WHAT IS YOUR GIFT TO GIVE?

Weall have some special gift we have been blessed with — it might be the gift of being creative, or the gift of making people laugh, or the ability to talk, or maybe the (too often underrated!) ability to just listen.

For Gloria Estefan, the special gift she possesses is the ability to sing.

It is thanks to Gloria that Latin music and Latin artists have been accepted in North America and enjoy the popularity that they do around the world. In fact, many people may not know that it all began because of her husband Emilio Estefan’s band, Miami Sound Machine, that they would revolutionize the music industry and convince major labels to allow them to record in Spanish and incorporate musical sounds that were previously classified as too Latin for the Americans and too American for their Latin audiences, and to refuse the music labels’ request to make their sound more “mainstream” — that is, by stripping songs like “Conga” of their Cuban horns and percussion. “I don’t want to succeed with something that is not us,” she told the doubters. “I’d rather fail at something we believe in.”

That inner conviction served her well. “Conga” became the first song in history to cross over and top four different charts, in R&B, Dance, Pop and Latin.

What is admirable about Gloria is the fact that even with all her successes she remains humble and grateful to have been able to make music with her husband Emilio as her producer for all these years. In an industry where scandals dominate the headlines, their relationship proves that if you stay determined to make it work, and to place your family first and foremost, things will work out.

Gloria’s mission of sharing her gift of singing with the world was not something she set out to do. In fact, she was OK with being just part of

Miami Sound Machine, not its front person or the centre of attention. But Emilio insisted, so she worked on breaking out of her shell and gaining more confidence so that she could share her gift with the world. And isn’t that what we should all search for?

Each of us has a gift, a gift we are meant to share with others, to inspire, empower and enlighten people’s lives. For some, their gifts are apparent early on. For others, it takes years and maybe a lifetime to discover what they are. For those who find their calling or gift early on, that is indeed a blessing. Sometimes, though, our circumstances make finding that gift a bit more difficult — or even impossible to fathom or imagine.

But take the case of Beverly McLachlin, who grew up in a village of 2,000 people outside of Pincher Creek, Alberta, in a log cabin with no running water or electricity, but with the values of hard work and community responsibility. McLachlin’s circumstances were not a deterrent to where she would end up, as the first woman to hold the elevated post of Chief Justice of Canada. In fact, this best-selling author’s childhood appetite for knowledge led her to read every book in her small town’s library and provided her a window to the world.

As two kids who were also born in a small town — in our case located just outside of Naples, Italy — we, too, feel blessed to have been able to find our gift. A gift we, too, do not take lightly. We feel blessed to be able to meet new people every day, to shine a spotlight on individuals who are inspiring through our magazines and books — people like Gloria Estefan, Beverly McLachlin and the long list of others whose stories we have brought to you over the past almost-30 years.

Our gift and our purpose, to publish magazines and books that leave a positive impact on others, have been built on the foundation of hard work, staying humble and our belief that we need to lead by example, not by job title.

The quote from John Wooden above stresses the importance of humility when acknowledging our talents, recognizing that they are gifts and not something to be boastful about. And his words imply that it is how we use our God-given talents, whether they lead to fame or not, that is our own personal choice and responsibility.

We hope you enjoy this edition of Dolce Magazine — we’ve filled with the stories, gorgeous photography and interviews that make life itself such a gift, and ever-so-sweet.

With love & gratitude

Michelle Zerillo-Sosa Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

Fernando Zerillo Co-Founder/Creative Director @dolcemag

/ @amorebagstoronto / @fernandozerillo

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