My Note about Yesterday's Earthquake in Central Italy

The tortoise as a lucky charm   

The Cathedral of Norcia before after the earthquake that shook central Italy on October 30th around 7.40am

The cathedral of Norcia that collapsed yesterday under the earthquake broke my heart. Sacred places are the most ancient tradition we are carrying on in Italy. These places are like our identity card. They make us feel we belong to Italy.

The population of Norcia and its surroundings is safe and they have reached the Adriatic coast by bus organized by the Italian government. Some of our fellow citizens have arrived also here at the Trasimeno lake.

The people of Norcia, Castelluccio, Amatrice and other lovely small boroughs in the area between Umbria and Le Marche have left behind their homes, their belongings and everything they treasured.

I know what it feels like to lose everything. When you lock the door for the last time. That's how my blog started and why I am writing on this page. My family and I, we have lost everything we had: our workshop was our life.

Good luck to Norcia

However, there is much we can do if we are still alive. Our body becomes our home. We can think of ourselves as tortoises. That's actually what we become by getting stronger: tortoises. The warmth that we can spread through our body and mind is great. Life is sacred within us that we want to keep alive by praying in sacred places if we feel like it. For sure churches in Italy are inspiring thanks to their art. Art is for everybody to enjoy. It is not a matter of religion.

So I am sending out to the people of Norcia and surroundings all my best wishes for a safe recovery. You can never guess what is waiting for you if you accept your destiny, fight, hold on and rely on your resilience.

Current priorities regarding rebuilding the areas destroyed by the earthquake according to the government are 1. people, 2. churches 3. businesses. I agree with these priorities. Identity comes first. That is exactly what my priorities have been in reviving Cama. Of course, for me, the list of priorities came in by accident. I have discovered my destiny by the go.

Good fortune everybody in Norcia and let the tortoise be your lucky charm. An invitation to read my blog post about the meaning of Cosimo I de Medici's tortoise, Cosimo's favorite symbol.  I have written a few blog posts about the tortoise topic. The monks in Norcia will apologize to me for mixing sacred and profane. However, the profane bring some cheerfulness in relieving tragedies. This is also part of our traditions in Italy: we mix sacred and profane. It's one of our best gifts!

If you wish to make a donation to rebuild the cathedral of Norcia, herewith follows the direct link to the Benedictine monks. This is the newsletter the monks of Norcia sent out yesterday.

The monks of Norcia are on Twitter at this address: @monksofnorcia - We are now following them on Twitter!

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