Linda Mardula

My 16-year-old son with Down syndrome was so excited to apply for his first job at the local grocery store, but after three interviews, he kept getting turned down. Each rejection crushed him a little more, and he started saying he’d never be good enough to work anywhere. I was heartbroken watching his confidence disappear. Then we walked into Murphy’s Hardware Store, and my son lit up seeing all the organized tools and supplies. The owner, Mr. Murphy, noticed him carefully straightening a display of screws that had gotten messy. ‘You’ve got a good eye for organization,’ he told my son. ‘Are you looking for work?’ When I explained about the previous rejections, Mr. Murphy just shrugged. ‘Their loss. Can you start Monday?’ For the past eight months, my son has been their most reliable employee always on time, never calls in sick, and customers love his genuine enthusiasm for helping them find what they need. ‘Best hiring decision I ever made,’ Mr. Murphy told me recently. ‘He sees the job as important, and that makes all the difference.’ My son comes home every day proud of his work, finally understanding that the right place will see his worth.

Today is a glorious day. Not only for the Cubans on the island, but for every Cuban in exile, for every family torn apart, for every neighbor, every friend, every loved one who spent their life waiting to go home. For 67 years, a group of gangsters seized a nation and turned it into their business. But today, is the beginning of the end. The forces of freedom are coming, and the Cuba that was born free in 1902 is finding its way back.