Jorge and Siomara Ponce live in The Champions’ Club in Trinity and are both Cuban-Americans.  After living most of their lives in Northern Virginia, they moved to Florida in the spring of 2014 after growing tired of their long work commutes to Washington DC from their suburban home and the cold weather, especially shoveling snow and raking leaves. 

Jorge worked for the Federal Government his entire professional career.  While a bureaucrat, he did not live his life as one.  He considers himself a fiscal conservative with a social conscience.  He has received multiple awards for his civil rights work in the past.  Now that he has retired, he keeps himself busy by writing articles with no filters on important issues. Siomara, on the other hand, worked in the corporate private sector in the area of human resources — for an international management consulting firm and an emerging markets private equity firm.

Although most people question why they would not prefer living in Miami in their retirement – as it is considered the Cuban Mecca in the U.S. – it was never an option for them as Miami is too congested and hectic.  They were seeking a laid-back community where peace was prevalent and yet someplace close enough to drive to Miami to visit family and enjoy their favorite Cuban food and music whenever they wanted.

In addition to these visits to Miami and to the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area to spend time with their son, daughter-in-law, two granddaughters, and lifelong friends, they take at least two extended trips annually.  They’ve traveled to Mexico, Panama, Germany, Ireland, France, Italy, Greece, the Greek Islands, Turkey, and Spain.  They love all the places that they’ve visited, but Italy remains the one country that speaks to their souls.  It has everything they enjoy the most — beautiful music, history, civilization, scenery, delicious food, and, most importantly, wonderful people who love to live life to the fullest and enjoy sharing their zest for living with others. The feeling is certainly contagious!!

Most recently they traveled to Spain on a 17-day vacation — although Jorge admits he did not necessarily want to go.  He only agreed after Siomara said she was going, “with or without him.” From a historical perspective, and as a Cuban-American who is very nationalistic, he always resented the killing of Cuban patriots like Martí, Maceo, Céspedes, and Agramonte when Cuba fought its War of Independence against Spain in the 19^th century.   This goes back in history, he acknowledges that.  But in the 20^th and 21^st centuries, Spain has been one of the European countries that has invested heavily in Communist Cuba – business ventures that help prolong the suffering of Cubans and which are accessible only to those with foreign currencies. Considering his position and life experiences regarding Cuba, he had difficulties with the idea. It didn’t take him much time to acknowledge what a fabulous time they were having and to have followed Siomara’s “not so subtle encouragement.”

Jorge is passionate about writing and reading — and these passions led him to complete his book, “Examining the Past to Understand the Present: The Journey of a Cuban-American Refugee and What Led to His Conversion from Democrat to Republican.” This is a powerful memoir that follows the author through his immigration to America as a political refugee and his eventual turn to the political right after years of witnessing the embrace of many socialist policies by Democrats. Jorge’s book is available in hardcopy, paperback, and Kindle editions on multiple online portals like Amazon. Siomara played a pivotal role in editing Jorge’s book – as attention to detail is one of her strengths.

Jorge had multiple influences that led him to write the book.  He is a great admirer of the late political commentator Charles Krauthammer and loved one of his books (“Things That Matter”).  He was also mindful of Cuban National Hero José Martí’s quote: “there are three things that every man should do in his life: plant a tree, have a son, and write a book.” While Martí said these words in the 19^th century, Jorge would update the quote to highlight the importance of being a parent to either a son or a daughter.  Having said this, the only thing that remained to emulate Martí’s message was to write a book.  Now, he’s in full compliance.

Jorge realizes how important Hispanics have become in the political circles in the United States.  He also recognizes the wisdom of past civil rights champions like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in fighting discrimination by advocating the judging of all Americans by the “content of their character and not by the color of their skin.”  He firmly believes how important it is to reach a colorblind society to treat every American – without leaving anyone out – with the dignity and respect that every human being deserves. 

Jorge’s book also offers a shining light to legal immigrants who are navigating a new life in a new country with a different culture and language.  While there are many challenges to be faced, America is the best country in the world to bring prosperity to those who work hard and pull themselves up by their bootstraps.  This is Jorge’s story.  This is the story that he narrates in his book.

Jorge’s hobbies include good music (excluding reggaeton and rap), reading, travel, wine tastings, and enjoying the simple pleasures of life – a necessary thing to keep your sanity in a metropolitan area like the one in Washington, DC that desires to measure everything. He says that so many never learn that the things that really count are not countable!

Upon retiring, he found peace in himself when he accepted the fact that what really mattered at work was the difference that he had made in the lives of others.  He also gives thanks to his God for walking out unharmed through the many land mines that he was exposed to through the years. Many of his colleagues were not so lucky. He stated that upon his retirement, he walked out the door with his credibility intact, with his head held high, with the ability to look everyone straight in the eyes and enter through the front door. He left the workforce full of hope for each tomorrow.

Most importantly, Jorge embraced the urgency of enjoying those precious “momentos” with his immediate family and close friends—to show them by his deeds that they were the reason for attaining fulfillment in the autumn of his days, and to tell them that he did these things because they made him feel like a useful and happy man, and not because of the accolades, fancy titles, monetary benefits that others cherish.

Jorge and Siomara wanted to share this message with their neighbors. The world will be a better place when we cherish the time that we are all granted by God to make a positive difference in each other. There is not a precious moment to waste. Our God grants us a beginning and an end. What comes in between is a gift, a hyphen, and it’s up to each of us what we make of it!

They are in pretty good company when underscoring what counts in life. Alexander the Great, King of Macedonia and conqueror of the Persian Empire, stated before his death: “We do not take to our grave any material wealth. Time is our most precious treasure because it is limited. We can produce more wealth, but we cannot produce more time.”