Going (not so) Gently

Couple of "business" items to attend to--

I still owe you 1) a discipleship update, 2) my study of John, and 3) something else but I can't remember. It is all coming in due time but my internet access is limited and my time is packed at the moment.

And, this blog will remain and transition from a "day in the life of" sort to "clearinghouse of France-related information", pertaining to ministry, culture, politics, etc. The sky is the limit but you could probably check back once a month for something.

Here's the latest--My dad asked me how I was doing the other day. I said, "Well, I'm not in France," which is pretty much my standard response and thought. I have mini-meltdowns, beginning in O'Hare where I locked myself in a bathroom and wept for who knows how long. Airports are just a really rude way to re-enter America--it all smells of greasy, yucky food and I want to literally throw up. And people are loud. Two rather symbolic moments occurred yesterday which also threatened to push me over an edge. They sound VERY silly, nonetheless--I changed my facebook profile, deleting my French cell, my GEM contact info...like it never existed. And life has gone on here back in America, further complicating this reality. I also got a cell phone and the salesman ended the transaction by saying, "You're back." I nearly ran out of the store shrieking, "DON'T TELL ME!!!" When I returned with a headset problem, I approached the counter, began my business, then he asked, "How are you today?" Oh, right, American friendliness/superficiality. Hell if he really cares or that I really care to tell. Let's keep it to bonjour/au revoir and reality shall we? Then, I demonstrated for my mother what I felt like doing in the travel section of Barnes and Noble--I laid down on the kitchen floor, face down, and pretended to have a meltdown. She responded, "Get up!" So I relocated to the cleaner, carpeted hall floorway and lay down again. Then she told me a VERY funny story [context:we're sharing a bed while I'm home for two weeks]--Two nights ago, in the middle of the night, I woke up, sat straight up, grabbed my mouth with my hand, and said, "MOTHER?!" She responded, "Yes?" To which I said, "I just didn't know where I was, or what time it was, or who you were."

Folks, it just doesn't get any better than this. To top it off, I can't speak French within anyone in my immediate surrounding. BUT, I've been in contact with some of the GBU women and other friends via email and I found a boulangerie near my sister's house that makes real deal croissants.

But the words of an email from Valerie keep resurfacing--"Go gently." I didn't really know what that meant, but I am learning. Go gently. It is a lesson in and of itself to take those words in...and to live them.