Picnic and Au Revoir

Mary's week here has flown by, and we are amazed at her ability to step into the entirely different rhythm of life here. She was an excellent guest and we all had a great time.
Yesterday we enjoyed one of our favorite things... a picnic on the steps of Eglise Sacre-Coeur (Sacred Heart Church) high atop Montmartre (Mount of the Martyrs) with a panoramic view of Paris stretching before us. Attached are the in-front-of and from-the-back views of mesdames enjoying bread, cheese, meat and some excellent wine.
Part of the joie de vivre of the steps is the excellent music and arts entertainment always ongoing. The whole experience is impossible to describe... ya gotta be there. Among yesterday's performers were two drama students to whom we made a gift in honor and memory of Katie.
A cafe visit and stroll around Ile de la Cite finished the day, and this morning we took a reluctant Mary to Charles de Gaulle airport for her flight home to Rhode Island.

Questions from home:
1) Are you ready to come back?
Three months is a really long time to be away, so yes, I am. It has been good to be "unhooked" from normal responsibilities and routines and free to pursue interests and new experiences. Now it is time to be home again.
2) Have you been able to find joy?
That is a tougher question. There have been many wonderful moments and experiences that I and we will be "unpacking" for a long time. We are so very grateful for all the pieces and people that have made this sabbatical possible, and I have some satisfaction at things being as I hoped they would be. At the same time, as we move through the grief process, using the word "joy" does not seem to fit. No, we are not "all better" by any means, and the sadness of losing Katie remains profound. We appreciate those who continue to pray with and for us.
Onward.