S like “Sognare” (dream)

The alphabet of mercy today presents us with the S of “dreaming.” Is not Christmas also the fulfillment and premise of a dream?

Warning: this alphabet follows Italian words, but we urge readers to consider the concept rather than the consonant or vowel with which they begin.

“Unalota or unasinzia, padiri? (Are you dreaming or dozing, father?).”

It was the voice of a mother who was returning from the lake, where she had gone to wash clothes. I was sitting in the shade of a mango tree near our mission in Baraka, Congo DRC.

I answered, “Ulisema nini? (what did you say?),” and I suddenly woke up.

That mom, like all moms, cared about the children. And I had kind of become their adopted child, since I had come from far away. I crinkled my eyes, stood up and gave her my hand, as they do in the Congo.

She smiled at me. I looked for something to sit her down. I could tell she was tired and sweaty. I made a run to the house to get her some water to drink. “Ni baridi? (Is it cold?),” she asked. And she drank two or three glasses.

Perhaps she hadn’t had a drink since the morning. She took a good seat on the stool and began to pepper me with questions about my family, my parents, my sister, the place where I was born. She was a little curious, but I answered her very gladly. She seemed satisfied.

I, however, wanted to ask her about something that had been on my mind for a while and it was this:

what dreams do you and your family have for the future?

It was not a difficult question. The problem was the answer. She smiled at me one more time.

He said, “Unihurumie, niko na haraka. Niko na kazi mingi nyumbani (forgive me, I am in a hurry. I have so much work to do at home).”

And putting the basket with the clothes he had dried on the sand back on his head, he said to me as he walked away, “Uanze kuuliza kwa watoto, wavijana, wababa na wamama na wazee na utapata jibu (start asking children, young people, dads and moms and old people and you will get the answer).”

And so, from that day, I began my personal inquiry. The answers came slowly.

Everyone, in their own way, dreamed of a better, happy, peaceful future. Children wanted to grow up well together with others, to learn many things, to eat and not suffer too much, and of course to play to their heart’s content.

Young people, on the other hand, wanted to learn about the world and everything that was being done in other countries; they did not want to stay in the village. They felt ready to conquer the world.

The fathers and mothers looked to the welfare of the family, the children, some serenity, justice and respect from the authorities toward their work. They could no longer stand injustice and did not know how to fight it.

The elders, in their wisdom, while regretting the past time, felt that so much was changing and they did not feel ready to live it. They were tired. They had worked so hard, had suffered so much injustice during the time of the colonies and even now with the new masters of their own race. They were afraid of the future and waited, more or less serenely, for the time to take the dugout for the journey to the promised land, where they would finally find peace and rest.

So many dreams that combined with mine could become one.

I had not come to fulfill their dreams, but to dream together, each putting their own color. Dreams big or small, it did not matter
it matters. The important thing is to dream and to believe that if we get together some dreams will come true.

Someone before us had told us that dreaming of a better world is a beautiful thing and we could do it. He
would give us a hand. But we must not indulge in dreams, and let the dream do everything.

We have permission from time to time to doze off, however, then we have to rub our eyes, give ourselves a good rinse and together put our all into it. Who knows, we might be able to accomplish some of them.

In Swahili, one is called “moja” and all the “mojas,” together, make the “u-moja” (union). All it takes is a little letter in front and everything changes.

Source

• Father Oliviero Ferro

Image

• Image digitally created by spazio + spadoni