I better get going soon! The striated sky is slowly turning a deeper shade of steel grey. That dark cloud coming in seems to be settling lower. Rain perhaps? Halfway out the door, I realize that I forgot to fill out my attestation(authorization form) needed during our strict confinement. I duck back in to complete …
It happened on Wednesday, October 1. Suddenly out of the blue. No warnings, no alerts, just boom! All it took was one second to throw me into feeling practically disabled. I thought that I was up for the job! I felt like Superwoman facing the task in the beginning. After a year and a half …
Delivery From Back Pain Misery And Lessons Learned (I Hope) Read More »
Sometimes things don’t go the way you want, despite what I thought was careful planning. T’was the case a Sunday two weeks ago when I stood in line waiting patiently to get into the Institue National d’Histoire de l’Art. Les Journées Patrimoine, (heritage days) is something I look forward to each September. It is when …
When My Special Plans Went Awry, Ordinary Paris Scenes Saved The Day Read More »
All of us at some time in our life are going to get betrayed, or extremely hurt and even abused. Life by its very nature is what it is and as long as we have relationships with other human beings, we are open to having our trust snatched from us, even when we least expect …
As I saw the sun rising over the rooftops, I greeted my birthday with much gratitude. Another year to behold that would offer seeds of hope and joys to be gathered and shared. Birthdays are more of a challenge to me since I lost my son and with this year, I felt additional rays of …
By the time I arrived at Rue du Bac last Friday, blue and white balloons were bobbling in the air and there was already a crowd of people milling around the Le M de Marie carriage parked in front of Chapel of the Miraculous Medal. Spontaneous singing of Avé Maria filled the air in between …
If King Louis XIV had seen the extraordinary gardens of Château Courances he definitely would have been as jealous as he was by Château Vaux Le Vicomte! So maybe it was a good thing that these lovely gardens weren’t completely finished at that time. If Fouquet at Vaux Le Vicomte was punished for trying to …
Tomorrow is July 22, the feast of Saint Mary Magdalene, where many will gather in the Basilica of Saint Maximin la Sainte Baume and near her grotto in La Sainte Baume in southern France, to honor Mary Magdalene, as they have for ages. For me, July 22 has been a special day for a long …
Saint Mary Magdalene and La Sainte Baume; A Very Mysterious Place Indeed Read More »
Finally, I was Abbey bound! The bus driver, an obvious aficionado of blues and impromptu drummer took delight in pumping up the volume while beating the side of his chair to the rhythm of the music. A rather strange musical accompaniment cruising towards Saint Jacut de la Mer Abbey. The territory of Saint Jacut de …
Abbey Saint Jacut de la Mer, My Mini Retreat , Part Two Read More »
After the strict confinement in Paris finally was relaxed to some degree, I found myself craving to flee to the sea. Oceans for me offer the most healing and revitalizing energy available from mother earth! I first thought of Biarritz in the southern part of coastal France near the Basque country and the border of …
My Mini Abbey Retreat By The Sea Near Saint Malo, Part One Read More »
Anything I might have written about Paris these past weeks would have been grievously frivolous and trivial, given the immense racial violence exploding once again in America and the aftershocks in European countries. Perpetual racism, racial disparity, white privilege, and white supremacy remain scourges that are firmly rooted in white-dominated cultures. Being silent about the …
Each time, I prepared “mes sorties”, or outings, during confinement, I would feel this slight anxiety as I went through my mental checklist. Authorization QR code or paper? Did I fill it out correctly? Did I bring my French ID card? Am I going beyond the allotted one kilometer? My mask? After all, I had …