Notre Dame

[Subdeacon Joe]

 

 

 

[Waxahachie Kid #17017 L]

I noted that it was an American, who made a study of the structure, and now whose plans they are using to rebuild. One more reason that the two nations should be close to each other. At least the French lady, in the interview, said: "Thank you America".  

Americans help salvage their wine industry, once-upon-a-time, after a disease wiped out most of the types of grapes. There were varieties of grapes imported into the United States, in earlier times, from France, and that, in turn, became a source that they had to have imported back to France for the wine industry to survive.

We helped them in two world wars, and returned the favor for helping us to victory in our revolutionary war. France gave us the statue of liberty. 

One of the famous statements, at the American involvement in the war against Germany, was: "Lafayette, we are here." 

Once, I remember a French official was complaining about the French language being "corrupted" by American English, and also that there were too many Americans in France, and he lamented that the Americans should all go home. 

An American made a poignant reply to that statement. I remember watching the news, and I heard the reply, that has stayed with me.

The news program panned across a large cemetery in Normandy, and the man stated: "Not all the Americans CAN go home". 

I remember, after Notre Dame burned, they said that Europe did not have the massive trees, for the needed timbers, that were used in the original construction, and then I heard that the United States did, and were willing to offer that resource in the reconstruction. 

The French can be argumentative, and horsey. Many have a low opinion of us. We both need to come to the conclusion that we are bonded, in a lot of ways, on a lot of levels. We may not think alike, or have the same goals, but we both have done a lot for each other, over the centuries.

I hope I live to see the full restoration of the building. It looks to be a long, and painstaking task.