Letters you wish you could send.....

[georgia girl 35]

Dear Son (22 months old),

Thank you so much for the best Christmas gift ever! This morning, as I watched you play with all your new toys, you took the time to walk over to me, and tell me those sweet words for the first time, "I love you, mama".

I know you didn't understand why I started to cry, but I assure you, it was because I was so happy. I tell you that I love you all the time and it felt so good to hear you say it. You are my life, and I love you so much more than you will ever know.

Love Always,

Mama

[OH Juli 15]

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.

Damn, That's something else. I'm so sorry that's what you have to deal with.

I think I'll take stock again in my family and count my blessings.

I hope you and your kids still managed to have good holiday.

[jetti 2]

Dear mom and dad

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have done and given me! Thank you for doing your best in raising me and I hope you are proud of the woman that I am today. I remember the days when I was younger coming home from school and we had no lights or when we had to walk to school because the car would start or would stall on top of the hill but I am thankful because we always had a roof over our heads and food on the table. You may not have always been there when I was sick or after school but I understand why...you have both worked so hard all of your lives to provide for me and my brother. We spent lots of time with different sitters or on our own when we go older but I know it wasn’t because that is what you wanted. You have shown me what it is to work hard for what you need and want and I take that with me everyday. You taught me to be a responsible child, teenager and now an adult and for that I am grateful everyday. I know I am not perfect but I also think the way I live my life and the decisions I make would never cause you pain or embarrassment. You have taught me to be open-minded when it comes to race, religion, other’s sexual preference, etc and for that I am grateful. We may not have the kind of relationship where we would ever talk about sex, guys, relationship issue or things like that but I am not looking for a best friend in my parents like some people. I have the greatest parents because they have truly shown me what is important in life and that is love. I love you both with all that I have and I hope you can truly see that. Once again I thank you for all that has been given and taught to me in my life and I know I will continue to learn from you both.

Love

Your grateful daughter

[ELENATION 0]

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.

Oh Green, what a story! I must say it's very typical....for one thing, when tourists go to Cuba, they visit nice hotels that are owned now by other countries like France, Spain... and I'm not sure how much they can see of the real Cuba now.... but I know it was just like you described it before.... cubans that live there cannot visit these hotels....if I were to go there, I could.... but if it's a cuban that lives there, they are not allowed anywhere near the tourists areas.....which is sad... I have heard now that they even re-use the straws....so it's not safe to drink from straws...and I've heard many other disgusting things... and yes, if a tourist goes sight seeing in a group, obviously all managed by Castro... it will be totally related to the revolution/communism.... nobody gets the real truth.... many of the historical buildings in Havana are destroyed, but they left the front walls standing only, so that the tourists can look at them, but you can't go in, there is nothing there but debris... "nice" restaurants are also not available to cubans there.... and I can go on and on....

Something that has always been my experience is that whenever someone tells me that they are communists, or that they like communism and they think is great or that it's mostly good, it's someone that has never lived under such regime, someone that has never experienced it.... it's usually someone that either visited a communist country and they showed them the "positive" things about communism, which are really non-existing.... but they just sound good... or someone that has read about it.... and since the idealism of it sounds good, therefore what you read may sound good, but it just doesn't work when is actually put to practice... all you have to do is read a Carl Marx book and you'll think that communism is like living in the Garden of Eden.. just like your friend thought... it all sounds like heaven on earth and so very fair.... but it truly isn't, it doesn't work, it's actually the opposite... it is an extremely unfair regime...to say the least... and they brainwash people, including tourists, just everybody.... through books....they use whatever they can, they lie... it's ridiculous...

I will say that it's a pretty little island... beautiful beaches....and people can be warm.... at least for the most part... LOL!

Thank you for answering and for your interest in Cuba... most people don't want to hear it and don't even care...LOL! which who can blame them after all....it's been almost 49 years.... it seems like a lost cause....:faint:

[ELENATION 0]

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

Thank you Sfeiner... I've come a long way...I have definitely healed a lot.... not 100% because the memories are there and you just can't get rid of them.... but time does help heal a lot.... I know and I'm sure that many people in Cuba have gone and are still going through more than I went through... I was one of the lucky ones that was able to escape, thank you for your prayers.

Elena:clap2:

[ELENATION 0]

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.

Thank you Secretstolen... you know, if felt so good to write it all... recently a dear friend who I shared all this with, told me that I should keep on sharing it, so that people really know the truth, I usually don't talk about this, it's pretty painful... but it happened that this thread started... and I'm grateful for it, it felt really good writing it all. It felt so liberating..:biggrin1:

[destiny79 0]

dear: sister in law

thank you so much for not being selfish for relizing that family comes first and that your brother love you so much and will do anything in the world for you . you finally relized that money is not everything and will not make you happly. we went though some much together, our lives and stories are amost exact I love you so much and will be there when your baby girl is born

thank you love your sister in law

[green 6]

Elena, thank you for responding to my memories of being in Cuba 31 years ago when it was only just opening itself up to hard currency tourists.

At that time I had done very little travelling and certainly none in those countries which have a political agenda to present to the outside world. While we were enjoying life on our vacation compound, and we recognised even while we were there that we were confined to a gilded cage, we well treated by our hosts.

