Friday Favorites, vol. xiv

Do you know what the French call a mother-in-law and father-in-law?  Belle-mѐre and beau-pѐre.  It's like saying beautiful mother and good father.  I love this.  

We did so many wonderful things this past week with my belle-mѐre and beau-pѐre.  I'm not sure if that makes it easier or harder to identify my favorites.  

1.  our church retreat

What an encouraging and fun weekend with God's people gathered from all over the world, here in Paris at this particular time.  It was so good to have concentrated time to talk to people and K.J.'s parents did a great job teaching.  Below is a panel of pastors answering questions after the morning teaching time.

2.  Monet's Garden in the Fall

The colors!  Oh, my, they were gorgeous.  It was also a delight to have our dear friend, Ari, be able to come with us.  Gifts all around.

3.  visiting the exhibits at the American Military Cemetery in Normandy

For various reasons we'd never walked through the visitor's center before, and it was so meaningful and tear-inducing for sure.  These are a selection of things carried by soldiers that day, symbols of faith and good luck, patriotism, and love.

4.  seashells, seashells everywhere

We got the inside scoop on where to go for a beach covered in scallop shells.  Even though we were told the beach was covered in shells, it couldn't prepare us for seeing it in person!

5.  watching the sunrise with K.J.

I didn't want to walk out on my own, so I'm thankful for a husband willing to get straight out of bed and hurry to the beach so we wouldn't miss it.  This is Sword Beach, taken by the British on D-Day.

This was a week spent looking at "small" things created by God--shells, flowers, birds--and after an Instagram post I saw from Sally Lloyd Jones reminding me that the birds are "careless in the care of God,"  I paid closer attention.  The exquisite beauty of a flower doesn't last long, birds aren't worried, and all the minute detail of a shell at the bottom of the ocean might never be seen were it not for the fisherman dumping the empty shells on this beach.  All of these things are created with care by God, and we are worth so much more than they.  So don't worry.