Tu presencia es el cielo para mi - your presence is paradise for me

The title of this post contains the words of a song we sang in Cuba. It was also a frequently-expressed sentiment by many of us participating in the Huellas conference. 

Cuba is a paradise. It is a paradise of physical beauty as reflected in the words of Columbus upon landing in a nearby beach: "This is the most beautiful land human eyes have ever seen."  I have to agree, even if I must also admit I am biased. 

But it is also a paradise in a different sense. At least for me it proved to be so mostly because of the people I met.  The warmth, gentle, loving character of my fellow Christians there was almost overwhelming, but in the most beautiful and wonderful way. I felt overcome many times by the affectionate nature of my Cuban brothers and sisters. And I say brothers and sisters without hesitation, for I felt like I was part of their family, and they part of mine. It was as if I had known everyone there long ago, even though we never met. Yes, like in another dimension, a spiritual one, like a paradise that was meant to be and of which we only get brief glimpses. Como el cielo: like heaven or paradise.