THE REAL HEROES AND HEROINES – and not jumped-up Archbishops or malicious bloggers and politicians

I saw a news story on TVM the other day that brought tears to my eyes – not tears of sadness but tears of joy and courage that there are still people around us who are resilient and full of the joys of life, even though they have suffered the misfortunes that life has placed on them.

Those who grumble and moan because they cannot go out and buy a pizza or because the guy next door has bought a Ferrari and they can’t should honour the courage and bravery of the Sultana family – husband and wife and their two children who are visually impaired – in another word, blind.

What strength, what courage and what an example. For the last 12 years Joanne and Martin Sultana have lived a totally independent life bringing up their two lovely children, Ernest and Theo who are 11 and 10. The four are blind.

Joanne goes to work, does all the housework, all the cooking and all the shopping and looks after her husband and children with love and dedication. Martin retired from work recently. Ernest and Theo go to school – an everyday life under the most difficult of circumstances. They do so with optimism and great faith in their capability to meet life’s demands even though these demands have been heavily multiplied on them.

Their philosophy quite simply is that rather than spending all day lamenting on what you don’t have, be grateful for what you do have.

I cannot find the suitable words to reflect my admiration for this lovely family.

Together with this heroine and hero, that goes for people like another hero, Bjorn Formosa, who has ALS and has done so much for himself and for fellow ALS sufferers and in like vein all those who have severe disadvantages and disabilities that have not deterred them from living their life and achieving their scopes and their dreams.

These should be our REAL heroes and heroines. These are the people who deserve flowers and tributes and the admiration of all the country and its people and not jumped-up Archbishops or malicious bloggers and politicians whose evil stream leads them to betray their country and to scheme and plot to achieve their goals regardless of the harm and evil they commit on others as well as their country.

For the malicious and evil-doers among us I once more reflect the words of Pope Francis: “IT IS BETTER TO BE AN ATHEIST THAN A HYPOCRITICAL ROMAN CATHOLIC”.

ALBERT JEROME FENECH