Bastille Day relaxation

Today is Bastille Day, a national holiday in France. The Bastille Place is in Paris and not too far from us. It was a prison at one time. It's storming is a event that represents independance to many French people.

There is a Reformed Church very close to the Bastille Place. It is led by Gilles Boucomont, a young, 30 something pastor who is open to the arts. He allowed the Fonderie to host the June 17-19 arts conference there. Its church council seems to be open to ministry through the arts. I expect that somehow our ministry in Paris will have some type of linkage with this church.

Today was a family day. We went to the local outdoor market and purchased peaches, cherries, cantelopes, carrots, apples, cucumbers, and flowers there. The prices there are much better for fruits and vegetables than they are in supermarkets.

After naps all around this afternoon, the kids splashed around in a small, inflatable pool on our balcony. We're glad to have this touch of summer in the midst of living in the city. While monitoring them in the pool, I felt such a thankfulness about having them in my life. This time with them is such a special gift that I don't want to miss out on. Hopefully this summer we'll have some quality time together before our son starts school in the fall.

I started reading the book Bringing Up Boys by James Dobson. It's amazing how different our son and daughter are.