December 14, 2004
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La joie d ' être libre
The joy to be free .
English version below the picture
Je me demandais quel sujet j ' allais traiter cette fois . Soudain mon regard fut attiré par cette photo prise en Septembre dernier .
Sur la droite de la photo nous voyons ma femme Janine ( avec une cousine à sa droite ) and ce ce qui frappe c ' est son expression de dynamisme et de joie . C ' était une marche pour commémorer le 60ème anniversaire de la libération par les troupes alliées de ma ville natale , Marquise , une petite ville près de Boulogne dans le nord de la France . ( Septembre 1944 ) .
La marche partait de l ' hôtel de ville conduite par la musique municipale ..
Il me semble que cette photo montre bien la joie d ' être libre , même encore 60 ans plus tard , et d ' être libre d ' une manière générale ..
Janine on the right is dressed with a black and white shirt and a black skirt . Photo M . Fauquet September2004
I was wondering what topic I was going to treat this time . Suddenly my eyes were caught by this photo taken on last September .On the right of the picture we see my wife Janine ( with a cousin at her right side ) and what hits me this is her look of dynamism and joy . It was in a walk to commemorate the 60 th anniversary of the liberation by the allie troops of my birthplace , Marquise , a small town near Boulogne in Northern France . ( September 1944 ) .
The march was starting form the townhall and led by the municipal band .
It seems to me this picture shows well the joy to be free , even still 60 years later and to be free generally speaking .
Comments (90)
I first read Janine on the right is dressed with a black and white shirt and a black skirt Photo M. Fauquet September 2004 and then I looked at her face and thought she looked like she had so much PEACE in her heart. Then I read the rest and I couldn't agree more. Joy to be free.....that is PEACE.
Tu ne viens pas ici pour un longtemps! I wonder where you have been all this time?
joy is to be your friend and be able to read your wonderful posts and know more about you life, Michel... Thanks
Merci...
The joy of freedom. The power of being able to determine your destiny. Yes. Too often we forget that of The Four Freedoms of the "mission" of that War, Freedom from Fear may be the most important.
Janine is so beautiful!
Rosemary
And it looks like a lovely day with blue sky to walk for freedom!
I love this picture
Be well Michel, Good Health, Meilleurs Voeux!
Salut, Michel. Il y a longtemps que vous avez visitez mon site. J'espere que tout va bien chez vous.
Belle photo comme toujours!
Wonderful post and a beautiful picture to go with it! How I would have loved to be there and to just be able to listen to the stories everyone had to tell.
~Catherine
janine is so pretty~!
happy holidays, michel, to you and your family.
Its great fun marching to the band.
Very nice. It's so sweet how much you always adore your wife.
<3,
Aubrey
It definitely does! Thanks for sharing! Have a great week.
Rien n'égale le sentiment de liberté. Malheureusement, la liberté absolue n'existe pas. Il y a toujours des contraintes.
Il est sans doute merveilleux d'avoir des souvenirs chéris d'un tel jour glorieux.
J'adore la photo.
Merci de tom amitié et de ton soutien continus, Michel.
Clara
You have such a beautiful wife Michel. It looks like the day was very lovely for you both.
Ah, je suis contente de te revoir sur Xanga...je commençait à m'inquieter.. J'espère que tu passeras des belle fêtes avec votre épouse, Michel. Amitié, Lise xo
Your pictures continue to inspire me to take pictures of my world...and I wonder if other people not from this area think they are as charming and exotic a locale as I find your photos about yours. Mrs. Faquet looks very happy
meant to spell Mrs. Fauquet
instead of the misspelling.
Wow.. and actual bilingual French-English blog! My French really sucks. Je ne parle pas francaise bien. Ok, that really hammers the nails into the coffin.
pour moi, la liberte me rend joie de vivre.
Salut Michel. Janine est belle.
