"I can't stay out late—I have to get home for my communion."
"I wish Sabina would come to my house!"
"Today I had the most wonderful conversation with..."
Eighteen months ago, Georgina could never have said these things. What a difference it makes to bring her home from a Fede e Luce gathering instead of from a party with ordinary children—where maybe nobody had the courage to speak to her at all.
How many happy moments she's had because of you, starting with the biggest one—her First Communion—and then the days at Marymount, the outings, the quiet times talking with one or two friends.
That last thing matters enormously to Georgina. There were times when she was in a larger group and she'd tell me, "I can't talk... I never say anything."
But lately she feels genuinely comfortable around all these people who have reached out to her.
I think she finds real joy in the spirit of giving and knowing how to receive that is so fundamental to Fede e Luce. On one hand she feels maternal and protective toward those who are more affected. At the same time she's happy to accept help from someone stronger than she is.
Georgina—I realize now—is a child with relatively few problems. And her progress, truthfully unexpected, brings us great joy and satisfaction. It's also true that the more she progresses, the more she might have moments of discouragement and be aware of the difference between her life and others'.
This would be a much heavier burden without the presence of you all at Fede e Luce.
Now Georgina has a world of her own beyond her family, her own friends. She has things to talk about at home, just like her sisters do.
It's hard to know where to stop listing all these wonderful things that have come into our lives, that our whole family has felt, since we were first invited to Fede e Luce.
Mary Paleologo, 1979