How many of you have experienced leaving everything you grew up with behind amid chaos and strife, family, friends, language, way of life, culture and your own father? These are some of the events that will change my life forever, as in June 29,1959 I found myself forced to do just that and come to the United States with a mind filled with questions, fears and apprehension. Prior to this exit, I lived a life of luxury and excess, one in which every beckoned wish or command was granted, i.e. the life of a spoiled only child to a pleasantly wealthy family. Little did I know at age 13 that my life was about to so drastically change due to the rise of a political regime that today, after the resignation of its leader, Fidel Castro, is about to change again. But let me digress; I was born in January 1947 to Mr. Florentino M. Garcia and his wife, Elsa Salas de Garcia, in Havana, Cuba. He of Spanish nationality, she of Spanish and French parents, affluent to say the least due to hard work in the late 30’s. He the owner of 3 department stores akin to Belk or Ivey’s, she a lady of leisure. Life was good with no worries or care. We lived in Havana with two additional homes one at famous Varadero Beach, one in the province of Santa Clara amid sugar cane fields. Thus I grew up spoiled with no cares or worries about the future sure to follow in my father’s footsteps and inherit his wealth. I must point out at this juncture that a) we had servants (maid/chauffer-valet and laundress) b) that we had entertained Fidel and his family in our home as he had been part of Cuba’s high society and had attended the University of Havana at the same time my mother had been a student, and c) that my mother was close friends with then first lady of the republic Martha Batista. As a matter of fact, both my parents and my aunt and uncle were at the New Year’s Eve gala at the presidential palace when Batista resigned and announced he was leaving Cuba. Myself being a young child was at the beach house in the company of my cousin and my grandmother. The date was January 1, 1959.
What followed was a quiet take over of all private property and the nationalization of all enterprise and the establishment of a communist regime that is still ongoing. Absolutely everything was owned by the government and Fidel. I was witness to seeing two of our homes taken away and given to strangers, our property seized, our school sacked and our library burned in the courtyard of the school and two classmates shot as they tried to put a stop to it. I saw our home in Havana stripped by the local committee as we prepared to leave the island. I saw myself and my father taken off the KLM plane coming to Miami and my mother leave only to be ripped apart from him 2 days later. I saw my mother work two jobs as a waitress to keep us financially afloat as I worked as a stock boy in a local pharmacy in Miami Beach after school, seldom spending time with my mother and far away from my father. Life was hard, very hard for all of us refugees having to deal with poor conditions after a life of luxury and many prejudices from particularly those who came also in exile from Europe. But I put myself through High School and college and I am glad to be where I am today for had these events not happened I would not be the person of faith I am today.
Additionally, three other events have shaped my life to what it is today. Besides leaving Cuba and the loss of both my parents and my favorite aunt, besides having numerous acquaintances killed at the Bay of Pigs and having my father arrested and never seeing him again after 1976 and finding out about his death 3 days after its occurrence, I welcomed back my one and only partner ever in a body bag from Vietnam. Losing my job for a year in 1992 and my health/heart episodes also come to mind. But as I look back, I realize God was by my side always and still is and this is what He had meant for me all along.
In retrospect, I have no regrets for my life is fuller than it would have been otherwise and the many friends, experiences and memories I have acquired could never be replaced nor equaled. I have to thank Fidel but mostly I give God thanks for an incredible journey; one in which sorrow has given away to happiness and pain to success and doubt to unquestionable and unshakable faith. And finally I thank each and every one of you my church family, my friends for all you have meant and mean to me in my life. Just remember that no matter what adversities you face in life, God walks besides you and is with you always no matter what. He will not ever leave you so you should not, can not, ever leave Him behind. In my life due to many circumstances I have had to leave many things behind because of adversities or choice but never, ever did I leave behind God.
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