Thank you for being who you are...

It was a cold winter morning and we were parking our car to go to work. In front of us was this girl parking her LADA. The funny thing wasn’t the LADA, it was her holding the door as it had fallen off the hinges. Poor her, we felt sorry for her so Richard and I went over and helped. We walked to the office together. She was Acadian so right there, there was a connection and this is how I met Corinne à Jean, à Zacharie, à Sylvain Cormier et Irène, à Guillaume, à Willie, à Joe Bibienne, à Fidèle Arsenault.  Do I have it right!!!


Corinne and I became great friends. We shared great moments. She came to my place at 4:00 AM to watch the funeral of Lady Diana, she is my greatest Tim Horton buddy, I brought her to Campbellton to meet my mother and the rest of my family. They all fell in love with her. She became a part of our family. When family or friends call me, they always ask, How’s Corinne. Never mind Corinne, what about me. For those who do not know, Corinne has many talents. The girl knows how do to everything. Bitch…only kidding. In my eyes, she excels at everything but there are 2 things that she does and when I see her doing it, it brings tears of joy to my eyes. One is when she is with her cats and gives them the motherly love that she has for them and the other is when she plays the flute. Never in my life have I seen anyone play the flute like her. It is mesmorizing.  You do not hear anything else that is going on around you.  You hear her, her love, her passion.  I can listen to her all day. Corinne’s talents are not just something that you can see.  You can feel them.  They lie within her, gently.   Her big heart, her wise words always make you feel good.


Today, June 10th is my 1st year here in France. I dedicated that year to Corinne. A few years ago, her life changed. For me, I would have given up, but the words GIVING UP are not in Corinne’s vocabulary. She is much smarter than that. The challenges that she has overcome and still has, the determination, the perseverance and the dedication, make her in my book, a hell of a fighter. When I moved here and after Diane left, at times, I would feel sorry for myself. Then, I just had to think of Corinne and tell myself, how dare you Loulou think that you are pitiful. This would give me the energy, strength and courage that I needed to carry on. Of course now, I am living the life here in France but there is not one day that goes by that I don’t think of Corinne. There is not one prayer that I say that doesn’t involve her. Her heart and soul have not changed. Corinne, we met for a reason and I want to thank you for being who you are, true to yourself and for thinking of me as your friend. Most of all, thank you for letting me dedicate this amazing year here in France to you. You are an inspiration to all who know you.  Sometimes you tell me, Loulou I don't deserve the friends I have.  They are so good to me.  Corinne, I believe in Angels and I believe that some walk among us.  I believe you are one of them.

As you always say, I LOVE YOU BIG...and so does your friends.