It's been wonderful for me in Paris this week. I've been able to see the sights and sounds of this beautiful city. Dave on the other hand, has been working hard all week. He's been working with an International Team ( 1 man from each England, Czech Republic, US Dave, Spain, and Norway. They have been evaluating the safety of the men in France who work on elevators. They are all Safety Directors in their countries.
We couldn't use our cell phones over here so communication with each other has been hard. I would never know for sure when he would return to the hotel, because he didn't know either. With just two days left on his work project, I was pretty sure the team would have supper together this night.
So it was 7pm and he wasn't back yet, so I decided to start walking out to our favorite place to have supper. It was an outdoor cafe where we could sit and watch the people walking, biking, visiting and driving around. We enjoyed going there. It was already dark out, but here in Paris it didn't matter. I really wasn't afraid to go out alone at night. WHY?
The nights come alive in Paris. All day long the traffice all around is terrible. People are rushing around doing their own thing, but after 6 pm it's different.
As I walked down the street I came across many people. There were families walking together, children riding bikes, skateboards and just having fun. There were young adults as well as senior citizens. They aren't noisy, but just together. They never really talked to me either.
As I looked around this is how I would describe what I would see.
The streets were very narrow with cars parked on either side. There wasn't more than an inch between each car, many were even touching or parked sideways. The cars are very small and next to the cars there were wide sidewalks. Then at the end of the sidewalk were rows and rows of very tall buildings. The bottom floors could be a business or a home. The buildings were very old, but beautiful. They had very large impressive windows and many had awnings. Everything looked very European.
I enjoyed walking down the streets that night. The weather has been so mild and refreshing. They had very quaint streetlights that brightened the way. The stores were open late and it was fun just window shopping.
Well I finally arrived at my destination, sat down and was served a delicious meal. I watched the sights and sounds of the city as I quietly sat there.
After I finished, I decided to go for a walk around the circle before I headed back to the hotel. I almost decided to go a different way home, but something kept me going in the same direction. Then suddenly I looked up and there was Dave off in the distance waving his hands at me to get my attention. The smile upon his face melted my heart. In this big city, with so many people, the sight of the man I love off in the distance brought total joy to my heart. (I had left a note if he got home he could come there if he wasn't too tired.)
As Dave and I again went into our favorite restaurant for him to eat he said to me, "That was pretty brave of you to walk here all alone." I'm not sure what God is doing in my life on this trip. I have had such peace and joy knowing no matter where I am, I'm not alone. God is always with me going before my day.
I have decided that the next Jouney with God that I write will be, "Do NOT be afraid."
I wonder if I can believe those words with my next adventure. Dave and I will leaving tomorrow and boarding a EuroStar train to London. The fear part of this adventure will be that the train will take us under the waters of the English Channel. My heart is filled with fear thinking about doing this, but fear won't keep me from doing it. God is bigger than my fear. He will go before us. If anything were to happen my peace is knowing we would be in heaven, experiencing the greatest of all adventures that anyone coud have.
I'll write when we get to the other side. London, here we come!
PS Please excuse my writing, I am allowed a certain amount of time and it is a different keyboard.
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