God is so good! An overused statement, but only because it is so true. And one proof of His goodness to me is the trip I got to take to Paris this summer with JT.

When I was first asked to teach French I was a bit overwhelmed. After all, I last used French over 30 years ago (ouch, yes, I’m that old!). But I was excited nonetheless. Then the opportunity came for me to go to Paris for a 3 week intensive refresher class—what a dream of a lifetime! We had no sooner decided that I would go to the school when a crazy thought came into my mind—wouldn’t it be really cool if JT (who has studied French for 3 years) could go with me. Because of the costs (the school wouldn’t be paying for any part of his trip) it was preposterous to even consider. But I just thought, I’ll pray anyway. It seemed like a crazy prayer because we would have to have money literally appear out of nowhere and within 5 days because of the enrollment deadlines.

So I prayed. I told God I knew it was a crazy prayer, but I knew He was capable of doing “crazy” things. But I still didn’t really expect anything. That was Monday. On Tuesday morning I told Steve about my “crazy” prayer. On Tuesday afternoon Steve called me from his office to tell me that more than what we needed to send JT to France with me had just come in…from nowhere we expected. God is good.

We headed off to Paris in early July and arrived just in time to experience “la canicule” the scorching heat that broke all records. Well, I’m a Texas gal, right? But Texas gals are used to being able to retreat to air conditioned comfort whenever they want. Paris, France is not Texas and most homes, schools, and stores are NOT air conditioned. We did a lot of sweating.

We both fell in love with Paris, despite the heat. For a big city it is just so accessible and friendly. Yes, friendly. I don’t know where the “snooty French” stereotype came from. We met gracious, helpful, friendly people everywhere. But the stereotypical charm of the city is true. We loved walking down narrow winding streets; exploring centuries old churches and buildings; walking across bridges that are older than the United States. And the stereotype about French food is true too! French food was wonderful, but expensive. And yes, everywhere you go in the morning or evening, you will see people carrying baguettes. I ate more baguettes in 3 weeks than in the rest of my life all totaled! But I loved every crispy bite.

And the school was excellent. It was challenging and rewarding and oh so helpful. I told my students at the beginning of the year that they should be very grateful for my recent school experience because my empathy for their situations was at 100%. I had just experienced the tightening of the stomach when called on and you don’t know the answer, the feeling of not knowing what on earth was just said, and the frustration of trying to express yourself in a different language.

The school organized trips and activities which were great, like picnicking underneath the Eiffel Tower and watching an incredible 40 minute firework display on Bastille Day (the French Independence Day). We were just 30 minutes from the heart of Paris by metro and we were free from our demanding classes from noon till 7pm every day. JT and I wore ourselves out exploring. Oh what a precious time to spend with my son just a year before he leaves the nest and goes off to college. God is good.

The school is specialized and the friendships and camaraderie were a wonderful part of the experience too. We shared together our various reasons for learning French and encouraged one another and prayed together and sang together. JT brought his sax along and it was so fun to see him jamming with musicians from all over. A little bit of heaven…

The highlights would be the Eiffel Tower on Bastille Day, Sacre Coeur Cathedral—we walked in and I just started weeping, the view from the top of L’Arc de Triomphe–breathtaking, and just walking and talking with my son—in French of course! (JT would want me to add that the ice cream was good too.)

Yes, God is good.

The next time you have a “God is good” moment, I hope you’ll share it with us. We love hearing from all of you and miss you so much.

Blessings,

Nancy

PS. I am loving teaching French and I think my students are even learning!