Friday, July 15, 2016

Nice

Every horrible act of terrorism breaks my heart.
It's true that an arrow into France wounds me especially. I know now that friends will caution me that I shouldn't move to France because of the danger.
I don't like to point out that. according to U.S. News, "Every day in the U.S., an average of 289 people are shot. Eighty-six of them die: 30 are murdered, 53 kill themselves, two die accidentally, and one is shot in a police intervention, the Brady Campaign reports."
Eighty-six is nearly the exact number of people who were killed in Nice on Bastille Day.
Terrorist acts can happen anywhere -- in France, in Dallas, in New York, even in Columbus.
We can't live our lives afraid that we could be victims.
All we can do is live the best lives we can. Embrace the life you have.
Squeeze every bit of joy from it.
Then if your life ends early, from terrorism or a car crash or a disease, you can know that you didn't waste your days hiding from evil people. You flaunted your bliss in front of their faces and let them know, "you won't intimidate me. I am here to make the world better."
One person who makes my life better is my friend Leah.
Leah is a writer and a painter.
I've shared her pictures before, but here are some photos of Nice in a more beautiful time.

What a beautiful beach. The sky, the sea, the glory of this photo. 


And this reflecting pool with the mountains in the background. Gorgeous.

Peace be with you, Nice. May the beauty of your surroundings help heal your wounded souls. 
I look forward to visiting you next year to pay my respects in person. 

9 comments:

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Such a sad day for Nice and France. Prayers and thoughts for all.

Anne in Oxfordshire said...

Such a sad day for Nice and France. Prayers and thoughts for all.

leah reynolds said...

Thank you for sharing my photos and my love for this city.

Paulita said...

Anne, yes. It hurts that we can't do more

Paulita said...

Leah, Thanks for letting me share your beautiful art and love for Nice.

Terra said...

Glorious photos of Nice, and I agree, we can not let fear rule us.

diane said...

Lovely pics, heartfelt post😿

our life in france said...

A post from the heart, it is so sad, I am lost for words

Louise said...

I feel the same way about terrorism in France. All terrorism is awful but it does affect us more in places that we know and love. Gorgeous photos of beautiful Nice. I've never been to Nice, and it's sad that I will have this memory made for me even before I get there. I am continually amazed at the ingenuity that people throw into being evil.

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