Sister tired

Allowing yourself to be looked at in your own weakness is not so obvious, but when you accept that this can be supported by others, tiredness is no longer the enemy, it becomes a sister. In the arsenal you never sit idle, but in this period more than ever we literally have our hands in the dough.

We count the biscuit doughs made and every year we surpass the previous year and it's still us. We can really say it: the world is hungry, and not so much for good biscuits, but for what they represent: shared work that brings together the much or little that everyone has and the sense of being at home together, each with their different abilities, without having to justify yourself, expressing yourself freely for who you are.

And how do you feed this hunger? We are sometimes tired and exhausted, but without even knowing how, we make others feel at home; sometimes we are the first to recognize ourselves as thirsty, yet we quench the thirst of others, perhaps precisely because we are the first to know that it is not our own flour, but comes from God's sack which is therefore inexhaustible. Those who look at us perhaps see all our flaws and imperfections, of those who live in the midst of unexpected events and a giant disproportion, but perhaps they also see this stubborn desire to try and try again, to get up from our falls - much more frequent when we are more tired .

The lights of the Christmas season reminded us of the only light that never goes out, even when we are drained and without energy, it reminded us of that desire that we all have inside and sometimes hide, that of simply feeling loved, at home. This desire keeps us standing and when we give it oxygen, when it is entrusted, it becomes possible: thanks to God, thanks to many.

We experienced it at the Christmas party with all the volunteers, kids and educators. The wait broadened the desire and this party was carefully prepared thanks to a friend who gave us the possibility of a special setup, created by our boys in the previous days. Once again we saw how – even through our tiredness – we can be home together.

Maria Claudia Brunello

NP Gennaio 2024