Well, today we can report on a major success. With the help of Church lawyers we were able to get back in the rest homes around Angouleme and see our members that live in them. Our little Sister Louise Meslier was so glad to see Joanne again that she hugged her and wouldn't let her go. We had a wonderful visit with her and she is anxious for us to return. She has a problem remembering, but she remembered our pass a long card and Joanne. The other sister is Colettee and she is unable to speak but nods her head in the affirmative and negative. We gave her the same card as Louise with Christ at the open tomb and Mary with the Christ. Whenever we mentioned the teachings of the Church, she would kiss the card and when we asked her if she would like to take the sacrament, she kissed the card with vigor. We will go back Friday for that. This experience will rank as one of the best of my life as we were able to beat down the door of bigotry and bring the light of Christ into the life of deserving sisters. Steve Beck mentioned that I was a good person to help in the accomplishment of this because I don't give up when an injustice is being dealt out, but I was just one of many in this fight. Joanne's spirit with these two sisters and in other situations makes a big difference.
We live in the Seattle of France as we experience rain almost everyday. It keeps the temperature down but ups the humidity. I enjoy the lower temps but I have developed hay fever with all of the multitude of plants that flourish in this country. This country is so green and every where you travel the physical features change quickly. You can go from flat to rolling hills to small and large mountains in the matter of a half day's drive. The fun thing as you travel is
there are chateaus all along the way.
One thing I have not become use to is the round points. These are circles that take the place of four way stops. The person on the left always has the right of way with a myriad of exceptions. You must know the white stripes on the pavement to determine how you react to each situation. Without Joanne to help me see the swift moving traffic, especially motorbikes and motorcycles, we would be in many accidents. Angouleme with its 45,000 people has the forth most round points in France. My driving life is always exciting.
Another situation is finding a parking place. If you come to France you MUST learn to do a parallel park in good time. It is a good thing our car is small because one can't park even a midsized car in the places provided. Sometimes the place is so narrow that we are forced up on the curb with our small car (one set of tires on the road and one one the sidewalk). It is sometimes legal to put the whole car on the sidewalk where indicated. With one set of tires on the sidewalk, Joanne has to squeeze between the car and the wall that is always there. ALL French homes have a barrier between the house and the street for privacy. If there is a gate for the car to enter into the property, it is locked or functions with an electric signal. At the Church, the whole property has a high fence around it and a locked walk in and a locked drive in gate. It is a good thing we have a key to the drive in gate. But there is a problem to all this and that is that even with a small car the sidewalk is not wide enough, so our car sticks out into traffic.
One other feature of European cars is that because of the narrow streets, each car has the ability to turn in the side view mirrors as you park so that they don't get knocked off by passing cars. You will see many cars missing one or both side view mirrors. Even when driving on two way streets that are narrow and with parked cars on one side, you could loose your mirror. Buses have the right of way at all times and they are the biggest reason for no side mirrors. I move out of their way all the time.
Well, keep those cards and letters coming.
Love Elder Dad & Sister Mom
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