Modica – When they asked me to trace a memory of you, Mrs. Lina, I tried to collect the numerous thoughts and everything was clearer when, in these hours, we found ourselves close to you, once again. She made us smile last night, when together with Carmelo, Lucia and Rosamaria, we remembered the endless days of work, her laughter and her songs when the rhythm became more incessant, the endless orders of biscuits and chocolate. Most of all, however, we remembered the hugs from her that we all experienced.
The girls of the house called her Mamma, the little ones called her Grandma, for the people who came to visit us and for us collaborators she was instead the Teacher and all these names, Mrs. Lina, were right and appropriate because she knew how to be everything a woman is capable of. She planted a small seed by baking the first biscuits directly at Casa Don Puglisi, which then became a lush tree, with powerful roots, capable of gathering everyone under its shade. Her hands have worked tirelessly for decades, her shoulders have welcomed hundreds of arms, her legs have withstood challenges and, unfairly, even reproaches but it was above all her heart that has become immeasurable. In addition to Tiziana, Laura and Massimo, she had countless daughters and she was able to give them all the right support and the right affection.
When they came to ask us why the one named after Don Puglisi was a particular laboratory, it was enough to look around to understand. The sweetness of chocolate and the bitterness of some lives, as we loved to underline, were blended excellently and it was the real secret ingredient. He passed on a lot to us, he gave us his teachings and we tried to observe it meticulously to carry on his tireless work. We continued to work for the good of the women we met, always paying attention to substance and never to appearance. In recent years many things have changed but everything he did, I assure you, will never be forgotten. Love, real love, has a thousand facets and what she gave in life, we will always see in the eyes of many women, many girls and many children.
Stefania
