Automatic translation from Italian, under review.
Marilena and Alessandro, born and raised by the sea at Capo d’Orlando, once married set up home in Palermo; here Marilena, a computer engineer, is a researcher in the field of Smart Energy at a research and development laboratory of a multinational, working for an international information technology company, and in this city Alessandro decided to begin a new professional experience in condominium administration, leaving his previous job in Capo d’Orlando, so that this new family could live and grow together right from the start.
Marilena’s work is demanding, while Alessandro’s work involves a vast and at times “lively” network of relationships (it is interesting to hear it described by Martina: “My dad has many chances to be a presence of love among people, because sometimes, in apartment buildings, they just can’t manage to agree!”). The geographical distance from grandparents, uncles and aunts and relatives is an incentive to live strong communion and great solidarity within the family; fitting together school, gym, homework, work, flu… is an excellent exercise in learning ever more not to lose sight of love for the other, which becomes a source of joy and celebration.
And yet the beloved day trips out of town (beloved visits to the grandparents for the little ones), the balances found in intense days, the cheerful Sunday walks, the demanding but dear school routine… for the Canfora family as for countless other families, all this and much more was suddenly called into question by a tiny virus that has turned the world upside down. A difficult time, it is true, but also an opportunity more unique than rare.
It is Marilena herself, then, who tells us how it went.
Two months have passed since the Pandemic was declared and our government issued the restrictive measures that require us to stay at home. Each of us has been called to do our part in this particularly difficult and painful situation. I am living an experience I never would have imagined in my life, and every day I continue to experience the grace of God, who sustains me and allows me to live this situation of forced seclusion with serenity.
The daily life of the Canfora family has been completely turned upside down: all four of us are under the same roof 24 hours a day. Ale and I work in smartworking mode, Martina attends school by video conference and Gabriele enjoys his family, happy to spend time with his parents and his sister.
Both Ale and I have organized the day so that it is marked by very precise moments; it is important that the whole family have a rhythm to follow. On alternate days we work out, we do a bit of physical activity together with the children so as to move a little and release tension. When we are not working, both Ale and I devote ourselves to the children, and we cook together. We are becoming specialists in making bread, pizza, biscuits and cakes. Certainly in the Canfora home there is no boredom and no idleness.
The children have shown a resilience and a maturity that surprised me. Throughout this whole period they have remained serene in spite of everything.
During the quarantine we also celebrated Martina’s birthday, in a simple way but making a fuss of her. I took a day of leave so that I could devote myself completely to her; I cooked her favorite dishes and decorated the house with balloons. Gifts also arrived from Capo d’Orlando by post. The next day she told me it had been a wonderful party because she had felt loved by the people dearest to her. This showed me that our children only need to feel loved; everything else is just a side dish.
There were moments of discouragement too, small sorrows to offer to Jesus crucified and risen.
The grace of the sacrament of marriage has sustained Ale and me and has helped us in our mutual communion and in our relationship with the children.
What we are living through will certainly remain imprinted in our hearts and in our minds.
As we thank this family for allowing us to enter into the intimacy of their home, we are happy to give voice also to the “very young” Martina, 8 years old; indeed, even the smallest are protagonists of this time we are living and, as they have shown us many times, they do not hold back from giving their contribution, because “Everything will be all right” if, today, we make everything “more beautiful,” that is, more human.
When Mom and Dad explained to me that I had to stay at home, I had a nice feeling because I thought it wouldn’t last so long and that we were not in this crisis. Even though I miss school, I like staying at home with my family because we have the chance to spend more time together. In the morning I connect by conference call with my teachers and my classmates. I am happy to see them and to be able to talk with them. When we were at school we could hug each other; now we can only do it virtually. In the afternoon I fill my time playing, studying and watching a bit of TV. I also like reading the Geronimo Stilton books because they let me travel through time with my mind. In the evening, as soon as we finish dinner, we watch a movie as a family. As soon as the quarantine ends I want to go to Capo d’Orlando to play with the cats and the turtles. I can’t wait to go out and hug all my relatives and classmates again.
