Merci Beaucoup Bitches

 

Good morning from Paris. Today some thank you's are in order... Thank you's to all of you. As I am winding everything down, all I can think of is all of you. I have read every comment and every email and I am just gobsmacked by all of your well wishes, kind words, prayers, advice, donations, personal stories, and LOVE. Gracie, the brat, always teases me that my blog readers are my imaginary friends. However, I think you are quite the opposite. Your generosity of heart has gotten me through some very dark days... Like yesterday.


Yesterday afternoon my ALS doctor paid a visit to my apartment. Doctor Meininger has been my doctor since the beginning. After I was diagnosed with ALS in New York, I immediately flew to Paris to see Doctor Meininger because he is the foremost specialist in the ugly world of ALS. He has seen me go from walking to 100% paralyzed. Because this is Paris and a civilized city, Doctor Meininger arrived to my apartment to have a chat. After an espresso and a quick evaluation, the kind doctor looked me in the eyes and said, "You, indeed, are at the end of ALS." The only thing I could do was laugh and think, "Well, that's not something you hear everyday."


I spent the rest of the afternoon looking out the window because what the fuck else was I supposed to do? Do you know what I thought of? I thought about all of you. I thought about all of the compassion you all have shown towards me. Truly, I did. I pushed aside all of my other current worries and tried to focus on something positive... All of you.


Through these years with the blog we have been through a lot and have supported each other through every recipe, every design disaster, every Parisian flower shop, every Provencal village and every heartbreak, heartache, and emotional crisis and meltdown known to mankind and every time we were there for each other without fail... And for that, I would like to thank all of you.


Even though my current health situation does not allow me to respond to every email or comment, I want all of you to know that I have heard you. I wish I could reply to all of you personally but I just cannot so here I am thanking all of you the only way that I have left... Through the blog. My thank you's are to each of you personally and I send to each of you a big fat sloppy hug and kiss.


You know, women (and Stephan) are truly remarkable... Definitely the more evolved species. Women have the capacity for true compassion and for that I am grateful. All of you have enriched my life more than you could ever imagine. We have laugh and cried (and judged) with gusto. My life is truly better with having known all of you.


So...

MERCI BEAUCOUP FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Stay tuned for the next blog... My most exciting blog yet... The launch of my book! Can you believe that I finished it! It will be available on Thursday through the blog. Thank you for your patience and support. Love to all of you...


One more thing... I have had been asked by so many of you if I could give out my address so you could send cards and I have always said no because David wont allow it in case some of you want to murder me but I don't care anymore so here is my address...

Eleanor O'Connell Decret
16 rue de Montpensier
Paris, France 75001

Cards, flowers, cookies or murder... your choice. Thank you in advance.

Gobble gobble!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I am so thankful for so many things but primarily I am thankful for all of you. Thank you for your support, your generosity, your kindness, your advice, and your love. Yes, I can feel your love all the way over here in Paris. In the years past, I admit, I really didn’t consider being thankful all that much. I would usually just have Thanksgiving dinner, fight with my family, say a prayer and get ready to Christmas shop the next day. I still do that but now I stop to think that I am truly grateful and thankful for so many things. Do you want to know what I’m thankful for?

I am thankful that my daughter is strong. I am thankful that she is funny. I am thankful that she is tender, shy and doesn’t take 500 selfies of herself and post them on social media. I am thankful that she likes to cook. I am thankful that she is smart and witty and not a moron. I am thankful that she values family and loves traditions.

I am thankful for my husband. I am thankful that he wakes up five times during the night to move my legs. I am thankful that he still thinks I’m pretty. I am thankful that he only annoys me part of the time. I am thankful that we like to do everything together. I am thankful that he brings me surprises every day. I am thankful for his OCD that causes him to overly organize our apartment.

I am thankful for my friends. I am thankful for all the craziness, the drama, the love, the laughter, the tears, the cigarettes and the wine.

I am thankful for my friends who act like my family… Jenny, Gage, Sabena, Yolanda, Dfoz, Gigi, Bella, Anwar, Susan, Sarah, Diandra, Hawk, Hudson, Imara, Taren, Allegra, Ursula and Madison, Debbie, Kelsey, Colton, Mer, Melinda, Yvonne, Christy, my sweet Susie and John Claude, Tom… All of you guys.

I am thankful for all of my nieces and nephews. I am especially thankful that my nephew Cody has become the most amazing adult.

I’m thankful for my cousins… Well, most of them.

I’m thankful for my sister even though she doesn’t like antiques.

I am thankful for my mother who has taught me everything even though she’s a tad bit psycho.

I am thankful that everyone loves Gracie and will raise her and take care of her if I am not here.

I am thankful for Gracie’s father, Dylan, because he is awesome. I am thankful for Gracie’s stepmothers, Augusta and Jessica, because they love Gracie. I am thankful for Gracie’s other father, John, because he adores her. I am grateful that Gracie’s grandparents think that she is the greatest gift on earth.

I’m especially thankful for Tom because he is a therapist and my friend and calls me every single day to make sure I laugh and am not suicidal. :-)

I am thankful for my new remarkably wonderful friend Rex because we have a shared sense of humor and because all of his emails are grammatically correct. I am thankful that he cares so much about me.

I am thankful that my caregivers haven’t killed me.

I am thankful for my three friends who have ALS as well. Thank you for understanding the devastation, the frustration, the sadness, the embarrassment, the helplessness and the sheer terror of all of this.

I am thankful for my cat, Frances, even though she ignores me 90% of the day.

I am thankful that I have a pretty apartment. I am thankful that I am lucky enough to live in Paris.

I am thankful that my doctor prescribes plenty of crazy pills for me.

I am thankful for American grocery stores in Paris.

I am thankful that I have American iTunes so I can watch The Real Housewives.

I am thankful for Picard.

I am thankful for all of my doctors…all 25 of them.

I am thankful for my gorgeous male nurse, Pierre. I am thankful for my gorgeous kinesiologist, Paul. Thank you for not being ugly.

I am thankful for my new caregivers, Ayra and Victor. Thank you for not being stupid.

I am thankful that I have woken up every day for the past four years with a smile on my face even though I know the challenges that I face every day. Even though my heart is broken, I am thankful that I have had 44 glorious years of my life with my friends, family, Gracie and David. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!