July 11, 2011

Yesterday I wrote about Frédérique & Laurent, commenting that if it wasn’t for them I don’t know where we’d be. Today I’m writing about Christine & Bernard. Without them, I don’t know where we’d be.

Meeting Christine & Bernard is going to be one of those lifetime memories that are easy to chalk up to dumb luck. But since I really don’t believe in dumb luck, I chalk it up to something more profound. It’s like something that was just meant to be. For Melinda, meeting Christine has been like being introduced to your long-lost sister. To put it frankly, Christine is the best friend Melinda has made since I’ve known Melinda (and we’ve been married, in case you didn’t know, for over 20 years). Bernard is just one of those people that you feel comfortable with right away. That they have been so kind and generous and helpful, and live just a couple of doors away has been the literal definition of a God-send.

I was recently reviewing my email archive and found a message in which the owners of our house mentioned Christine & Bernard, saying that Christine was an American who lived in the neighborhood. The message indicated Christine would be willing to help us out if we had questions. In fact, Christine, on her own initiative, wrote to use before we had met. She wrote, “Things must be very busy (and maybe a bit stressful) during these last days before your move, so I’ll end here, and wish you ‘bon courage et bon voyage.’ Call or write if you need anything, otherwise I’ll stop by and say hello when I see you’ve arrived. Sincerely, Christine Bertail

Indeed, Christine did stop by, the first two times finding Chloe and Ella alone at home. She jokingly concluded that the whole “living with parents” thing was a ruse designed by two teenage girls to live in France alone for a year.

A year ago today I posted a picture of a bottle of beer and lamented my difficulty with pronouncing the French “R.” Some things have not changed….
Day 11 (11 July 2010) – Quiet Day