Letters you wish you could send.....

[ELENATION 0]

To Fidel Castro:

I still haven't been able to forgive you for what you did to my family and I don't know if I could ever forgive you... I would like to, I don't like the burden of hatred, but it's so hard...

You and your people burnt my grandparents home, they were left with nothing after they worked so hard and so long for what they had, they ended up homeless, and all just because they didn't agree with you .

You terrorized my family over and over, in the middle of the night you sent your low life people and teared my house apart, they pushed my great aunt around so hard until she collapsed on the floor, he was in her 70's...you humilliated my family over and over....

My family and I had a hard time finding something to eat, something to wear, how to get to places, life was so hard... there were so many tears...so much pain... my childhood was completely taken away from me, by you...

You took away my parents home after my father worked so hard to pay it.

You and your nasty dogs harrassed me in school just because my family wasn't communist, just because we were Christian.. they called me names, threw eggs and rocks at me, humilliated me..broke me down... you trained those people, you were proud of them...

I never knew what a new toy was, or a new dress or a new pair of shoes..or what a Christmas tree was for 15 years of my life.

Your so called "great health care" is such a lie, you lie to the world.... my grandmother was dropped on the cold dirty floor of the hospital because the sheets of her bed were so worn out, she broke her hip, she was almost 80 years old, she almost died...I still remember some "security guy" laughing at her...my uncle almost died waiting for his epilepsy medication.. while in the international floor where you and your camrades were treated had everything, every possible medication that you could ever need.

Because of you my father went to prison, just because he told one of your people how he felt , that's all he did...I can still see him handcuffed and taken away in front of me and I was 8 years old, and I knew that he has committed no crime.. I was so sad..

When our family wanted to leave and find a better life, it was you who prevented it for 15 years and my father died right after we got here... I resent you for that, and for everything you did to us, to my friends, you and your filthy people did the same things to my friends, I saw families separated for decades because of you.... I had friends whose fathers and other family members were killed by your firing squads.. again, for no valid reason, maybe because of a rumor that they didn't agree with your ideas... there was no discrimination, young, old, black, white, you always killed them in the middle of the night trying to erase evidence... my friends couldn't even say good bye to their fathers...

I was separated from my mother for more than 20 years... you are cruel, you are a murderer, you are a thief, ou are a liar, you are not a human being to me, you are a filthy pig with an evil spirit... you tried to destroy my life, my family, my friends's lives... and millions of cubans...you succeeded most of the time, but not always... I finally escaped the prison that Cuba is, I was stronger than you thought, you couldn't brake my spirit completely....I survived..

I know that we all pay the consequences for our actions and I know you will be no exception....

I could keep writing for days and days... non-stop...about the horrors and crimes that you have commited against humanity... but you are not even worth my time or energy, you are scum..I'm glad I'm able to write this letter...I'm free now...I can do whatever I want and say whatever I want... with me, you didn't win,

My heart does ache for so many that are still opressed by you, but it won't be forever, I promise you.

[gadgetlady 4]

Wow, Elena. Just wow. Those of us who have never suffered any oppression like to think we understand, but we really have no concept, do we?

[ELENATION 0]

Wow, Elena. Just wow. Those of us who have never suffered any oppression like to think we understand, but we really have no concept, do we?

Thank you....it's hard to really understand unless you were there... it really is...

[babygrl1234 6]

Dear Son,

Thank you for smooshing Daddy's deodorant into your hair instead of mine.

Love, MOM

[*JASMINE* 1]

Dear God,

I know people are blessed in different ways, but I hate that I had to be mentally wired as I am. I wish I didn't have to analyze everything. I hate that my mind goes in to overdrive and the only way it can be sedated is with some type of chemical. I hate that I am so anti-social. I hate that I eat and still feel empty. I hate that even after weight loss surgery, I have regained 25lbs and still struggling with eating issues. Out of all the addictions I could have been given, why food? I am still very greatful for all that I have been blessed with, but just wish that I didn't have the mental issues that I do...

Sincerely,

An over-analytical-binge-eating-weightloss-surgery failure

[Done 2]

Dear unborn child of mine.

I can never express how sorry I am that I never gave you the chance to be born. I was only a child myself, and didn't fully understand that what I was doing would haunt me forever. As a Christian now, I know that God forgave me, but it's much harder to forgive myself. I hope that someday we will meet, and that I will be able to see how beautiful you are in heaven.

Love,

Your regretful mom

Oh travelgirl, (((((hugs)))))

[travelgirl 3]

Thanks. It felt good to write it, and get it off my chest. Very few people are aware of any of it. The ones who were aware of it have mostly forgotten.

Thanks, Babygrl for starting this thread! That was very cleansing.

[areellady 1]

Travelgrl...wow, just wow.....forgiving yourself is the hardest thing to do.

[secretstolen 4]

bert99: Thanks. It's a good point you make about the picture. I'll sleep on the thought of taking it down, though.

Elena M: Your post is incredibly touching. I'm sorry for all of the pain your family had to endure.

[gadgetlady 4]

travelgirl, have you ever listened to the audio story "Tilly"? I know a lot of women who have gone through what you're going through and many of them have said it's very healing. It's a book by Frank Peretti but it can also be found on tape and I believe there's also a movie now. I listened to it about 15 years ago and it was extremely powerful.

