From the cradle to the cross
Last night I attended an evening function, it is the first time that we have been out on an evening since we came here in early November. My friend Andrew had spotted an advertisement in the Central Brittany Journal, a monthly publication essentially for fellow brits to belong to the community, advertise their business or trade and get help with certain things and notifications of events that are being held locally that you may find of interest. Well this advert was for an evening of music, poetry and an art exhibition, free to enter, just arrive early for registration. Wasn’t really me, though I am not entirely sure ‘What is me?’ when it comes to social activity anymore. I know what it was before I was saved, ‘Anything’ if it involved being out and was accompanied by anything alcoholic, I was relentless, the pull of alcohol daily was intense, though I would work hard to pay for my ‘lifestyle,’ I paid hard for the painful consequences I couldn’t see coming.
Now I am more than happy to curl up with the good book and my dog, we don’t need any noise or entertainment anymore, you don’t when you have been saved.
So my friend suggested that I should go and take some of my drawings and enter them into the art exhibition and see what’s going on, I did think it may be an opportunity to witness to somebody, or hand out some tracts of ‘Jesus est mort pour moi’ (Jesus He died for me). So we went, it was only local too, less than ten minutes drive, to a little place called St. Nicodeme, a little village not far from Callac. If you have ever driven somewhere where the only light that there is, is the light that you make from your own vehicle its quite strange, you don’t see anything, it’s a beautiful night, no orange glow of street lights can be seen as far as the eye can see, we pull into the little village and I find the ‘salles des fetes,’ village hall, and in I go, sadly this was no dogs allowed, so Bertie had to sleep guard in the motorhome. X
It didn’t take me too long to realise that thought this event was advertised in an English publication, it was a French event, by then I had found out that the person who does the Art display’s was off ill, and that I should stick them up on the wall, or on the notice board, the French people are so warm, lovely and helpful.
The evening’s entertainment was a mixture of amateur dramatics, a few guitarists, an elderly family with what looked like some home-made wooden recorders, some acapella singing of renditions of what sounded like French Resistance anthems by the pleading and breaking of their hearts! There was a couple of blokes doing a written comedy sketch that they constantly looked at their lines to make sure they followed the ‘punchlines’, and a ventriloquist.
It was all very amateurish and from a time long gone by.
And I didn’t understand a word of any of it.
It was quite long to be sat on a plastic chair, about 4 hours, fortunately they stopped for several breaks, so that more crepes could be eaten hastily washed down by the ultra powerful Pastiche!
And you know what, I thoroughly enjoyed it, I wouldn’t say it was my favourite night of all time, but it was a great insight into how in these rural communities there is an incredible bond of love, warmth and happiness, my cheeks were just as rosy as theirs from the warmth they give. It starts with a simple level of common courtesy to our fellow man and rises up to a common love and respect for all others. I sat there not knowing what they were singing or laughing about and I spent my time asking in prayer, What can I learn from this night Lord?
And I am brought to the simple message of scripture in Luke’s Gospel, 6:31, we read;
“And just as you want men to do to you, you also do to them likewise.”
Simple really. I had quite a good response to my pictures, whereupon it appeared that more people were attracted to one particular one, the cradle to the cross, though I can’t show you my photo of them all as I have a problem with my phone where I can’t ring out at present, and I had a lovely offer from a French lady who wished to buy one, it was of the cradle and the cross, I declined her generous offer, signed it and let her have it for good will. I hope that I am around when they do another one of these events.
God Bless.
