As we were driving home a few nights ago, the sky was dark and clear and the full moon was crisp and bright, and I thought, that is the forth full moon I've seen here since we've been in France. I've told Joanna about the Cheshire moon that hangs out up there every so often! Why it's like that in this part of the world I wish someone could tell me; but I love seeing it because I can see that imaginary cat in my head.
One of the joys I've experienced, is getting to know our elderly, home-bound sisters. Sister Chauveau was on our inactive list only because she has no way to get to church, and lives a half hour out from Angouleme. At 98-years-old, her eyesight is poor, but other than that she is fairly active and won't consent to be put in a Home for the Aged. We went to her with the Sacrament, and she was so appreciative and humbled to receive it that we decided it had to be a weekly service for her. Then we wanted to take her some American food and eat lunch with her on her birthday week, and we did, except that she forgot the "lunch" part and had eaten all ready when we arrived all loaded up with sacks at 1 p.m. It really was no big deal, but when she realized her mistake she grabbed her face and moaned, "Oh ma tet," (Oh my head), as if the worst thing in the world had happened! She made us eat the pasta salad I'd brought and then we ate the cheesecake together. We asked if she would like us to leave her another piece for later, and she said, "Does a dying man want water?"
She made us promise to eat a French lunch with her next time we came, and that she would cook us her special veal dish. That made me uneasy, because I know most of her food is brought in to her each day, and I was worried about having a 98-year-old puttering around fixing us lunch! But, sure enough, when we arrived the next week, she
threw open her double windows to greet us, and the steam gushed out too. We came early so we could help, and Jack became her right hand; leaning down to check the dials on the stove, making sure she didn't put too much salt and pepper into her "secret" sauce, taking the boiled onion and herbs from the meat pot, draining the potatoes. She said to me, "A French husband would never do all this, don't let him get away!" The food was very tasty, and she had all the courses for us. The next time 
we went there, she asked us to bring out all of her church memory papers from when she was Relief Society Pres. about 11 years ago. She's afraid they would be desecrated, and tossed away as nothing when she dies, so we sat at the table and went through every piece there. She had received many letters from Sister missionaries who served in the area, and the correspondence ended about 4 years ago.I got the idea to take their names and write them to let them know that she is still here. It was nice to be able to give her some peace of mind in this matter. She only joined the church in 1994, and has a wonderful testimony and is a great example of strength and enduring to the end.
Our current Relief Society president, Sister Bouchard, is a real fireball. When the gospel was able to answer the questions she had, she knew it was true and grabbed on with both hands. Her knowledge of the gospel and the scriptures make her a great teacher, and even though I don't understand all her words, the spirit of her testimony shines through to me. She is learning to speak English, and comes to the English class given by the missionaries each Thursday night
for more instruction from me! Right now we are working on her homework from her "real" English course, and I enjoy her so much. The missionaries tell her how much they love her all the time; and she went door to door with Jack and I once and I could hardly keep up with her. The missionary who baptized her lives in Sacramento, and she went to visit him there last year and went to the temple with him and his wife . . . I think she wants to go again since the Euro is so
high against the dollar right now. We met a scruffy man in the street the other day who claimed he just returned from a trip to Texas, where he attended a rally for Obama! The money difference is nuts right now!
Well, that's about it for me I think. Keep on the path, and keep us in your thoughts and prayers.
Love, Sister Mom (Joanne and Gr'ma)
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