What I Miss Most

I'll probably post today and then one more time on this blog before I shut it down and start another.  It's time to wrap up this chapter of our lives.

But, before I do, I'll answer the question on the blog that I have been asked countless times in the last few months: 

What do you miss most about France?

1 - First and foremost, we miss the people.  We made some fabulous friends there.  We miss them all.  It would be just wonderful to wander down the street or into church and see those folks again.

2 - Walking!  For all my complaining about grocery shopping on foot, Mark and I both agree that we miss the way of life in Paris that involves walking EVERYWHERE!  It felt so good.  We miss that a lot.  (I have to add that the kids do NOT miss the walking.  They are more than content to sit in a van!  And, they positively HATE it when I park the car at the back of the parking lot just to get some more walking built into our day.  So sad, they just don't get it.)

3 - Certain foods.  There are foods we love here, and foods we love there.  We miss the cafés that are so easy to pop into for a fabulous meal not far from home.  We loved foods like crêpes.  There's nothing like true French crêpes here in the USA.  And, above all, we miss the way they put chocolate into everything over there.  They don't make the foods more sugary, they just add chocolate to lots and lots of things.  It is positively wonderful!

4 - Eternal Spring.  The weather in Paris is pretty agreeable.  The summer is just not that hot.  The winter is just not that cold.  (Granted, it felt cold when you are walking everywhere, but in reality, it's not the extreme cold of the upper midwest.)  I really enjoyed that.

5 - The smell.  We just unpacked our boxes from France.  There were several times that I opened a box that I had packed in Paris and smelled that smell.  It's just a lovely smell in the air there.  Not sure how to explain it, but it is nice.

6 - Flower gardens.  It was very fun to admire the gardens of Paris.  There's no question about it, they are master gardeners and I really loved their artwork with plants.

7 - The news.  This might sounds strange, but the news in France is not just about France.  They report on news all over Europe and around the world.  In America, we only report about ourselves unless it is some really massive event happening in other countries.  It was nice to know more about the happenings in the world for those 2 1/2 years. 

8 - This would be for Mark and Ryan - the coffee.  They loved the strong coffee readily accessible in  cafés all over the place.

That's about it.

The list of things we DON'T miss about living in France is much, much longer.  But, I do not think that I need to put all of that on this blog.  Suffice it to say, we are very happy to be back in America.  We are citizens here, we speak the language without any difficulty, we understand the way things are done here and it is easy for our family to be in this place.

Yet, it is remarkable how America has and is changing.  The world is here on our doorstep.  Our experience in France has produced a compassion for foreigners in this land that we trust the Lord will use for good in some way.  We just met our neighbors tonight - immigrants from India who own two gas stations in town and work all day every day 7 days a week.  Amazing.  We see glimpses of our new mission field in people like this. 

Ok.  I've shared all that I planned to share, but I have no idea how to end this post.  But, my kids need to be put to bed and then I get to spend a little time alone with my husband before this weekend comes to an end.  So, I must bid you adieu.  Adieu!