Havens from the Storm

Even though I’m not in the thick of the battle regarding the storm devastation in my old stomping ground, I rejoice every time I hear that a friend got their power back or gained a working toilet, or had a hot shower and a meal (even if it was at someone else’s house). My one regret was not taking my nose out of my own concerns over the past few days and inquiring earlier about those friends whom I hadn’t suspected would be impacted.

As you can imagine, we in France are very far from storm concerns (unless it’s our personal storm of bankruptcy from my heedless overspending that threatens).

And yet we’re still getting a dog. And from a breeder too. Our foolishness knows no bounds.

Someone said we should take a picture of the children’s faces when we tell them we’re getting one.

When we told them, they could hardly credit it.

But the joy eventually sank in

and they allowed themselves to consider the possibilities.

Young Lady was going to start cleaning more to prevent puppy choking.

She made herself a little helper to that end.

Young Knight found the perfect solution to our monetary troubles.  (Truly we’ll be okay, and apart from the perhaps not-so-very-wise notion to get a dog at this juncture, we’re simply going to use the age-old technique of tightening our belts).  

Listen up, all you who find yourself in the same fix.  Young Knight has offered us his supreme wisdom.

“If you don’t have any money, you just need to get married.  And then you can have a baby, and when your baby gets bigger, they will lose their teeth and you just have to put the tooth under the pillow and the ‘little mouse’ will come and leave a coin.”

“And then you will have money!” he added exultantly.

We showed the kids what our dog looked like.

while outside the barest whisper of Sandy was felt

with dark skies and hail.

But inside we found ourselves in this haven from the storm.

And my prayer is that you find yourself in one too.

* * * * *

Here’s some news for Parisians. Actually, this is relevant to any English speaker living in France.  There is an SOS Helpline in English for those in trouble and needing someone to talk to.  I’ve included the link to their website at the bottom of my sidebar, and it will remain there as a reference. There is also an upcoming event to help raise money for the organization, and the details are as follows:

In short, SOS Help, along with the British Ambassador and his wife, will be hosting an evening of jazz music followed by a reception at their residence. As always, proceeds from the event will support SOS Help and the English-speaking community that use their services. Events like this are held only every couple of years, so they’re really hoping to get the word out to sell the tickets. For more information, click here!

With the holiday season almost upon us, SOS Help is also looking for ways to become better known. While the holidays are often filled with happy and warm moments, for some they can be an extremely lonely or difficult time of year. You can help get the word out by sharing the website link on your blog (if you have ties to France), or liking them on Facebook no matter where you are.

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