Monday 9 May 2011

Entente cordiale

We heard a great, true story at the conference yesterday from Cynthia Hopkins, an Association trustee. I'd asked her if she'd had some good times with her husband in the ten years between his diagnosis with MND and his death. She laughed and agreed, emphatically, and related this incident.

Her husband was far from being a Francophile - indeed, bluntly, he didn't like the French - , but they went to stay in Paris - not the most wheelchair-friendly of cities. However they managed, until they got to the Sacré Coeur in Montmartre....

For obvious reasons, they could only admire it from afar.... 

Mais tout à coup! Four men appeared out of the blue, and said, "Leave it to us." The four of them proceeded to carry him up the steps to the Basilica, and then said, "Take as long as you want to look round, and give us a call when you're ready." In due course, they carried him and the wheelchair down again. Bravo! 

After that her husband revised her opinion of the French, Cynthia concluded! Can there be Francophone angels, I wonder? Certainly, human-kindness knows no boundaries.

4 comments:

  1. That's an amazing story Dad! x

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh I love the French--and Italians. What a sweet story!
    Anita

    ReplyDelete
  3. Why does it make ME feel good when I wasn't even there??!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awwwwwwww! That's lovely!

    ReplyDelete