Being away from family and friends is one of the toughest things human beings can experience. Not knowing the next time you’ll see your loved ones often leaves a person with a sense that life is simply ‘on hold’. This is something that I, like many of you, live with everyday being in the US while my family is in Mexico.

Cultural values are a big part of being Latino/Latina. One of, if not, the most, important one is this idea of “family first!”. We’ve all seen or heard of the stereotype that ‘Latinos go everywhere together – even to the grocery store’. Well that stereotype is rooted in some truth. We try our best to be with family as much as possible. When we’re away from them we call, send email & letters, stay connected through social networks, videochat through skype or facebook, exchange pictures through online photo albums and much more. We do everything possible to keep the relationship close despite our distances.

Sending money back home is just another way to keep our connections with our family and maintain the sense of sharing and belonging even if we no longer live together. Yet, it is much more than a conversation on the Internet. Sending money home implies that we share the fruits of our labor with our own people. Despite the hardships,, loneliness, or even bad day’s at work, become worthy knowing that sharing our money is helping our family progress.

It wasn’t until I got here to the US that I truly understood the saying, “it feels better to give than to receive”. Every time I get my paycheck I feel happy when seeing all my hard work printed on the check in numbers. However, nothing is more satisfying than sharing those earnings with people who I miss and who need the money more than I do.

I’m often asked, ‘what exactly makes you feel so satisfied in giving away so much of your money?’ The answer is always easy. It makes me feel connected. It brings me back to what I left behind in Mexico. When the money is spent on groceries, I feel as though I’m there eating at the dining table with my family. When the money is used to buy Christmas presents, I too get to enjoy the holidays with them…When it goes to fixing my cousin’s car, I think about the fun times we had driving in that awful thing going to the beach. The money and my help becomes the replacement for my physical absensce.. And it ALWAYS reminds me why I came to this country – to get ahead and help my own.

Sending money to our family is what keeps us going. It is our motivation and reason to wake up in the early morning and push through every single day. The value of sending money does not exist in the money itself; but rather in participating in our own family.

IT IS THE VALUE OF PRESENCE!

Now you know my story. What’s yours? What does your money help with? Do you have any great stories about how your money has helped your family? We’d love to hear them. Leave them in the comment sections or email them to us. We’ll post a collection of the best ones.

On twitter we’ll be starting a trending topic called #likebeingthere. We’ll track it and post from time to time.

Thanks –
Jessica