-viewable-img" target="_blank" href="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png" data-component-name="Image2ToDOM"><div class="image2-inset"><picture><source type="image/webp" srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_424,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_848,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_1272,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_webp,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 1456w" sizes="100vw"><img src="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png" width="1152" height="921" 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srcset="https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_424,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 424w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_848,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 848w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_1272,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 1272w, https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!bK2z!,w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fc3b4f81b-5bbb-49b0-bbc6-d17402bf576c_1152x921.png 1456w" sizes="100vw" fetchpriority="high"></picture><div class="image-link-expand"><div class="pencraft pc-display-flex pc-gap-8 pc-reset"><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container restack-image"><svg aria-hidden="true" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 20 20" fill="none" stroke-width="1.5" stroke="var(--color-fg-primary)" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg"><g><path d="M2.53001 7.81595C3.49179 4.73911 6.43281 2.5 9.91173 2.5C13.1684 2.5 15.9537 4.46214 17.0852 7.23684L17.6179 8.67647M17.6179 8.67647L18.5002 4.26471M17.6179 8.67647L13.6473 6.91176M17.4995 12.1841C16.5378 15.2609 13.5967 17.5 10.1178 17.5C6.86118 17.5 4.07589 15.5379 2.94432 12.7632L2.41165 11.3235M2.41165 11.3235L1.5293 15.7353M2.41165 11.3235L6.38224 13.0882"></path></g></svg></button><button tabindex="0" type="button" class="pencraft pc-reset pencraft icon-container view-image"><svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" width="20" height="20" viewBox="0 0 24 24" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" stroke-width="2" stroke-linecap="round" stroke-linejoin="round" class="lucide lucide-maximize2 lucide-maximize-2"><polyline points="15 3 21 3 21 9"></polyline><polyline points="9 21 3 21 3 15"></polyline><line x1="21" x2="14" y1="3" y2="10"></line><line x1="3" x2="10" y1="21" y2="14"></line></svg></button></div></div></div></a></figure></div><p><br>I don&#8217;t remember raccoons ever having such a special meaning before.<br>However, I do remember once we were walking around Minnewaska State Park. I crossed an improvised log that served as a bridge with Mar&#237;a, but Andr&#233;s decided to go down the lower path with Mat&#237;as.</p><p>And it was there, away from us, that a raccoon appeared in front of them. Andr&#233;s stopped for a moment, showing it to Mat&#237;as.</p><p>Nothing particularly meaningful at the time, other than having seen raccoons before in zoos, books, or videos.</p><p>The connection came after Mat&#237;as passed.</p><p>First, raccoons began appearing to Mar&#237;a and Andr&#233;s while he was driving Mar&#237;a&#8217;s car in the middle of New York City, near their home. Then, Mar&#237;a found at her workplace a small and beautiful raccoon figurine, dressed in blue &#8212; Mat&#237;as&#8217; favorite color &#8212; placed in a common area, as if it had been waiting for her. Mar&#237;a took it, and since then it has stayed with her always; she placed it in her red car as a central ornament.</p><p>Later, at Mar&#237;a&#8217;s country house &#8212; which she named <em>Mat&#237;as&#8217; House</em> &#8212; we were cleaning the front covered in leaves, and there were two very dirty decorative animals. When we washed them, we discovered one was a raccoon. An uncommon animal for home decorations.</p><p>And they kept appearing after that.</p><p>Under the car. In unexpected moments. Like small disguised &#8220;hellos.&#8221;</p><p>Now Mar&#237;a lives in Texas.</p><p>And this week, a neighbor knocked on her door to show her something &#8220;strange&#8221;:</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve never seen raccoons here&#8230;&#8221;</p><p>The video showed a raccoon calmly walking&#8230; and then climbing directly toward the roof where Mar&#237;a lives.</p><p>As if it knew exactly where to find her.</p><p>And that is where everything shifts in meaning.</p><p>Because perhaps it is not that the raccoon represented something from the beginning.</p><p>But rather that, afterward, certain presences find new ways of making themselves known.</p><p>As if love &#8212; when it can no longer exist within the body &#8212; begins to use nature as a language.</p><p>And in that language, the raccoon became something deeply personal for Mar&#237;a.</p><p>Not because it was before.</p><p>But because it began to appear when she most needed to feel she was not alone. &#129437;&#129293;</p><p>And there I understood something that perhaps love teaches us too late:</p><p>They do not leave.<br>They only stop existing within the physical limits we are able to understand.</p><p>Because when the body can no longer embrace, love learns other ways of appearing.</p><p>Sometimes in songs.<br>Sometimes in dreams.<br>Sometimes in unexpected memories.<br>And sometimes&#8230; in a raccoon that finds exactly the person who needs to feel she is not alone.</p><p>Today, the raccoon is the deepest connection between Mat&#237;as and Mar&#237;a, his beloved &#8220;girl with the red car.&#8221; As if now that she is far away, he wants to remind her:</p><p><strong>&#8220;I am still here with you.&#8221; </strong>&#129437;&#128153;</p><p><code>A raccoon, a distance, and a bond that continues to live beyond the body.</code></p>]]></content:encoded></item></channel></rss>