« Ce matin j’ai un petit peu peur. »
« This morning, I am a little bit afraid. »
These were the heartbreaking words of our youngest daughter, Philomene,
9 years old, when our family gathered for the traditional Saturday morning
breakfast together on 14th November.
Our family breakfast had a strange taste today, like never before with
our 4 children, plenty of … silence and noise ; emotions and reflections ;
outside calls and inner talks ; fear and hope (yes, still) ; questions and
answers ; anger and joy (for those we learnt were unharmed) ; stress and calm…
and prayers, unequivocally, intensely, for the victims and their friends and
families, and for our bereaved country.
Our breakfast was most likely similar to your own breakfast, and like millions
of family breakfasts in Paris, in France, in the World.
But it was also very, very, very different from the mornings of the
families of the dead and the wounded — whose number still remains ‘bloody’
uncertain, and who are confronted to the worst possible visage of humanity, blind
hatred, and to the highest possible sorrow and incomprehension.
So, this morning, we want to say a vivid prayer for all those wounded
families, or at least to have a profound thought for them, full of compassion,
of charity, of solidarity… and I would also dare to write : full of “Fraternité”, the most important value of
the people of France today.
I have received lots of messages from friends and members of ALPHA,
INSEAD, DELOITTE communities across the world, and from many others. These
messages are priceless, as it shows the unique feeling of being a strong,
united, family-like community globally. Please do not hesitate to send more of
those words of hope and courage, they are so comforting and precious in the
dark hours we live in today!
I hope that the date of November 13th will stay engraved in
our books and our memories in France, not like a tomb-stone, but like a loud,
resounding message to the people of the world, victims and terrorists alike,
which will forever proclaim:
“On that sad date of 13th November 2015, the people of France
were hurt and annihilated, but they also knew that love and compassion can, more
than ever, shine within our darkest nights, like a fire that never dies away.”
With all my best regards and humble but fervent prayers, for France and
for all the people suffering from terrorism in the world.
#PrayforParis
