Joyeuse Fête des Mères

Today is Mother's Day in the country where I live. So today in church, we celebrated.

Understand, this is a church that doesn't follow the church year. I call it "aggressively Protestant." We do celebrate Easter and Christmas, but that is IT. No Palm Sunday, no Advent, no Pentecost...

But we DO celebrate Mother's Day.

Today the person leading the singing had all the men stand up and sing a song to all the women. The song was "Jésus me demande d'être un rayon de soleil..." which is the French translation of "Jesus wants me for a sunbeam."

The fourth verse says that we want to forget ourselves and do nothing except "être pour ceux que j'aime un reflet de Jésus" (be for those I love a reflection of Jesus). The song leader asked the men to sing, instead, "être pour toutes les dames un reflet de Jésus." To be for all ladies a reflection of Jesus. Hmm.

Then he asked the men to go around and greet the women. So rows of men filed by and kissed all of us women on both cheeks, mumbling, "Bonne fête," or, as one translated it into English, "'Appy Birfday."

A single non-mother who was sitting near me commented that this was the best Mother's Day she had ever experienced. She thinks this should become a regular tradition, not just here but around the world.

Bonne fête, everybody.