Thank You
I have sent in my subscription renewal for Ombre e Luci for 1993.
I hope those who promised to renew on their own will do so.
I've done what I could to help lighten your burden a little.
I received the latest issue, and as always I find it deeply worthwhile—for how you communicate, for your content, for the spirit that animates it and shines through: giving hope without illusions, but always believing, because we trust that someone guides our steps.
We are still in the Easter season: may Jesus help us toward true conversion, toward believing that we are never alone, especially when suffering knocks on our door and we feel lost.
I want to say that I receive so much from all these mothers, these young people. I give what I can, and their example pushes me not to dwell on my own troubles... Francesco Gammarelli used to say, "There's always someone worse off than me." If everyone thought that way, how much more peace, how much more joy we would have!
Laila Castagnoli
Thank you from all of us for your invaluable work, for your commitment. With you, we thank all those in Faith and Light who help gather so many subscribers.
Planning for Tomorrow
I am a subscriber and I'm writing to bring a small problem to your attention: I've lost the issue that discussed group homes and residential arrangements created with the involvement and support of parents—the whole question of what comes after.
I would like to reread the interesting articles from that issue so I can then ask for more information, since I, along with other parents, am deeply interested in this topic. Could you send me that issue again or give me the addresses of those families who carried out these interesting projects so we can get in touch with them?
Grazia Scandariato
Some Days I Can't Take It
My disability (cerebral palsy affecting motor function) is a prison I want to escape. Why suffering? Why my suffering? Jesus did not answer with words; his answer is so profound that we often pass right over it. Truly, my disability is not easy every day! Some days I just can't manage. When it takes me an hour to get dressed; when my toes refuse to go into the sock; when the soap slips from my hands; when the razor won't cooperate with some part of my face... Then I question everything. And so I find myself rebelling.
But then I think about it. I think that when I treat myself with gentleness and patience, my life finds meaning again. The meaning of efforts that succeed. The meaning of having touched other people's hearts and sometimes been able to give them the joy of my hope, through it all and in spite of it all.
I.D.V.
Twelve Years with Faith and Light
I am a 37-year-old volunteer and I receive "Ombre e Luci." I have devoted myself especially to the handicapped young people of "Faith and Light" for nearly 12 years.
Our group is called "Community St. Anna," and it is made up of volunteers and handicapped people with the support of Father Don Massimo Boarotto; there are about 52 of us. Our work is to help them socialize with one another, and we meet every two weeks on Sundays.
Our gatherings are based on religion, which is explained to all of us by a young man, Stefano Di Franco (regional coordinator). We continue by organizing games that help create a different kind of day for young people who are almost always confined to their homes, without anyone's help or comfort. When our gatherings last all day, we work hard to help the young people during lunch.
I greatly appreciate your work and I enjoy reading the letters sent to you. I embrace all the readers of "Ombre e Luci"—my greetings to you.
Gabriella Buongiorno
Too Beautiful for Us
We are always anxious and distressed: our son, now an adult, has a serious disability, and our present life and future present us with many problems.
Ombre e Luci often features testimonies from parents who have borne this trial better than we have, who have come out of despair and rebellion.
Because of this, sometimes we feel far from some of the parents in your articles—we find them idealistic... But while it is true that for some of us, at certain moments in life, it is hard to appreciate these testimonies, often these very articles can bring light and new strength to many parents, push them to react and take action, and above all give them reasons to hope.
M.L.