The holidays were a difficult time for many in 2012. With my close ties to the Sandy Hook/Newtown Connecticut tragedy I had hit the wall and remained mired in profound sadness. I didn't want to talk to anyone and was secretly grateful that my French was so fragmented, I used it as an excuse not to speak at all. With our recent relocation abroad, we were looking forward to celebrating a special Christmas here in France with Bruno's family, which then didn't seem at all possible. But a chance encounter on Christmas Eve led us to appreciate the true meaning of the season, the importance of a random act of kindness and thought and to be ever so grateful for all the wonderful people we have our lives today....so here is the story of our first Christmas in France:
On Christmas Eve morning I had a hair appointment at a new salon because my hair color had become a major disaster with the last three visits to another salon. Not only was I not in good form emotionally.....I looked like HELL with this mousy brown hair that had become way too long. So Bruno located a good salon, made me an appointment, went with me to translate and stayed the entire 3 hours to ensure that everything went smoothly, which it did! After we left the salon we went across the street to a little bistro to eat a quick lunch before finishing our last minute errands. As we sipped our wine and ate Coquelle St. Jacque we noticed a disheveled woman sitting at a table, in the back alone with her head down, sleeping. Other patrons noticed her but went about their business. We were concerned for her so Bruno and I agreed to speak with the restauranteur who acknowledged that she appeared to need a spot to rest but didn't know what the problem was. When she awoke I managed to make eye contact with her and gave her a warm smile. Bruno and I then agreed that he should talk to her to find out if she needed some help....so off we went to her table. She and Bruno spoke for about 20 minutes in French and I could follow a little bit but then she began speaking in English when she realized I was Americaine. It was very clear that she suffered from mental illness and she shared that she had depression and had been hospitalized many times before (shock treatments, etc.). She was not from Lyon and it was difficult for us to determine exactly how she arrived at this spot with no money, no cell phone and just a small purse with her identification. Bruno went back to the restauranteur to arrange for a cab to take her to the hospital, which by then she had agreed for us to take her. I was able to determine from her that she had a 6 year old daughter and that she had been driving with her daughter toward Geneva, when their car broke down. She wasn't very clear with me about where the child was or what happened to the car. We stayed calm and Bruno did manage to get a few important phone numbers from her....like her ex-husband and her mother. It was also obvious that she had not eaten in quite some time and she was dehydrated. We gave her three glasses of orange juice and water before getting her into the cab....which was a little scary because she started to panic. Her body shook and quivered and she had trouble walking. But Bruno talked her through and she eventually climbed into the back of the Mercedes taxi (how ironic) and I sat up front next to the driver. At the hospital Bruno called her mother and ex-husband and learned that she has mental illness and has psychotic episodes and depressions which started back in 2005. They had been through the mill with her and this was nothing new, however they were very grateful that we found her and took her to the hospital where she could be properly cared for. The little girl was safe with her father (we couldn't confirm the broken down car story). The mother was relieved but also very upset and crying while speaking with Bruno. The hospital personnel were helpful and also appreciative. They took her rather quickly without our getting to say good bye to her. We had learned that her name was Anne Loure and she was 40 years old. She was lost, struggling and very sick. But on Christmas morning, she woke up in a bed and in a place that was safe and caring. We also learned that even in our own sadness of the Sandy Hook tragedy, we could still look beyond and recognize that someone else, a stranger, was suffering more than we were. Without realizing it, this chance meeting became a true Christmas gift.... to Anne, her family and to us. By the time we caught the subway back toward home, it was late but we did finish our errands. We missed Christmas Eve mass which we had planned to attend with Bruno's mother Charlotte but we believed our time was better spent. We celebrated by having a late candlelit dinner with Charlotte, next to our little Christmas tree in our new home here in France. We listened to Christmas music, toasted to good heath and enjoyed the lucky moment in our Joyeux Noel 2012. -Joanne
