Aging with Grace

Choice is the basis of every part of your existence , but so is fear. The difference is, choice creates movement, where fear limits movement.

Rene Gaudette

A friend and I were out for a walk in the 7th arrondissement when we stumbled upon The American Church in Paris. We stepped inside and sat down to listen to a piano recital. The students were very young and struggling to play. Their families, like those everywhere in the world, seemed happy to listen. Something to show for the expense of all those lessons, I imagine. I was reminded of this experience while reading, The Paris Library. I regret not visiting this library while in Paris. It will be at the top of my list when I go back.

The Paris Library, is based on a true Word War II story of the American Library in Paris. It blends the saga of a young woman working at the American Library with her later years living in Montana and the pivotal role she plays in a girl’s life, there. It is about friends, loyalties, and how choices we make sometimes follow us for the remainder of our lives.

It can be difficult to know if the choices we make will be the right ones. Unfortunately, the answers about our decisions can come much later. Right or wrong, our only option is to move forward and if we have made mistakes, to learn from them. Most of us live our lives not in a straight line, but a series of detours.