Wednesday, January 12, 2011

never stop TRYING to LOVE

Love?
What is this word that I always use in ever blog post, that I always say that I try to love the other, my boss, my friend, my brother, my grandma?
Today, this question was asked ..
to think of what the definition of Love is?
In the society we live in today.
Love is defined by the emotion between a husband or wife,
but isn't love also between one another,
simply treating the other as you would want to be treated.
that is love put into action.

"to love the other as you would want to be loved."

just a small experience,
Last week I was for the first time sick, with headache, pain in my throat, and my nose was congested. I woke up with no energy, and not the same Donata that is usually so alive.
After a little while, I realized even in this sickness, I have to try to try to continue to think of the other, to love the other, and still put the other before myself, and to give the same self that is "healthy." Even though physically I didn't have the energy to. So I started to try in the small things.
My friend from Brazil was leaving that day to return home, and she had many things to do, and I offered to lend a hand. Or in the kitchen I saw many unwashed plates and cups, I cleaned them. Each and every time, physically my body was saying no, but I thought that in this small suffering, it's even harder to love, and it's only real love if it's HARD. And later on I tried my best to nap, but the whole time the pain in my head was horrible, and I just lay there in my bed. So I got up and it was 10 mins before going to mass. I saw my friend setting the table, and in my mind I was thinking shouldn't you do this after mass because  now we gotta go. But I stopped thinking of "my own will," but again to think of the other, to love the other as they would want to be loved even though physically my body was in a lot of pain. I started to help her with the plates, and she didn't want to just do her table, but help someone else do their table. So without saying a word, and rushing her (like I usually do), I continued to help her. And later on we went to mass (arriving on time...thank God), and she wanted to sit at the back of the church. In my mind again, I always like to sit in the middle, but it was another opportunity to lose my will, and continue to love her as she would want to be loved. Throughout the whole day, in the smallest opportunities I tried and tried to love, to give to the other the same Donata that is healthy.

to never stop trying and trying to Love and serve the other even through the moments of difficulty.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

Gen REVOLUTION



This was the opening song to kick off the "Youth at Work" program at New Years (from my previous post)

Gen Revolution!

Friday, January 7, 2011

New Years in Loppiano (Florence)!

So in my last post I wrote that I celebrated New Years with around the world and I found a video on Youtube that shows a little bit of the 3 days of New Years!


This New Years was really special because we (everyone that lives in this community of Loppiano/Florence) organized a program that invited 250 youth from all over Italy and parts of Europe to participate in different workshops-dance, singing, creative writing and figurative arts. So I was part of the dancing one....YEAH...although clearly I can't dance I tried.
It was just an opportunity to share this movement of the Focolare that I'm part of without really ever mentioning words about God or about religion, but to put our Ideal into actions. Actions by working together and always being ready to lose our own idea (since it was a dance, somebody might have one idea and another might think differently).

So in this video it shows a little bit about the 3 days, including the preparation beforehand, the actual practicing in the workshop, the performances (2 of them) one on the 31st, and one on the 1st which included a special performance demonstrating the life of Beautified Chiara Luce, and also the New Years Dance party (we turned one of the halls in the church into a club).
and I'm in the video at 1:51, the person in the center left of the picture, you can't see my face, but I'm the biggest figure in this frame.



Sorry it's in Italian...but I can translate it a little...
the voices are the impressions of the 3 days from the youth/young adults.


First one spoke about feeling at home with all of you, the second I don't know everyone very well but I feel in a big family that each person isn't afraid to show their weakness without being afraid to be judged and I have never found this anywhere. Third, I was surprised by the contributions that each one brought even in the silence, because these youth came only to celebrate New Years, their depositions and works were done with great concentration attention, and passion, Fourth in spanish (don't know) Fifth, there was a certain level of quality all the events, the festas, performances, and the mass, I work with Salesian youths and something to be learned. Sixth, referring to the life of Beautified Chiara Luce, we can also arrive to be beautified, without doing something great, but by saying our Yes day by day, and loving God with all our hearts. Seventh, there is a voice inside of me that says you are here to change the way of your idea, and I can't leave here like the same way I came!

Enjoy!





Here is the dance workshop I was part of!
I`m on the left side behind the boy in the red shirt!

Saturday, January 1, 2011

Being nothing.

新年快樂! Happy New Year! Buon Anno! Gelukkig nieuwjaar Manigong Bagong Taon! Bonne année! Ein glückliches neues Jahr! 새해 복 많이! Feliz año nuevo! Feliz Ano Novo! Heri za Mwaka Mpya! С Новым годом! Gëzuar Vitin e Ri! سنة جديدة سعيدة!
in all languages since I'm celebrating this New Year with the whole world in Italy. LITERALLY.
these past few weeks have been pretty crazy since all the preparations for the festas festas festas.
yesterday, today, everyday there's a celebration!


Celebration of each and every moment because there's no moment in the day that is unimportant. 
each and every moment I try to live it fully with my whole heart, soul and mind as if I was born for that single moment.
To let nothing distract or take me away from living each 'present moment' to its fullest.


but of course I fail many times when I start to think of daily worries, or problems, frustrations..many things. And last week was one that I failed living the present moment because my close friend from England came to spend 3 weeks with me and the 45 other girls. And since we've know eachother from before we had many moments of miscommunication this past week; in the way I said something, she understood it in a different way; and vice versa. But each and every time we restarted, apologize and try to see the person with new eyes. 
It's always one thing to say sorry and another to really ACT upon it.
And couple days ago, she was upset and I really wanted to talk to her but many times we had miscommunication problems like I said (so I didn't know how to approach the situation). But anyways I went to her room and I saw her focused on her computer reading something. In my heart I really wanted to talk to her, but I knew that was "my will, my own desire." In that moment, I let go of my own desire and thought to try to love her in the way she would want to be loved, which was not to disturb her. So I decided to also read beside her, and we were both in silence. After a few minutes, she started to talk to me, and then began talking about why she was upset. From that moment, I felt such a peace and freedom in my heart after we had talked and "restarted" AGAIN.
So to really serve the other, we really must be of "nothing," which is to lose our will, lose our desire to fully love the OTHER as they want to be loved.


Thanks for reading;
CIAO!