The most powerful Christmas in my life...
Beginning with Christmas Eve Mass at the Paris Foreign Mission, where I sang with the chorale. After several rehearsals with this music, I was able to really enter into the Liturgy, as music and song is my preferred type of prayer.
Beginning with a wonderful little Christmas pageant with adorable French children...
...the Mass concluded with this wonderful carol:
Il est ne, le divin Enfant,
Jouez, hautbois, resonnez, musettes;
Il est ne, le divin Enfant;
Chantons tous son avenement!
Ah! qu'll est beau, qu'il est charmant,
Que ses graces sont parfaites!
Ah! qu'll est beau, qu'll est charmant,
Qu'il est doux le divin Enfant!
Il est ne, le divin Enfant.
I was singing next to Laure and her blonde-blue eyed daughter with her hair in two braids. At the words "qu'll est beau, qu'll est charmant, Qu'il est doux le divin Enfant"... This charming, beautiful, sweet, Divine child... I looked at Laure and met eyes with her daughter--and as the song was concluding, three chidren heled a toddler up to see Jesus in the manger--Then Laure's daughter looked at me and said "Merry Christmas" in her sweet little voice and kissed my cheeks---and everyone applauded at the end of the song. I thought--we are all here, celebrating this birth of a Child, who I have just encountered in the face of this child next to me.
Fr. Thierry writes that Christmas "belongs to the past, present, and future. He is being born. He will be born. This is not a supra-historical event that is visited upon a changeless humanity, but an actual event that takes place intimately in all who welcome it."
This event is taking place intimately in my heart.
After Mass, we gathered in the courtyard, with lights above us, for a dinner together. I sat with some of my friends who introduced me to saucisson with pickles and watched me break my plastic fork as I tried to cut my beef!
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| Joining for a photo! |
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| My dinner table |
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| Beautiful celebration!!! |
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| You know you're with the French when... |
Christmas morning we went to mass in Thai, at Samakee in our neighborhood. It was a beautiful, simple, ordinary Mass, reminding me of the silence with which Jesus entered this world...
Natalie, Mollie, and I headed over to Pii Tiim's house by the tracks with gifts for Phaa and Ket. Sitting there, in this shack with four kittens eating the food on the floor next to us, and with the old, stained pillows and blankets strewn on the floor where they also sleep... I spoke with Pii Tiim and Ket played with this stuffed animal we gave him for Christmas... It was about 20 minutes sharing of friendship before we had to leave. Seeing the joy of Ket with his simple gift, loving the camera to pieces, playing wearing only his underwear and beautiful smile...
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| Giving Ket his Christmas gift |
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| Eating up the attention! |
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| BIG FACE! |
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| Natalie and I with Pii Tiim and her grandson, Ket. |
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| Saying goodbye! |
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| Lovely child ;) |
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| Ket put a kitten in the bag with his gift to play... |
I wouldn't trade this year's Christmas for anything.
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| Fon. |
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| Dia, MoMai, and Biw's little sister playing with our magnetic-"paper" dolls my Mom sent for the kids! |
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| Monthita with Faa, Phay, and Beng |
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| Monthita explaining Christmas in Thai |
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| MoMai and I with her Christmas gift--a doll my Mom sent from America! |
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| Sateem, Bem, and Faa opening their gifts. |
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| Nadia came later for her Christmas AND Birthday gift! |
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| Beew enjoying some cake. |
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| Nadia's private birthday party--finished putting together her new puzzle! |
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| Preparing lemongrass, pickled garlic, onion, limes, mushrooms, tomatoes, and chilies for tom yum kung! |
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| Preparing the seafood to eat with the soup! |
