Giovanna Spantigati

It's a beautiful day, the sun caresses us, the sky is clear and bright, there are birds singing and leaves dancing on their trees; I'm happy. I think of the cycle of life, of nature which surrounds and accompanies us, humble, modest, silently, always there to be watched, admired. In my garden there are some tiny violets which have grown without having been sown .. This is a gift, too. I do not collect them, or else they would die, but I look at them and thank them for existing. I think of a child, accepted with love, who begins to play, to smile, to discover the world. I think of a girl who feels adult, who expects her life to be wonderful, who feels she is immortal, who wants everything but does not know what it is like. I think of a woman who wonders what the meaning of life is, who tries to figure out with curiosity and bewilderment why she lives, what is the purpose of her life. A woman who then begins to understand that death is real. Real as pain, real as expectations who have been betrayed. A woman who is in anguish, feels lost, a woman who gives birth to a disabled child, the worst of pains. A woman who leans into herself, who lives with an pain with no name. A pain, she knows, which will never end. Until her death.

Yet this woman sees a violet, by chance. The violet is there waiting for her. Quietly, humbly, with love. The woman begins to cry, her tears flow on her cheeks and fall down dampening the violet. Her garden is a flood of grief. The violet lets her cry, looks at her, smiles. The violet wants to communicate with this woman who feels so small and alone. The violet tells her: I understand your pain. I am by your side. You'll be fine. The violet caresses her face. The woman begins to understand the message.
She looks at her child and understands the meaning of life. Love. The woman is grateful to her son for having chosen her as his mother. The woman begins to look around herself. And he sees light. .And he understands God's plan. She knows what to do. To give smiles. The violet follows her patiently every day, always in silence.

The woman begins to believe in her son and teaches him that life is a wonderful gift. Her son always smiles, he is happy, he is serene. The woman realizes she wants something more. She looks around and sees the sufferings of other people. The woman does not accept it and wants to be close to sufferings. To give always her smile. To let people understand that we are not alone. The woman begins to fight for the rights of those who suffer. She becomes a journalist, and deals with disability's problems. Her house is full of joy, of sense of justice, respect for life and nature. One day that woman goes back to the violet. The violet has finished to accomplish.


Giovanna Spantigati