How difficult it is for me to separate Miguel from all his relatives! To speak of him is to speak of his family, of his close environment, of ties that transcend all times and difficulties.
He was a cultivator of friendships, I would dare to say eternal friendships, he was someone who left a deep impression on those who knew and loved him.
But for me, who first met his parents, his younger brother Hernán and I got to know him a long time after, it is very difficult for me to dissociate him from all the goodness and good vibes that his family transmitted.
Dely and Tope, the parents of travelling, transhumant, adventurous sons. I remember them always smiling, ready to lend a hand, affectionate with me, who was a child who felt cared for by those hugs, by their laughter and by some sweet little thing.
I was also cared for by Hernán and Mariana, on a trip to the sea near Barcelona, when I was still a child. And surely also sheltered by the humanist networks built by Miguel and Susana when I went to live in Barcelona back in 1996.
Because Miguel and his eternal companion, Susana, were great weavers. Weavers of brotherhoods and complicities. A permanent word: militancy. Human rights, respect for diversity, help for migrants, rejection of violence in all its forms, humanism. And on every battle front, they were there.
Sometimes in the front line, sometimes bringing up the rear, with that capacity for unfolding which was one of their great attributes. What a nice guy Miguel was!
Last month I spoke to him in La Reja Park, his place in the world for the last few years. I remember how complicated things were in political, economic and ideological terms, and I remember his strength to continue betting on optimism, “we’re going to get out of this” or something like that, he told me. I, a little more sceptical, questioned him that sometimes that hope blocked critical thinking that would allow us to unravel the diagnosis with greater clarity and accuracy in order to be more assertive in the decisions to be taken.
We reflected together, reaching, of course, a middle ground where we could embrace each other and feel that the other was there, for each other and for the whole.
That was the register when I said goodbye with a “see you in a while”….
On 23 September, Pedro told us that Miguel was in hospital, that his condition was very delicate, although in good hands. Today, I received a brief message informing me that the interesting conversation with my friend Miguel would be suspended for a while longer.
But the infinity of acts directed by this man connect us and will continue to connect us.
A giant hug for Susana, Hernán, Pedro, Xavier, Mercè, François and so many others who I know must be going through a hard time. They know better than me that Miguel is everywhere.
