I am a fifty-four year old woman, born in Mexico, living in Portland Oregon, USA. I have worked in poverty and hunger relief and multi-cultural arts programming. I am a singer and a writer. I have one grown son who I raised alone. Spanish is my native language but I studied French and I speak fluent English.

I remember once, asking a scholar why it was that women are not commanded to pray in so many religions the way men are and his answer was that, we are already spiritual beings. Everything we do in our lives is a prayer: taking care of our children, our husband, our parents, our community. We do not need to be reminded what the priority is in life. And that satisfied something in me. I knew he was right. And all women have this in common: our lives, spent giving and loving and caring, are prayers. And we do not need reminding.

~Flora