One day, however, we heard a dissenting voice. My husband and I were walking along the beach and we wandered beyond the peripheries of our compound. We met a black man who was Cuban but who spoke some English. He gave us his full name and explained that his family had Scottish roots but that they had come to Cuba from another island. He described life in Cuba under Castro as being a hellish experience. He either trusted us or, more likely, needed to trust us for he spoke at length and with great bitterness. We were both very much moved by this experience and though I have since forgotten most of what he had said I still remember his name and I remember his message, a message which was first taught to me by my father when I was very young, and that is this: don't believe everything they tell you.

During the time we spent listening to this man we became increasingly aware that we might be rounded up by our keepers and that this man, should he be caught speaking with us, might suffer as a result. We were terribly concerned for him and yet this cat sure did need to talk to us. And, too, maybe we were feeling a little bit paranoid. What did we know, eh? We were a pair of young, ignorant, spoiled, and squeaky clean Canucki puppies who were about to divorce.

Somewhere in my house I have a very worn Cuban bank note with Jose Marti on it. It is a souvenir of that visit.

I am also nuts about Cuban music.

And, yes, you are right to write about your personal experiences and those of your family. Please continue on with posting your recollections of your life in Cuba. I, for one, would love to learn more.

[ELENATION 0]

Elena, thank you for responding to my memories of being in Cuba 31 years ago when it was only just opening itself up to hard currency tourists.

At that time I had done very little travelling and certainly none in those countries which have a political agenda to present to the outside world. While we were enjoying life on our vacation compound, and we recognised even while we were there that we were confined to a gilded cage, we well treated by our hosts.

One day, however, we heard a dissenting voice. My husband and I were walking along the beach and we wandered beyond the peripheries of our compound. We met a black man who was Cuban but who spoke some English. He gave us his full name and explained that his family had Scottish roots but that they had come to Cuba from another island. He described life in Cuba under Castro as being a hellish experience. He either trusted us or, more likely, needed to trust us for he spoke at length and with great bitterness. We were both very much moved by this experience and though I have since forgotten most of what he had said I still remember his name and I remember his message, a message which was first taught to me by my father when I was very young, and that is this: don't believe everything they tell you.

During the time we spent listening to this man we became increasingly aware that we might be rounded up by our keepers and that this man, should he be caught speaking with us, might suffer as a result. We were terribly concerned for him and yet this cat sure did need to talk to us. And, too, maybe we were feeling a little bit paranoid. What did we know, eh? We were a pair of young, ignorant, spoiled, and squeaky clean Canucki puppies who were about to divorce.

Somewhere in my house I have a very worn Cuban bank note with Jose Marti on it. It is a souvenir of that visit.

I am also nuts about Cuban music.

And, yes, you are right to write about your personal experiences and those of your family. Please continue on with posting your recollections of your life in Cuba. I, for one, would love to learn more.

Dear Green,

I'm going through memory lane here reading your post...

Yes, that man would've been in trouble if he gets caught talking to tourists.... and most people don't dare to even talk at all, and if they do, most of the times they don't say anything negative about the government because they don't trust anybody....they are afraid..., there is a heavy and strick monitoring system in Cuba and there are groups that are trained to trick you into saying negative things about the government and then, they will call themselves the "G-2" which is the state security agency...you know, like CIA... and have you arrested and then you can be interrogated and tortured as long as they want to, all just based on any comment that you could've made about the government, and it doesn't have to be a threatening comment, just anything negative...and if they feel like you are "not cooperating" they send you to prison, for years, as long as they want to...sometimes they execute you too.... I know that's hard to believe, but it's the truth, the sad truth... so that poor man was probably so desperate that he didn't care about the consequences and he talked....and said what he felt...actually that's courageous there.... the older generations do it a little bit more often, they feel they have nothing to lose anymore... and sure there are some brave young souls there too, the ones that gladly go to prison standing for their principles and values against all odds.... but not as many, because they have families and they fear for their families.... what may happen to them if they go to prison, the government also persecute their families, and there are thousands and more that have risked their lives in home made rafts because they rather die than keep living like that....

And it's interesting that this man that you talked to was a black man, because it's common to hear that Castro gave a "beter" life and "opportunities to the poor, the black people....that's also false.... I lived in Miami for over 20 years it's biggest population among the hispanics is cuban, and the biggest cuban population in the US and you'd be surprised to see many black cubans, many of them....and many that came from poor background....

It's been nice talking about this with you Green!

THanks for listening.

Elena:biggrin1:

[green 6]

Elena, the pleasure is all mine. I have derived great value from our conversation and you have given me a great deal by permitting me to revisit that very strange Cuban experience. I now have a sense that I am beginning to unknot some of this thanks to you.

I want to tell everyone on this excellent thread that I am very, very sorry for hi-jacking the conversation. I have been loving the letters.

[losingjusme 12]

dear person who thinks they know it all,

you dont, quit spewing crap

me

[DerickM 1]

but I DO know it all!

[losingjusme 12]

D

yeah, me too at least we dont spew the potentially harmful 'advice'

[ELENATION 0]

Elena, the pleasure is all mine. I have derived great value from our conversation and you have given me a great deal by permitting me to revisit that very strange Cuban experience. I now have a sense that I am beginning to unknot some of this thanks to you.

I want to tell everyone on this excellent thread that I am very, very sorry for hi-jacking the conversation. I have been loving the letters.

Thank you Green...I apologize for the hi-jacking myself....

[babygrl1234 6]

Dear Green,

You are forgiven =)

Sincerely,

Someone who enjoys your posts very much