Cuba Libre

I could probably talk forever about Cuba. My wife is Cubana, and received her USA citizenship in 2000. She escaped her country with an altered Spanish passport. She landed in Panama and found her way to the USA. We still have the Spanish passport as a "souvenier."

Have any of you been to Cuba? Walk two feet out of the tourist zones and you're in abject poverty, pal. A tough, tough, tough life for the Cubans, I assure you. I was there in '97 when it was illegal for US citizens. I arranged through a Mexican travel agency to obtain my visa. The rest is history.

The people of Cuba are some of the kindest I've ever met of all the people I've met in this world. They laugh, they play, and they DANCE. They celebrate life like today is the last day. I learned a lot. The Cubans don't throw ANYTHING away. If they can use it again, they save it because they might not be able to get another. Citizens of the US don't fully understand this concept. We throw away more stuff than anyone on this earth. We know we can get another one. Try it the other way around and you'll understand the concept of conservation.

I've sheltered many Cuban refugees since I met my wife. Mostly family and friends of family. I don't mind sharing my house, my money, my food, my clothes, and my life. My only requirement has been that they answer the three questions that I have asked them all. And this is the subject I want to talk about.

The questions follow this brief introduction: "You have escaped your country because you want to be free. I encourage such courage. You know the consequences of your actions, yet you've done what you've done. Now you are here, and you have opportunity to be and to do whomever and whatever your heart desires. I ask you these questions.

Who do you want to be?
What do you want?
What are you going to do?"

And then I help them until they can achieve these goals on their own. And every one of them are now successful land and property owners, taxpayers, and soon-to-be voters. And they are free. We, as citizens of the United States, could ask ourselves these questions...often. My money says that we don't even know ourselves.