I knew as soon as the words left my mouth that my mom was going to cry. My patience this morning upon waking up was already worn thin because I had spent all day yesterday traveling and interacting with so many different people and situations. Being a little bit introverted all I really wanted today was to sleep in, drink my coffee quietly and try to relax.

This is the daily struggle of my mom being very extroverted and in a foreign country where she doesn't speak the language.

Dear Diary - I feel like a horrible person

Understanding the dynamics of immigrant families are hard - until you become one. I can't imagine how frustrating it is for her after 4 years in Colombia to still only be able to speak only basic Spanish. My own fluency is so high I take it for granted even though I still occasionally miss out on nuances and don't always understand everything. For her it must be even a bit hellish.

Here in Colombia, most of the population still doesn't speak English. Even many who do, won't have the confidence to simply chime in and try to help. In so many ways, this country is still very much an isolated type of place. We receive only a tiny fraction of the tourism and foreign interaction compared to other countries like Mexico, Panama and even Peru, where English speakers are now becoming fairly common.

There is a silver lining. Even though we live in a lower middle class neighborhood, my mom has a few English speakers here. The owner of the little tienda where we pay most of our bills, and even the butcher speaks English.

When she goes to the fruit/vegetable stands they are adept at understanding her broken Spanish and even letting her enter to choose her own fruits and vegetables. All around us we have all these small blessings from a population that is very sympathetic to an older woman in a strange land.

My mother has a heart of gold. She is a true genius having a mind that is extremely fast and alert. When she begins talking about science and technology I sometimes feel like I need to take notes or completely miss what she is talking about. Truly she is an incredible person - one who I am so thankful to have in my life. Without her I wouldn't be here today writing you.

If only all people were so blessed to have a mother like mine.

Today, we might be a bit at odds with each other. Tomorrow, I will double down on my efforts to focus and pay attention to her needs. I pray that God forgives me for insulting her the way I did. She didn't need me to yell at her like that. My mother deserves so much more than that.

Photo Credit: All pictures are my own originals taken with a Sony NEX-3N at an eco-park in Manizales, Colombia.

Maybe by lunch we will be ready to forgive and forget - which means I need to suck it up and apologize to her and do the right thing. It's not easy. Life doesn't come with a user manual on how to keep everyone happy, but it doesn't mean we shouldn't try.

My mother is a very special person, and she deserves all the blessings that Jesus Christ has in store for her. If you are as lucky to have a mother as sweet and loving as mine - be good to her, they make our lives richer and more full.

Dear Reader, I am now 22 days deep into #the100daysofsteem, I know I am not the only one starting to reach exhaustion for creating excellent pieces of content every single day without stopping! Some of us have been at this since the very beginning, and they have all my respect. Even now, the competition is getting fierce as we are now in the final stretch with July 11th being the last day. I am grateful to EVERYONE who has taken time to read my musings and wild wanderings. And to my competitors I wish LOTS of energy! Don't give up, don't stop - let's take this all the way to the finish line!

Smile it's Saturday, and...

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