What to give mom?

Time marches on, and the second Sunday of May marks the calendar. With it comes that cyclical question that keeps children, spouses, and grandchildren awake at night: what to get Mom?

However, this year, the question can’t be answered with just wishful thinking, but with a bit of math that often doesn’t add up.

In recent weeks, commercial spaces have tried to dress up for the occasion. A notable example is the “Art for Mom” fair. Sponsored by the Cuban Fund for Cultural Assets.

In its booths, like those that overflowed the ExpoHolguin facilities for several days. The undeniable talent of our artisans is on display: leather footwear, designer jewelry, designer furniture, and dazzling textiles.

The variety is, certainly, a visual balm. But here lies the dichotomy: while the offers are dazzling. So the purchasing power of the average Holguin family faces a much more austere reality.

For the average Cuban, whose income must contend with relentless inflation and a cost of living that rises faster than any salary. Many of these objects, however beautiful or commonplace, have become luxuries, distant and unattainable.

The market is now divided between those who can access new forms of management and offers in foreign currency. And those who count every peso to ensure their daily meal.

In this context, buying a designer perfume or a piece of pottery can represent an entire month’s budget.

Does this mean that the celebration is suspended? Absolutely not.

It is precisely in material scarcity that the abundance of the spirit must flourish. If one’s wallet doesn’t stretch to the leather shoe or the silver jewelry. Let the richness of affection not be lacking.

At the end of the day, what remains etched in a mother’s memory isn’t the price tag, but the intention behind the gesture.

An early morning kiss, a whispered “I love you” before coffee, or that flower picked from the neighbor’s garden. Or bought with sacrifice at the corner store, carries an emotional weight that no amount of money can buy.

The true gift, aside from material things which can also be valuable, is gratitude. A recognition of that person who, in difficult times, always works magic to ensure there are enough basic necessities on the table and joy at home.

This Sunday, let the greatest gift be our love and affection. Let the gesture, however small it may seem, reflect a genuine desire to see her smile.

Because for a mother, the value of a present doesn’t lie in its cost, but in the tenderness with which it is given, on Mother’s Day or any other day.

By: Leannis Berbén Leyva

Radio Angulo
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