I travelled to Badajoz to interview Manolo and met a very cheerful person who radiates peace — a sentiment confirmed by others who know him well — and who gives no importance to the challenges he has had to overcome to pursue a university degree, start a family with his wife, and raise his children.

Manolo knows how to enjoy life and makes those of us who accompany him have a good time too, by living his Christian faith and his vocation to Opus Dei as a supernumerary with natural simplicity. But let’s hear from Manolo himself:

“My name is Manuel Lozano Salamanca. I have a slight disability from birth on the left side of my body, due to cerebral palsy. I was born in Mérida, but I live in Badajoz. I’m the eldest of three siblings, and I had to set an example… I had to be, well, not just normal, but a step beyond.

“My mother has always been my driving force, and thanks to her I’ve become who I am today.

“My sporting side began at El Tomillar school. I’ve always loved football, athletics… I’ve always wanted to be just one of the gang, although I sometimes took advantage, as one of my friends has reminded me from time to time when we’ve met up as adults:

‘Do you remember, Manolo, how when you were a kid, you used to take advantage of us? On school trips, one of us would carry you, another would carry your rucksack, and you were always a genius, always charming us into it…’

“On top of that, I’d enter any competition and win everything: even in other regions or with teams from elsewhere… My friends would say: ‘What did you do, Manolo? Honestly, you need a wheelbarrow to carry all the medals from the podium…’

“I quickly made it into the Extremadura regional team and then the Spanish national team… Later on, while still playing sports, I earned qualifications as a coach and referee, and I was involved with the sports committees in Extremadura.”

Manolo studied Education and is now a Physical Education teacher at ASPACE, an association dedicated to the comprehensive and specialised care of people with cerebral palsy and related disabilities. He also works at El Tomillar, part of the Attendis Group in Badajoz, where he was a pupil himself. But let’s go back to him:

“I have a wife whom I adore, Nini, my daughter María, and my son Lolo. María is finishing her Law degree this year in Cáceres, and Lolo is in Seville, living at Almonte Hall of Residence, studying his third year of Architecture… For me, family is the most important thing: my mother, my siblings, my father… And whenever we can, we get together.”

Manolo tells us that he discovered Opus Dei in his youth and has been a supernumerary for thirty-five years. Through the spirit of Saint Josemaría, he learnt to find God in his work:

“For me, God is very important: from the moment I wake up, with the morning offering. I always say that no two days are alike. Offering my work, the sacrifices it involves, striving to do things well, having the uniforms ready, paying attention to details in the workshops, making sure the people I care for at ASPACE are happy, content, and well looked after: their snacks, their meals, caring for the little things…

“Through work, we draw closer to God. For me, faith is the most important thing. I would be a nobody if I didn’t offer everything I do or if I didn’t have an ordered plan of life: my work, my practices of piety, my personal commitments…”

***

We left Manolo at work after spending a few hours with him, and we said goodbye before setting off by car for Seville. We were left with the uplifting sense of having witnessed an ordinary life; one that has overcome uncommon challenges, thanks to his cheerful determination, the education he received from his family and at school, and the Christian faith he has embraced and strives to live out according to the spirit of Opus Dei.

Thanks to all of this, that ordinary life has naturally become an extraordinary, fulfilling, and joyful one.