Sunday morning and church is already over? Not what I’m used to.
But this morning there’s another event pointing out to me that I could never be Swiss… a triathlon beginning with swimming across Champex Lac and back in water 4 degrees warmer than the minimum allowed by the event. The 70 or so people who climbed out of that glacial lake were stunned. They had on wetsuits but their hands and feet were blue. I guess the 8’ long, wooden alphorns were supposed to cheer them on, but I don’t think they even noticed. Bags of their clothes were hanging on racks of bicycles waiting for them. They stumbled up to their gear and stripped off the wetsuits...some down to bare naked... dressed again and jumped onto their bikes. The flags on their backs showed that most of them were French. I guess I could never be French either.
We warmed up back at Sarah’s with coffee and hot chocolate. Sallie and Martin and Peter went for a walk while Sarah and I designed a new t-shirt for her shop. Vintage styles seem to be popular so we tried for that look.
Then after lunch I bought lots of Christmas presents in Vachement Suisse. Sarah’s brought great warmth and charm to her shop but because it’s so small she wanted some “outside eyes” to settle it a bit. So I stayed with her while everyone else went to the park. I had SO much fun! Nothing I love more than rearranging things!
Sunday dinner was everyone’s favorite...salmon pasta. Sadly, after dinner we said goodbye to the older children as we all went to bed. It was a wonderful thing for Peter and me to be folded into this creative, energetic and Spirit filled family. I love every one of them! It is an amazing blessing to spend such quality time with old friends!
We said a sad farewell to everyone else Monday morning as they put us on the train for Italy.