It is always so, I guess, validating when you meet somebody that you esteem -- and then they turn out to be everything [you thought] and more. - Gloria Estefan

Getting this caliber of musicians together [for "90 Millas" CD in September of 2007] is almost impossible to do again.

Being a mom is my number one job. My son [Nayib, 27] lives in Los Angeles and he has his own company where he works on music and film projects, but he calls me every day. Emily [who is 12] is very athletic; she plays tennis and basketball. I love going to her games. If she needs help with her home work, I'll sit with her. She also is very musical -- she writes poetry and plays the guitar. I always tell both my kids, "Find what makes you happy. The money will come regardless of what you do, and more or less of it is not going to be what makes you happy. Spending hours at something you enjoy will."

However long we live here, however much I feel at home in Miami, I -- like everyone else -- am an exile, an exile who cannot go home.