What a wonderful photo of Janine
she does look very happy and so young looking as well 
. I hope you get to read all the lovely things we say about her here 
Yes, to be free is a privilege one should never take for granted. I appreciate that at this time I am free to worship Jehovah God. There will come a time when that privilege will be taken from me. However, my prayer is that I never let that keep me from worshipping HIM. Matt.24:13
this is a beautiful clear and happy picture
Thank you so much for your email.
I do love it when you share photos of you or your family. I really like this photo because of the meaning behind it. For something that most of us take for granted on a daily basis, your wife is taking a walk to commemorate freedom. Freedom is such a wonderful gift and such a big part of our lives now.
God bless, Michel. Have a wonderful week!
Manifique! I'm so glad you are back, I missed your posts!
That is a neat thing to do. Janine looks great!
Lovely photo of the happy crowd. Freedom is a gift we have been blessed with esp here in the UK, we are very fortunate. At least in November we remember those who died to make sure we have the gift. Janine loks very happy and lovely too.
Marie
Vive la liberté !
This site is wonderful! I am currently in college right now and am studying French for a French minor! I think that reading your blog may help me with my French!
-Ranah-
Indeed Janine is beautiful, her expression of calm, surely she was looking at you. It is wonderful to be loved, it shows in her face and it comes through in your writing.
lovely to be free...
Ah... it's good to have such walks! Maybe we should have a walk in Singapore to commenmorate the end of Japanese occupation during WW2. I think people won't understand the gift of freedom unless they've tasted "slavery".
janine est tres charmant sur la photo.
Bonsoir ou bonjour, Monsieur. Votre femme Janine est tres belle. Elle apparait vraiment heureuse. Le Deuxieme Guerre du Monde etait horrible. Je crois que tout le nous souviendrons ca temps en histoire. A votre sante et le sante de votre femme et votre familie, aussi. Au revoir...
My apologies to MelsWorld . I have unvonluntarily deleted her kind comment . I am really sorry .What an idea to put " delete " just at the side of the name !!!
Michel
hey...^^ wzup? ^.~
Beautiful photo shared for a beautiful reason
THat's wonderful. I am looking forward to seeing the liberation parade of my town too!
As always, the picture and thoughts are lovely. And your wife certainly does lool radiant and joyful. Hope all is well with you. God bless!
Jana
She's a beauty. And you're a lucky man.
You are so funny Michel and you're definitely NOT an idiot! I laughed so hard when I read your comment this morning! And you're quite the charmer yourself - I hope I don't start deleting your comments now! Hehe!
You know they should have a "Are you sure?" message pop up before it goes POOF!
Your wife looks very young, pretty and peaceful in this photo. It is wonderful to celebrate freedom - I have never known anything other than freedom myself, but I am very thankful for that!
That is a beautiful picture. I lived in Europe for a good amount of my childhood and have longed to go back ever since. I'm subscribing in hopes of seeing more pictures to make me feel nostalgic.
-matt
thank you. i agree, your wifes beaming face captures the reason. have a wonderful week, my wonderful xanga-friend.
Very nice photo! You're right, . .freedom.
A handsome lady ,and I expect it was with great relief when you were rescued at the end of the war ,it is hard for me to imagine as we were not overtaken by the enemy, just bombed .Good job England was an Island ,only thing that saved her, and of course Americans coming in late as usual ,but they saved our lives, as their troops were so many. Have a lovely xmas the pair of you ,and I treasure your card ,and have a small frame waiting to frame it, Love Marjie
I think freedom is more precious to those who have lost and regained it. The deep love of freedom is something that France and the United States share. It is no wonder that your wife has such joy on her face.
As ever,
Carol Suzanne
How right you are, Michel!
It reminds me of the man dancing down the street in my previous post. People should really stop and think how much freedom means. The photo you've posted is indeed a wonderful one. 
She does have a look of joy! That is what makes her a beautiful women.
It was a very important happening and has changed all our lives.
I am glad you put the photo to remember.We cannot forget and we must pass the message to the young people.
