Simple thoughts

Just one little consideration, first of all: we all human beings have one thing in common, we all have to die sooner or later. We are here just for a while, nobody knows for how long, and what will happen tomorrow. We can only manage to do our best, to live the best way we could, to achieve the goals we feel will make our life complete. All the rest is bullshit! So how it is that I'm sorrounded by morons? How I ended working with such a bunch of assholes? Why a person have to live his life with such an envy, to destroy everything else? Why this fight just to have a promotion and so have more troubles and more hours to work? Money isn't all, we have a life outside the office, thank God! Better things to do, a family to care after, friends to be with. I don't understand all this, it's just crazy for me.

 And to make things worse, it's from early yesterday morning that it's snowing without any break! At least it's not that cold, now we are at  -2°, but moving around it's very difficult. The only person very happy about all this snowing is Marty, who right now is out with her best friend, making snowmen!

Just in case you act on your words and drop here, Gabri    

Just to let you know that even if I love you so much, I'm really angry at you, no e-mails, no letters, I didn't see you here, as promised, I didn't see you online talking about books, where the hell are you???

For the ones usually (or by chance) reading my blog, Gabri is my cousin, currently living in Nottingham, previously in Hamburg, who usually promises me to write, write, write, but for now he's just reading MY letters!! Last time we saw each other was during Xmas holiday, I don't know when will be the next one, and I know you're busy, with university, research, ect., but family is family, right? So, make up your mind, find time and let me know about you, or I will come and kick your ass!!

We have this couple of friends, a little older than us, they have two sons, Lorenzo, about Martina's age, and Gian, 27. Gian knew some years ago about a project his church was attached to, to send volunteers to South America to help some missions established there. So, he began spending his holidays twice a year in Perù and Nicaragua to help in any way he could, taking children to school and helping them with their homeworks, building homes and schools and cultivating land. We helped too, sending money and clothes, shoes, toys. About two years ago, he left his work here, collect all his money and went in Mato Grosso, Brazil, to help an italian family that founded a children center there. He was supposed to stay for six months, but he found his real purpose in life being there to help, so he came home, went to work for a little to get some more money, and last april he married his girlfriend just graduated from medecine school (no presents for the wedding, just money!). Now they are both there, she's working in the biggest hospital of the region, pediatric division, and he's helping taking care of the abandoned children of the mission. They got a visa for two years for volunteering job, and they're trying to change it as a permanent permission to live there. But now something's gonna change in their lives, they're going to be parents the next summer, and of twins!! Our friends are very excited about the news, but they are also very worried to have them so far away. They're planning a trip to Brazil for when the babies are due, just to help a little, with their grandchildren and with all the other children of the mission. His broter is willing to go and help, too. Being a mom myself, I know I would be deadly worried having my daughter so far from me, in a country with so many problems, living sometimes very hard moments. But I would be very proud too, of what she's doing. I keep saying this to our friends, and they too are proud of their big boy, knowing that helping others is the best way to help building a better world. For his twins, too.

You're more than  little babies....

Well, I've been very busy lately, at work   and at home. I took some days off the office (after working like a slave to finish all I had to finish before stay at home). But I didn't really rest, no way.

 I stayed at home just to do some cleaning, heavy cleaning to be honest, coz my home really needed it! Can you believe it? Taking time off one work, just to do another? Now my home is all sparkling (just for a few days, don't worry, it will be soon as always....) and I'm very proud, even if I'm deadly tired. I just rested to have a little break  I mean, even in prison they allow one hour for fresh air, right?

Well, it's all for now, how many news I'm supposed to have, being home cleaning???

 Congratulations to the parents-to be!!!   I hope she/he will be the most healthy and beautiful baby in the world.

  Today in Italy it's holiday, it's Epiphany, a day for children. I don't know exactly how the tradition started and when, some says from the celtic world, some from old Greece, for sure it's the 12th night ( do you remember Shakespeare?) after Christmas, when the old baggy lady arrives with her gifts for the children. She brings candies for the good children and coal for the bad ones.

But not all the children are fortunate enough to have families or possibilities, so we have to help the old lady a little.

In my hometown, in 1999 a bikers' club decided to help bringing a smile on the faces of ill children. Since then, every year today, all the bikers of the city (and now we have people from other places too, they estimated we were about 600 bikes today) get together despite the weather (and even if it was sunny today, it was so damn cold!!) to bring presents to children in oncology departement of our hospital and in two orphanages. So all together on bikes, we invade the city in the morning, bringing a smile on the faces of the ones looking along the streets too, some of the bikers dressed with a long old flowered dress, a white wig, a broom tied to the bike, a van following us load of gifts. The final stop is in the main Place, for drinking something hot and eat some sandwiches, and some usual chat between bikers about new bikes, new models, new adventures in the summer. Someone had already new ideas for the next year Epiphany, someone was already a little drunk (under the careful watch of the police attending the event) but all of us were so happy about doing so little but that meant a lot for the children we met.

And then we came back home, to our children, knowing how lucky we were having them at home, happy and healthy.

    At school, at church, during my years of attending a prayers group, they all were teaching me that our religion is love, understanding, and compassion. In the late years (after I took distance from the church, and maybe from God) I've read a lot about other religions, and everywhere I see love, understanding, and compassion. So, where all this hate, rage, fight about different religions are coming from? I'm the only one to really find absurd the expression "sacred war"? If all the different Gods we may pray, teach love and compassion, why this hate to each other? If all the different religions teach we have to love one another, why we see another human being as an enemy? Why a thing that should keep us together, in fact is dividing us? Our history is full of example of wars, battles, fights, killings in the name of God (no matter the name we call him). In many parts of the world a religion was imposed by force, killing and torturing innocent people. Isn't it a monstruosity? Don't you feel your stomach closing and a compulsion to throw up just thinking about how we change the meaning of every religion teachings to our own purposes? To listen to people saying "my religion is better than yours"? Or "my God is more important than yours"? A religion rules should be our everyday life paths, following them we should live in a better way, no matter our religion name. And, on the contrary, they are another excuses to fight each other. Can someone explain me this?

  To a new year.... It seems that nothing has really changed, but in the air you can smell a new beginning, the expectations that anyone has for the new year. Each one is making a list of whishes, of things to never do again, good intentions and bad habits to leave behind. History repeats itself, so maybe next year we will be at this same point, but now the feeling is a good one. It seems that anything can happen, you just have to make a whish, close your eyes and think about it, and the miracle will be done! If only it would be so easy.

Anyway, my good intentions for the new year: - spend less time on the web (ok, I just had to say it, but I know it's just a lie...) - have more patience with hubby and daughter (I know most of time I'm just too nervous) - spend less money in silly things - start (really start) to diet, I badly need it (sigh!) and convince my daughter to do it, her too! - even if I smoke 4/5 cigarettes a week, quit smoking - really thinking about renovating something at home (my closets and wardrobes are a really mess). There's a lot left, but for now I think it would be a good start. Soooooo, we'll see at the end of 2006 if I succeded (and please, don't be too angry at me if I didn't).