Hope
I never would have thought that our parents would separate. But when it happened, and we were faced with an uncertain future that was completely unknown and the fact that life would never be the same again, I began having many sad and confused thoughts. We three brothers stayed with our Mum, “Our super-Mum,” as we called her. But everything was different. Even though we never had problems at school before, now we were beginning to have them. As soon as we noticed it, we began trying to give her some joy. Living with Papa wasn’t easy, but ever since we were small, our parents and grandparents had taught us not to judge. One of our nicest times together is when we gather to pray, asking God to accomplish his plan for each one of us.
J. P. L. – Colombia
Difficult Student
Many years ago a particularly difficult student arrived in my class, because of some family problem. Since he had violent outbursts, some of the other parents protested with the director. Faced with the possibility that he might be expelled, I obtained permiission to take him into my personal care, advising my colleagues of the situation and receiving help from the students.Simultaneously, a family of friends made contact with his parents to help them until their situation was worked out. A long time later I returned to that city, which I hadn’t been to in many years. I saw my student again, now all grown and turned into the proud father of a family.
T. M. – Italy
Cake
One of our neighbors was opposed to the restructuring work we were doing on our little house, expressing objections that were obviously unjustified. Tired of receiving his letters and protestations, my husband consulted a lawyer with the thought of bringing a case against him. But then, as we talked abou it, we decided on another path which seemed to be suggested by our heart. We would try to create a bridge between us and him. I baked a cake and we went to see him. He asked: “How did you ever know that today was our daughter’s birthday?” The expected clash had been transformed into an encounter. A few days later they visited us and now we have some new friends.
M. – Spain
The Wall
Seven years of marriage had not led to the desired union of our hearts. Sand and discouraged, we thought that the reason was immaturity and incomptability of character. In this atmosphere we were led to judge and the wall of non-communication between us had grown higher and higher. Moreover, we were also burdened with feelings of guilt for not having been able to convey to our children the love that a husband and wife should give witness to. When we had already given up, some friends sho live the Gospel helped us to break down that wall. Also, there were signals coming from my wife that made me very hopeful. We learned to accept one another, to say sorry when we failed, to see look upon each other as a gift and to consider our failures as an opportunity to begin again. Helped by the friendship and prayers of others, we could feel that God loved us and had kept our family going.
L. – Italy{:}