Nice photo's to indicare the powerful contribution from the ladies to bring the message of Peace.
Amitié
Carlo
What better way to remember freedom eh, Michel?. A walk with beautiful ladies. Your pictures always show such love and life. Thank you for sharing. Many hugs old friend.
The joy to be free is something that the entire world needs to feel. Perhaps, one day....
...yay, Freedom! What are we without it? Great pic of Janine and purpose she is recognizing. Wonderful post, Michel.
...thank you for your beautiful thoughts and card.
Il y a un longtemps...
je ne peux pas imaginer la joie d' etre libérer(?) comme toi. C'est une bonne raison pour une célébration!
May we always walk in peace, in beauty, in freedom. Janine is such a beautiful spirit. Thank you for sharing her with us.
~Paloma
What a wonderful celebration and Janine looks so vital and happy
Happy Holidays 
Love, Nancy
free to walk, free to share, free to live, just plain free... how lovely freedom (and your Janine) are...
I'm giggling over Portia's comment...about Americans being late as usual. I'm guessing that was not the time for us to be Casually Late?!
Michel...my goodness...59 comments! Wow! Apparently, you have been missed and must never take a leave of absence again! ;O)
Vous seriez considérablement manqué mon ami ! (I hope that translated correctly...I used a translator guide online.)
Love, Cat (Chat) =^, ,^=
Bonjour Michel! C'est un message simple mais fort--il n'y a rien qui nous fait plus de plaisir que la liberté (aussi l'amour, biensûr!) Belle photo de Janine et l'ambience vivante et joyeuse. Bisous
Freedom is precious
Love is a gift and the two of you have given that to each other. I too see the joy of peace on her beautiful face. A picture does say a thousand words...huggs...Sassy
Sounds like a very special walk indeed. Janine looks totally beautiful and radiant and peaceful all at once. You take some really great photos, you catch the essence of the moment so well. I thank you so much for sharing. Have a great day and a wonderful tomorrow ! ! ! Much love and many hugs ! ! ! May you and Janine sleep with the angels and wake up fully rested and ready for a brand new day ! ! ! I also wish you a most wonderful Christmas season, May God bless you both and grant you a very happy holiday season ! ! !
We Americans would have been such fools to do anything less than come to France's aid, my dear Michel!!! Hugs, Claudia
La liberte - c'est une bonne raison pour sourire!
My late father went back to France after he was given months to live. He used to say he hated it there in 44-45 because there were so many tragic deaths, he said you could not open a barn without finding a dead family in it.
I only know a very tiny bit of french
and that's why I love your xanga so much..because it's bilingual and I can show my eldest who took 3 years of french in high school and sounds so good in it (at least to my motherly ears 
Freedom is a wonderful thing and not to be taken for granted!
Janine is very beautiful. The look on her face shows that she is just as lovely inside as she is outside.
Oui, une JOIE à être libre ! C'est teri/craktpot. J'ai déplacé mon blog. Je n'ai pas su que vous étiez de retour bienvenue de ~ en arrière. Svp visite quand vous pouvez!
C'est tres bien. J'aime les photos.
I hope that our freedom will last, but there are a lot of factors that make me wonder whether it will.
We can only hope that the allies will stick together through thick and thin...
La joie d'être libre ! Vraiment Janine en est un exemple merveilleux !
Nous vous avons envoyé une carte depuis le Château de Sans Souci. J'espère qu'elle vous parviendra tout bientôt
Ton site est magnifique Michel !
Merci
Amitiés
http://www.cuddlecards.com/christmas/xmas31.html
Happy Holidays to you and yours God Bless my friend
Oh Michel, she looks so pretty and peaceful.. Freedom is never something we should take for granted. We are lucky to have it, and many in the world do not. Hope your family made it thru the storm ok. God bless you and have a wonderful holiday season.
For some reason I thought I had left you a comment already, but I'm not so sure now. Forgive me.
