Page 162 - Emailing SANTITA FAMIGLIE_ENG

4. Happiness 175

«The first thing I think of, every morning, as soon as I wake up,
is that I am happy [...] We should turn our lives into poetry. We should
let the poet’s attentive and admiring gaze delve beneath the surface
and discern the beauty that lies hidden in everything and gives form to
our every action and thought [...] A little boy’s heart throbs in my chest
[...] The life of a new day awaits me, true joy, in this two-meter-long
bed which I cannot even get out of» .
8

ideas For reFlection

• Life is a gift, even when it is difficult. Reflect upon how I can
welcome and live each day as a gift.

5. WHen God seems to Be HidinG

«I gathered in a bucket the remains that still seemed intense to
me. Clutching the bucket tightly in my arms, I headed for the grave.
Why didn’t I die? Why had Providence condemned her and saved
me? I walked clutching the bucket. [My God, thank you for allowing
her to die in prayer. O sorrowful Mother, thank you for being close
to my faithful Midori at the hour of her death... O good Jesus, our
Savior, You who sweated blood and carried Your heavy cross and
were crucified on it, enlighten now with your peace the mystery of my
and Midori’s pain and death» . EVERYDAY LIFE OF THE NAGAI FAMILY
9

ideas For reFlection

• There are moments in which God’s plans appear
incomprehensible. Takashi and Midori were able to face these areas
of darkness with confidence, because they were confident and totally
entrusted themselves to God’s will.
• The unity in which they supported each other was fundamental
• Prayer is like a child racing into the arms of his father or mother.
I ask the Lord for the gift of such a trusting prayer, which knows how
to bring a smile to my face, because I am certain that I will be heard.

8 Ibidem.
9 Cf. Takashi e Midori Nagai, op.cit.