Dimanche

Since we spent Saturday night haunting museums and such, we got a bit of a late start on Sunday at the 11:00 service at the American Church of Paris.  I had been before, and prefer Hillsong for its music...but anyone that's related to me knows how much I love a good, "Praise God, For Whom All Blessings Flow" during the service.  When I was 15 or 16 we had a preacher at my church in Lawrenceburg who decided he would take that out of the service and I have never been so upset about anything in my life.  Okay, I suppose now that has changed but I was truly heartbroken and would talk every Sunday about how it needed to be put back into the service.  He left soon after (probably because he took that song from me) and the song was put back into its rightful place in the service.

Anywho, the service was beautiful and traditional as always, and the Tiffany & Co. designed stained glass windows weren't so bad to look at either.  Yes, that's right, a few of the panels of stained glass in the church are designed by the famed Tiffany & Co. 

The preacher opened his sermon by talking about his hometown of Mason, Tennessee.  I almost fell out of the pew...I had no idea they were from Tennessee.  Mason is a stop you see on I-40 between Memphis and Jackson...but who knew people actually lived there? ha!  I met his wife after the service and she was just about as shocked as I was.  It is truly amazing what a small world it is.  They are returning to the States the end of June and she has already sent me an e-mail hoping we can keep in touch.  

She explained this cross they made for a member of their congregation.  It is made from bare tree branches, and origami cranes which symbolize a wish or a hope...such as long life or recovery from illness.  A Japanese member who is a member of the church and skilled in origami suggested the idea.  The woman from the congregation was diagnosed with a serious cancer, and she didn't realize while she was helping make all these paper cranes that it was for her.  They made several small crosses and chains that strung across the church which were then given to her for her home.  

I think its really beautiful...and such a wonderful idea.  That thought only increases 10 fold when you realize the meaning behind it! 

After church we went out to Père Lachaise cemetery for a little stroll with the dead.  The largest cemetery in Paris (110 acres) its good to at least look at the map before you just try and attack the space full-on.  We wound up and down the cobblestone path and past the crematorium and had one purpose for the day: to see the newly refurbish tomb of Oscar Wilde.  

This is the before picture that I took sometime last winter: 

And this is the newly refurbished version:

All nice, new, and untouched.  With a glass case around it so no more kisses from random strangers...but it didn't seem to stop them from kissing the glass.  

We like Fancy Nancy too!

So many things written in so many different languages!  

Sounds weird to say, but Père Lachaise is a hauntingly beautiful place.  

It was on the verge of a thunderstorm (the grey clouds looming above us) so we called it a day.  Little did we know those would be the clouds that lingered for 48 hours straight over Paris.  Chloé is back from China, bringing lots of presents for Marie-Césare including a precious yellow and pink kimono which I believe she halfway expected.

Laying low this week and this weekend...suppose to be 75 and sunny Friday (20% chance it stays that way) but, bring it on!!!!!!