You have to know how happy I am for you to finally make a return! I have missed you greatly as well as your always wonderful posts. I also think it is incredible that after all this time you still love your wife and seem to just adore her. Thank you for proving to me that there are good men out there
I hope that when I am your age, I will have been as happily married as you..and updating xanga with picutres of our happy life!
<3
I am finally better Michel. Thank you for asking.
Hopefully my doctor's appt. today will go good.
Wishing you and your family a great holiday and a great blessing for the upcoming year!
A wonderful picture to see! I wish I could come visit the towns you show us here. Maybe some day I will make it. Janine looks very happy.
The pictuers I posted on my site were from a theatre musical production in which I played a Shopper & Caroler. I had not a major roll, but I did have to dance a bit as well as sing several songs and it was a huge success. The play was about the true meaning of Christmas and how we should have faith and believe and anything is possible, even a miracle or two.
I hope to do more theatre work soon.
Please give our good wishes to your beautiful family for a blessed holiday season and a happy New Year!
Love,
Deb
Michel, you live near Normandy? My great-grandfather was born there. He came to the U.S. at the turn of the 20th century, probably around 1895. He didn't bring any French culture with him(save for drinking)and no one in my family has ever learned French but me, though I would not consider myself at all fluent in it. I know however, that I have family in North France, and perhaps elsewhere by now, though I have never met them. Le monde n'est pas tres grand, n'est-ce pas?
Joyeux Noel, mon ami,
Patrick
yes its a nice picture...your wife is quite a beauty...lucky dog!
Ca me manque la France
J'aime bien regarder les objets derriere les gens.. les batements, lets paneaus, les voitures...
Glad that you are back Michel. Missed reading your posts.
Yes, all the people in your picture show signs of their joy and appreciation of freedom. One thing that strikes me as well is the way that they all look so different in their manner of dress, and the looks on their faces. They are all portraying the ideas of being free to be whomever they wish to be. Something that some places don't have. It is something that I too, forget that people fought so that it could be that way for us...
Love,
sarah
I do see a lot of joy in that picture! It's good to be back at Xanga and good to read your blog.
Warm hugs,
Lisa
Je suis vraiment désolée pour les dégâts. Clem m'a parlé de la tempête, mais je ne savais pas qu'elle était aussi violente.
J'ai oublié la vitre de ma voiture ouverte hier et à mon retour tout mon siège était trempé. J'ai passé deux heures portant des habits humides...
Je reviendrai prendre de tes nouvelles.
Merci de ton amitié continue, Michel.
Clara.
(Le Christ, c'est son anniversaire, on ne l'oublie jamais.)
Merci beaucoup d'être repassé par mon site
Décidémment je suis un peu débordé par le nombre de modes d'écritures que j'ai l'intention d'exploiter. Ce n'est pas évident quand on s'addresse à un lectorat si diversifié, hehehe...Quoique, un certain nombre d'anglophones me lisent pour mes affinités au français.
Peut-être seriez-vous intêressé par ma dernière rédaction en date dont je suis en train de rédiger son épilogue, mais qui lui ne comprendra pas forcément son compartiment en français pour des raisons pratiques.
Je vous souhaîte à vous et à vos proches de passer d'excellentes fêtes de Noël
I love your pictures of your wife.
She is so beautiful..c'est bella!
I hope you have a wonderful holiday.
Many *hugs* and warm wishes to you and your family.
In friendship,
Asnhoopla...=)
La liberté de chaque personne pour avoir la vie, la liberté et la poursuite de bonheur personnel est une valeur que j'ai gravée dans mon âme très fortement. Je suis heureux que les gens de France soient libres, mon ami.
Awww.....that is such a sweet photo!!
That is a beautiful photograph of your wife, Michel. And yes, freedom is definitely worth commemorating.
Joyeux Noel, Michel et Janine!
La photo est magnifique.
So many here are willing to fight for freedom, not only for ourselves but for all who suffer under tyranny. From the very beginning , we have cherished independence. Freedom comes at a price.
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