This blog is a back-track, one I couldn't just whip out late at night when I was too tired to think.
10 years ago when Jenni was serving her mission in Nice she met a remarkable family, the Lorenzi's. They have a beautiful daughter named Berengere who is severely handicapped from a tumor that struck when she was a healthy two year old, and when Jenni met them the sister missionaries were helping this catholic family with some therapies and special care for their daughter. Jenni recognized right away that Sarah would love both Berengere and the Lorenzi's, and since they frequently hired American nannies to help them, Jenni lined up an opportunity for Sarah to go to France and live. Sarah spent nearly seven months in the Lorenz's home, and as a result of her incredible love for them, and particularly for Monique, her "french mother," my oldest granddaughter is named Anne Monique. I'm so grateful that my Annie carries such a noble name.
Jim and I were able to go visit Sarah when she was living in Nice, and we met the Lorenzi's then and we too came to love them and begin to appreciate what remarkable people they are. This last week I paid them a visit. When they heard I was in town they invited me for lunch and I was able to spend an afternoon in their home catching up with them on our lives, and what has happened during the years since we last saw each other. It was like seeing the kind of old friends where it seems like just yesterday that you were last together. The language barrier didn't make any difference and I was quickly reminded of why I love them so much.
Patrice, Monique, Me, and Berengere in their back yard
Berengere was a perfectly healthy small child, but between her first and second years her parents were told that she had an inoperable tumor in her brain that would slowly take away all her mental and physical abilities and that if they were lucky she would live to be seven or eight years old. She is 38 this year. Monique says that they've just loved her, but I think she and Patrice have magic kisses which they bestow liberally. There was a steady flow of them all afternoon.
I took my friend Chloe with me who actually speaks real french and she helped with the translating. This is her and Patrice standing outside the "new" (since Jenni and Sarah were there) sunroom added to the back of their house.
Monique is an amazing cook and so I took a picture of the delicious fish she served us. Her cooking has influenced Sarah's own cooking more then anything else I know of, and rightly so. We are all lucky for that since Sarah shares a lot of her acquired skills with us every Sunday!
Monique at work in her kitchen. Patrice is so proud of her, the love between them is palpable.
As we shared pictures of our grandkids and I was delighted to see that my Annie looks this much like her own grandchild. They could be siblings!
Now days the French government subsides the extra help they need and they love this woman who comes in to help. It's obvious she's part of the family.
They were excited to show me the family cat that lived there when Sarah and Jenni were there.
There aren't many days in your life when you see perfect goodness, but for me, this was one of those days.
