Sometimes, you suddenly hear a small piece of interesting information that changes your perception. For example, I once read somewhere that a retirement home had hung photos of the people who lived there at the doors of the rooms when they were young. I found that very inspiring at the time. And now, I got such an insight into someone’s life.
His name is Marcelino and he is over 90 years old. There is a beautiful photo of him in his house, where he must be about 25 years old. A beautiful man with a charming smile. Now he sits in the same chair every day, watches TV, eats and chats with the neighbors who pass by, or his brother who lives a few houses away. He laughs a lot, has great stories and keeps his spirit up. We bring him food and always have a chat.
Recently some of his relatives were leaving just as we arrived. They said goodbye and I heard them say something strange; “Pan y vino”. I looked quizzically at the relative and he laughed and told me a little anecdote.
They call him Marcelino pan y vino. When he was a little boy, he used to spend a lot of time talking to God and asking questions. He would go to an attic and ask God things like: ‘Didn’t your neck hurt when you hung on the cross?’ Sometimes he would take a piece of bread (pan) and some wine (vino) upstairs to share with God and to celebrate supper. And that’s how he got his nickname.
When I went in to greet Marcelino, I could imagine that little boy asking God complicated questions and living close to him. And he still does that. We always pray together and I think it’s a fantastic idea that he used to do that, always has done that, and now does it together with me. What a richness!
Photo: Geda Žyvatkauskaitė on Unsplash