Some One woke me in the middle of the night

Many times I ignore unknown impulses that I later regret. This time, I decided to respond.

I was sound asleep. My wife and I had made love, and we were holding each other. Normally, the next thing I would notice under those circumstances is the alarm going off in the early morning to start a new work day. Tonight things were different. It began with what seemed like dreams, but really they're just memories of what I had seen on the Real Cuba web site. How many jails castro needs...how much repression to just stay in power. I could not go back to sleep.

My heart started beating hard, as if I had just run a sprint. I thought about all those who have lived in Cuba over the past 47 years and fearlessly opposed the castro regime...how fearlessly they faced the consequences. How often do I think about them? What if I had not left Cuba? Would I have had the balls to be one of them?

How easily do I dismiss such sacrifice? Here, in the comfort of my American life, I have no time to think about these martyrs. Unless some One wakes me in the middle of the night.