Travel

The journey, last

We held him close to our hearts for a while longer.

Our hearts spoke, our senses bonded for eternity, I inhaled its smell to keep it in the most intimate corner of my heart, I admired it so that its image remained imprinted in the most active part of my brain now overshadowed by pain and suffering. Even if I lose my mind I always want to carry it in my heart and in my memories.

Everything was a display of colour: from the flowers arrived from Rome, from the T-shirts, from the soft toys.

We dressed you just the way you like it: white shirt, the nice one you liked so much; denim overalls, which we have navigated far and wide on the web to find it; your white Nike Air1 with custom fluo laces; blue NBA socks; Calvin Klein boxers.

You were all dressed up, just the way you liked it: elegant, not branded but elegant, practical, comfortable. Oh yes, you'll have to be comfortable, because in Paradise we play a lot and have fun!

Pampered by your stuffed animals, from the official outfit you always used CSI Caiazzo, from the official shirts of Virtus Rome basketball, the number 30 shirt of Stephen Curry of Golden State Warriors, an official Juventus shirt, the number 23 tank top by LeBron James of Los Angeles Lakers, the number 34 tank top by Giannis Antetokounmpo of Milwaukee Bucks. All with you.

At 3 pm on Sunday 18 October 2020, Eugenio received the last farewell of his family, his friends from school, his most faithful friends from a thousand adventures, from the whole town of Dragoni (CE) and the whole world who learned to love him via the web, and received the blessing from the parish priest Don Dahuid Ortega to begin his journey to Paradise.

Taken from the homily of 10/18/2020 by don Dahuid Ortega

Today, we share our sadness, our feeling of loss. It is the moment of few words, of silence, and of something that belongs to us Christians, prayer, which Eugenio always did in his life, I am a witness to it because I saw him born and grow among us, he learned to pray and continued to do so until the last moment he was aware.
Questa è una delle grandi eredità che ci lascia.

When I went to see him, I always told him this: “You are teaching us a lot, before I was your educator in the parish, but now you are educating me, because you are courageously facing your illness. I have often told you that you are a warrior because although you are a boy you have not only bowed to pain".

We must carry this within us, we must keep this, his struggle to live, to continue living, despite the ups and downs of the disease.

Eugenio lived with us in the parish, and was "great" especially in the emotional laboratory process. He gave a lot of hope to me personally, as to all the kids. He started doing theater with us and we were happy, among us animators and catechists we said now we have a "leader", an example who involves his friends and lives his faith.

I share with you the words he said to me the last time I heard his voice after my question: how are you and what are you feeling? She replied: “I am sad…., Because I realize that nothing can be done with my illness”. Certainly one is displaced by her awareness that one day it will no longer be possible to continue living.

I only share this because it's not the time to talk so much, but it's a moment of personal, family and community reflection.

Today we had to experience two strong moments, we cry for joy and we cry for sadness and pain and now a journey awaits us, we are aware that this too is part of life.

I told you these words of Eugenio because he said them to me with serenity and not with desperation.

We say thank you to Eugenio, and from today onwards we will start working on all this experience that leaves us, we will start sharing in order to always grow in humanity and in the Christian faith. We missed Eugenio so much this year especially in the Coloring Emotions Laboratory where he educates himself on emotions and feelings. We shared a lot, him with us and us with him.

We Christians must ensure that all the people who leave us never disappear from our lives and from the community, and we can do this when we continue to share what they have shared with us, this is our strength.

Tutti i nostri sentimenti di quest’anno, di questi giorni, mettiamoli qua sull’altare che è la Mensa del Signore. Il Pane che condividiamo è pane di vita eterna per noi qui e per coloro che ci hanno lasciato, questa è la bellezza della fede cristiana.

For us, Eugenio will continue to live among us, his family and his community.

Praised be Jesus Christ.

Exit the Church

Everyone took photos and videos, so that this was a touching moment where we were all united in your name and with one purpose: to love and spread love.

Rainbow

As you left the church, many saw a fantastic rainbow near the cemetery and the church itself.

Graveyard

We all arrived at the cemetery together, where we placed you at your new home.

We stayed together, for a while longer.

Then we had to say goodbye, with regret, with pain.

But we went away with joy in our hearts, the same joy in your heart.

Knowing that you were joyful, happy, blessed among your angel friends gave us satisfaction, it gave us fullness, it gave us joy, that the after is better than the before.

Our joy is Risen Christ, and we glorify the Father through the Son and his angels, including you.

My angel, our angel.