The help offered by Jožica was so great that it was felt in last year's cold December, when pre-holiday Ljubljana shone like a fairy-tale city. The lights stretched across the Tromostov, as if to connect people to each other. The smell of cinnamon and mulled wine was in the air. For me, this day was something special; more than just a stroll through the decorated streets. It was a test of courage.
I found the route a bit more challenging than others. I had never travelled by train before, so I was unsure. I was afraid of changing trains and feeling unsafe. All of this gave me a quiet anxiety.
My friends and I had arranged to have lunch in the city centre. They were understanding about my embarrassment. They adjusted the time of the lunch to my arrival. They worked out the whole plan so that the end of the meeting coincided with the time of my departure.
In this, Jožica seemed to me like a light shining in the darkness. The day before we met, she sent me the following message: »If you would like to spend the night, I would be happy to offer you a place to stay.«
Her words were like a safe harbour that opens to the traveller while the waves are tossing him. I know her, but we have never been in such close contact that I would have expected such a gesture from her, so I was surprised by her sincerity. She told me that her husband had also agreed to take me under his roof.
In that moment I felt a warmth beyond words. It was a selfless willingness to help a fellow human being; a willingness to open the doors of home and of the heart. Even though I finally decided to return by train the same day, that feeling remained. The feeling that someone is thinking of you and is ready to help you. As I sat by the train window and watched the city lights recede, I knew: "A gesture like that is deeply etched in the memory". In that moment, I experienced the willingness to help in its most beautiful form.
Mutual help is a fundamental value that binds us together. It doesn't have to be a big act. Sometimes a sincere offer, an open door or a kind word is enough. Mutual help is like a light in the darkness. Like a light in the December night that warms the heart and stays forever.
Bernarda Jenko, 3. 12. 2025
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