Celebrating Liberation

As I said in a post last week, I've recently been intrigued by WWII France.  This week commemorates the 70th anniversary of the Liberation.  Oh what I wouldn't give to have been in Paris this week to watch the going-ons of that!  But, I am in the South of France.  And while I knew of nothing happening in Marseille, Mrs. X told me that they were going to have a parade in Aix...with tanks!  So I went over there for the afternoon.  I'll take any excuse to hang out with the X's!

Before the tanks arrived, there were some seriously cool cars.

If you ever wondered what tanks, armed vehicles, and soldiers marching through the streets of France looked like during WWII...here you go!  I can even imagine that it looked like this, with people lining the streets, cheering that freedom had arrived!

I cannot express adequately how it made me feel to see all those American flags.  I seriously wanted to start singing, "And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free!  And I won't forget the men who died who gave that right to me..."

After the parade, we heard an announcement that there would be dancing at the end of the Cours.  As the swing music began to play, I scurried my way down to where the crowd was.  Oh what fun!  What a way to celebrate!

"It was for freedom that you have been set free."  Praise God for my own personal, spiritual freedom in Jesus Christ.  Praise Him for the freedom of France.  Praying to Him for the freedom of others.  Looking forward to that glorious Day when I will get to dance on the streets of gold because of the ultimate Liberation...and dancing with the French, the Jews, the Yazidis, the Arabs...and more...who are gathered there by grace alone to glorify the name above all names, Jesus Christ.