[Marimaru 7]

Dear Dad,

I'm sorry that you can't look at yourself and see why my sister and I decided to look into your father's will after he passed away. I'm sorry that you said something to your sister that has made her believe that Sami and I had anything against her in this. I'm also sorry that you've decided that Sami had more to do with this than I did, and so decided that you wouldn't go to her wedding, but went to mine.

You have no idea the guilt you've caused me regarding all of this, but one thing I do not feel guilty about is looking into that will. In a long list of reasons, the most recent is that you stole money out of your daughter's bank account. She called me to ask me to look at her online statement and tell her where her money was going and I had to tell her that our father was stealing from her. You are a dishonest person, and your lie worse to yourself than anyone else, as you refuse to see your own true nature, and you refuse to understand that YOUR issues, and YOUR nature cause you to be alone, not anything that anyone else has done.

You're my father and I love you, but I don't trust you and I don't particularly like you all that much.

Your Oldest Daughter.

(thanks, it felt good to get that out too)

[green 6]

Elena, thanks for posting your letter written to Castro. It is always interesting to listen to a first-hand account of life in a country which is so different from one's own.

To tell you the truth I do have a little extra interest in Cuba. I used to be very close friends with a Latina who was a Communist and who, though originally from Uruguay, was very much involved with Cuba. She often accompanied groups of Canadian sympathisers down to Cuba for conferences where she would act as translator. To hear her talk, life under Castro was practically like living in the Garden of Eden. Of course I have read the occasional long article in the weekend newspapers, articles which paint a very different, and much grimmer picture. One of the things which this friend used to do was collect unused prescription medicines and other items of this nature to take down with her. She was in contact with a Cuban doctor. I always made a point of sending my unused prescription meds, etc to Cuba with her.

Americans may or may not know that Canada does have an official diplomatic relationship with Cuba. Cuba is now one of the cheap Caribbean holiday destinations for Canadians.

Thirty-one years ago, when Cuba had only first opened itself up to the notion of becoming a holiday destination for folks carrying hard currencies I, my then husband, and two couples who were friends of ours decided to spend a week there.

This sure was a peculiar experience. My own marriage was on the skids but we had already long ago made our plans and so we were stuck having to follow through with these. It was important that we took care not to disturb our friends with our own misery. And I had been receiving serious grief from my father who seemed to view Castro and Idi Amin as being one and the same.

So we flew from Toronto and landed in a very primitive tin-can kinda airport where we warmly welcomed and then were hussled onto an airconditioned bus which was to bring us to our destination. Once on the bus we were treated to the party line: we were given a lecture which provided us with information on all the successes performed under the Castro regime.

When we, the first generation of tourists, arrived in Cuba we did find ourselves warmly welcomed. The Cubans had prepared a splendid, if somewhat primitive, recreational compound for us. The beach was gorgeous, the food, served buffet-style, was generous, and the personnel who looked after us were warm and welcoming. We soon became aware, however, that we were living in a sequestered compound. It was pretty well impossible to go anywhere, and we did want to see things while we were there. Most notably we wanted to see Havana.

The six of us managed to pull this off - with great difficulty - by hitching a lift in to Havana with a local bus, one of those which has folks hanging from the doors and the windows. Once in Havana we found that we couldn't do anthing much apart from visit the Museum of the Revolution. We didn't have the right to be there, you see, and we didn't have the government-issued script which would permit us to buy either food or drink. There were 6 parched and very scared Canucks - two of whom required sunblock 50 - wandering around in downtown Havana. Parched Green, a grrl who was considering drinking urine, was interested to note that the locals figured that she was Bulgarian. It was, she now knows, a sign of the times.

[destiny79 0]

Dear: daughter

Thank you so much for eating all of the chiness take out that was left in the fridge.because if you would have not eaten it I was going to take it to work for lunch today, but now I have to do the right thing and eat a Smart One

[sfeiner 2]

Elena and Travel girl, Your letters broke my heart. I could just feel your pain. I pray that both of you will be healed someday. Sharon

[100lbsforsale 0]

Dear Father-in-law,

Thank you for being such an inconsiderate a**wipe once again. It was a stroke of pure genius to call our house 25 minutes before we were due at yours for Christmas Eve and ask if we could push it back or just re-schedule for another day. Thanks for letting down my kids, who spent the day talking about how grandpa was going to love the gift they painstakenly picked out for him. Never mind we ate canned chicken noodle Soup because I had no time to figure out a replacement for the meal you insisted you were going to prepare. ONce again, you dropped the ball. Hell most of the time you don't even know what a ball looks like. Thanks for making such a big deal about how YOU were having Christmas Eve at your house because it WAS YOUR tradition! Yep, none of us other morons ever celebrated a Christmas Eve before. Past Christmas eve excursions to your house are painful at best. Oh, sorry, we didn't do it appropriately at my house according to your Super-Christian standards. Sorry, we didn't do the 1 1/2 hour Bible readings & reflections after dinner was served 2 hours late. Sorry my kids cried and whined because it was 2 hours past their bedtime. I hope you felt good holding us all hostage and controlled the opening of the presents till so late the kids were asleep or were such a mess they just couldn't function or appreciate their gifts properly. Thanks for being a jerk once again. I hope you keel over dead soon.

Lovingly,

Your daughter-in-law.

whew, that felt good.