SLOVENIA'S 5 CORE VALUES

I dreamt too - of a home that was truly mine, of walls that whispered my family's stories.

A unique opportunity presented itself: to buy a council flat where my husband and I and our two children had lived for some time. But that dream came at a price. Money for a deposit that we, caught between the dust of renovating the old homestead and worrying about tomorrow, did not have. We were renovating my parents' old house. Every penny was carefully measured out for plaster, new windows, a roof... We had no savings for a deposit. In desperation, I turned to those closest to me; my sisters and my brother. The request was difficult, but their answers were even more difficult. No one could help me. I understood, but my heart was heavy. I knew that if I missed this opportunity, there might never be another.

I could feel the opportunity slowly slipping away from my grasp like a balloon filled with dreams.

On the days when it was hardest, life itself sent a lifeline. My friend Marica Mramor, who knew how to read sadness on a face, stopped me on my way. "What is weighing on your soul?" she asked. When I poured out my story, there was no judgment, no pity. There was only warm, unconditional understanding.

"Don't be sad," she said, her voice like a spring breeze. "I'll lend you the money."

Her words were like a thread that, just before I fell, gently wrapped around me and pulled me back. No questions, no contract - just a heart that trusted my heart.

I looked at her questioningly, wondering if this was real or if I was dreaming.

"Yes, indeed," she replied. "Come to my place this afternoon!"

I went to her. As usual, she made me coffee and served me biscuits. On the table she listed the full amount of the deposit for the purchase of my flat. The very next day I paid it and signed the purchase contract.

With Marić's help, I was able to buy a flat, which I later gave to my elder son. A home that became a shelter for dreams, for laughter, for life. Later, I paid her back every single penny, but the debt I feel in my heart has never gone away. It is a debt of gratitude that goes beyond words. From now on, every time I entered the apartment, I thought of Marica and that magnificent act of friendship that changed my life.

Even today, as the wind gently moves the curtains of my home, I remember that moment. And I know - true friendships are like a thread that cannot be broken by the strongest storm.

                                                            Justina Strašek, 27. 4. 2025