Some scenes remain etched in our emotional memory. One of them is that of ET, that fragile and endearing alien who, lost in a strange place, points with his illuminated finger toward the sky, while uttering his iconic “my house… my phone…”

ET at least knew he had a home to return to. He had, in his fragile appearance, a sense of belonging. At the very least, to a place. If he had been human, perhaps in that environment, he would have said “Mom.”

The mother is the origin, the root. A tree without roots withers away… The root is unconditional love.

Only the person is capable of freely reciprocating love and being the protagonist of it.

Filiation and paternity, forever. It’s not a thing of the past.

Fatherhood and sonship correspond at every moment of life. Sonship is a dependence on love, and love is the supreme act of freedom that allows the permanence of the bond to be actively and continuously actualized. One is “father” and “son” forever.

There are no “ex-parents” or “ex-children”

However, this certainty is shaky today. The dark undercurrent of current events stems from our self-sufficiency, expressed in the “I don’t need you” sentiment as an act of power.

We don’t want to owe anything to anyone.

A few years ago someone told me: “I owe, I owe, I only owe the bank.” That’s how we are, our souls mortgaged…

FAMILY : a gift, not an option.

Who has given life to himself?

Family has ceased to be valued for what it is:  a gift. It now seems like just another “option” in the lifestyle showcase.

We live in a society that confuses bonds with slavery.

Understanding the purpose of freedom as an expression of commitment, committing “forever” is dizzying.

But true love – the kind that doesn’t demand merit or likes – is free and committed.

The family is the space where love engenders human life. And life is the gift that makes all the others possible: family, friends. For this reason, being grateful is a sign of “goodness.”

That is why this relationship is protected by the fourth commandment “Honor your father and mother” and whoever honors his father and mother honors himself.

When the radical gratuitousness of parental and filial love disappears, love becomes a commercial transaction, a barter.

This love is not listed on the stock market.

The family doesn’t issue invoices or a balance sheet where credits and debits are studied, but gratitude is cultivated.

If the family refuses to be “what it is”—by its very nature—gangrene invades and destroys each of its members. It’s a poisoned “round-trip” ticket, straight out of a science fiction movie. Only personal freedom comes to its rescue through the exercise of forgiveness.

The family cannot delegate love or forgiveness, but both are free relationships shared by two or more protagonists so that order and peace can be generated in the storm. Love and forgiveness are also a one-way ticket. It’s not enough to forgive; we must receive that forgiveness with simplicity and humility.

Forgiveness is offered and received.  And it is appreciated.

Family isn’t a hotel where you “park,” come in, go out, sleep, and move on. It’s not just a “rest area” on the journey.

It’s HOME

Family is the heart to which you can always return.

It is the loving space to which one turns one’s eyes to look and look at oneself.

In the family you always discover your origin:  who you are, where you come from and where you want to go.

It is the source of security that drives the best in oneself.

The biography takes shape in the family.

A work of art full of light and shadow combined to make our uniqueness shine in all its splendor, united in its entirety, without being confused.

Each family has its own color palette, lights and shadows, its unique identity, its music, its warmth.

Today, on the beach or in the countryside

Between plans, series, and disconnections… be silent within yourself and try to answer yourself honestly:

1. Do you contribute or just unload on your family? Whether you’re a child… or a parent…
2. Are you able to return?
3. Do I facilitate the return with forgiveness?

You can break chains and change course.

Maybe you’ll do this vacation differently.

A call instead of a WhatsApp

A visit you have pending with that sick or lonely relative.

That hug that resists

A clarifying conversation

Remember

Summer is here …

Don’t let him take you with him when he leaves.

Silly Song (Federico García Lorca)

 Mother

I want to be made of silver

• Son

     You will be very cold

Mother

I want to be made of water

• Son

You will be very cold

Mother

Embroider me on your pillow

-Yes indeed!

-Right now!