Just lately, I fell ill. As in other moments of my life, here too, I found God’s super-abundant and generous love. As a result of chemotherapy, I lost my hair. Jesus’ words are true: “I was hungry and you gave me to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me to drink”. In these days, I can say that I also experienced: “I was hairless and you gave me your hair”. In fact, three young girls cut their hair to make me a wig which was exactly the same colour as mine. On top of my sickness, there were the economic difficulties as well, not only due to the expensive treatments I had to undergo, but also because I could no longer continue giving the extra private lessons I was getting paid for. At first, I was terribly worried, so I tried to entrust everything to Mary; Jesus within me was asking me to trust. Yes, trust that this sorrowful physical trial, my doubts and temptations, were nothing but manifestations of God’s purifying love. In a few days, his response came: my sick-leave compensation was higher than my regular salary; moreover, they gave me an added allowance for the lessons I was not able to give! This proved to me that if I remain in his love and put his words into practice, I can ask for what is needed and it will be given to me. I felt like a branch that was engrafted in the true vine. From my heart surged the song: “It’s impossible not to believe in you; it’s impossible not to make of you the Ideal of my life.” G. – Brazil from I Fioretti di Chiara e dei Focolari – St. Paul Publications, p. 27