Restoring the Original

In an interview with the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Gloria Estefan describes her efforts in building and community restoration:

"I came to the U.S. when I was 18 months old and we, the Cuban community, in essence, have tried to transplant our culture here in Miami, everyone thought originally that we would be going back. At least our parents did. And as we grew and became part of the city, it was important for Emilio [her husband] and I both, to be a part of its growth in the business community and culturally as well. So through our music and our restaurants that we do we’ve tried to extend our Cuban culture that way and tried to preserve it.

I always used to come to the beach with my grandfather, every day practically, because we loved it. So when we first made some money I told Emilio I thought that it was important for us to invest in Miami Beach because I thought that you can’t recreate that Art Deco jewel that we have there.So we started buying different properties on Miami Beach. The first building that we bought was an old apartment building from the ‘30s; we restored that. We bought the Cardozo Hotel; we restored that. We bought a building in Lincoln Road; they had really done a number on that building, it was from 1929 or something like that if I remember correctly, and we restored it. We put back the balcony, we put back the courtyard -- everything that was there, we put it back to its original place. We had pictures of the whole thing and actually some plans too."

Reading this causes me to long for personal restoration--to be restored to what God originally intended for me to be: To think the way I was created to think, to love the way I was intended to love, to act the way I was fashioned to act.

"Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me." (Psalms 51:10 KJV)

(Dane Fowlkes, Pastor)