FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Christmas lights in our village of  St Cyr-sur-Mer

MAS DE PERDRIX. A home in France that artists and writers love to rent.  Work on your creative project in this inspiring environment.

TODAY'S WORD: le menuisier

    : carpenter


ECOUTEZ/LISTEN: hear Jean-Marc pronounce the following sentence: 
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    Le menuisier. Le menuisier a donner à Kristi un cadeau de grand signification.
    Carpenter. The carpenter gave Kristi a meaningful gift.


A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE...

    by Kristin Espinasse

Today, in the seaside town of La Ciotat, I received a gift from a complete stranger after I wandered into his workshop... which turned out to be an antiques store.

"What are you looking for?" he asked with a warm welcome. But there was nothing I could think of. On my way through the shop, packed with intricately-carved armoirs and gilded mirrors, I saw a cross so forgotten that it was camouflaged right into the cold stone wall--a threshold between the showroom and the carpenter shop.

"What about this?" I said. The antiques dealer plucked up the dusty crucifix which was mounted on a threadbare wooden cross.

"I don't know," he said. "It's been here forever. Have it, it's yours.”

Tonight, I finally see the meaning in those last two lines, and I am so grateful for this gift and for the mystery behind it.





For more photos of this cross, click here and scroll through the pictures.