First of all, and because I see that Michael C hasn’t yet done so, (please excuse him, he even forgets MY BIRTHDAY) I shall say it for him. HAPPY NEW YEAR !!

Oh, and in case you don’t know me, I’m Michael’s god daughter. I’m eleven years old. He lets me write for him sometimes, and today is one of those times, because he said he’s been doing so much typing recently that he’s tired this morning.

(He said something about writing about racism, I think. He said his fingers and his brain hurt from all the typing and thinking he had done. I was a bit surprised to hear that. After all, WE learn about racism at SCHOOL these days. I said “Didn’t you big people learn that at school? Are you just learning it now?” He said “It’s more complicated than that, unfortunately”. I said “Oh, ok.......”)

Anyway, I made some New Year Resolutions. Just three. Only three means that if I don’t stick to them, there are will only be three that I didn’t stick to, so I won’t feel too bad about it. Some people make TEN!! Phew! (How many do you make? What are they?)

So.

Resolution 1. Less msn chat. It’s ok, msn, but I’m getting fed up with the “whizz” thing, that people use to tell you they’re there. Horrible noise. “Bdibiding”. It’s just that although I hate it, I have to admit that I use it myself sometimes, and that’s the problem!! (Hmmm.....difficult to say if I’ll stick to this one).

Resolution 2. Be the highest scorer on the basketball team next term. I don’t really care, but the best scorer right now, Zöé, never stops talking about all her wonderful shots and moves. Everyone in the team is fed up with it. So, if I was the best, we’d hear a little less of her. (Hmmmm.....but that would mean more training, and less msn. Also, it would be difficult because I play in defense. Decisions decisions...)

Resolution 3. STOP MICHAEL FROM SMOKING. THIS one is going to be difficult!!!! Very, very, difficult. I’ve been trying forever. But I think I’ve finally found a way that may work. At long last. I want him to stop so much. AND THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!

It’s happening already in fact, I mean I think so, by accident.

We were both at my grandmother’s house recently, and just before dinner he lit up yet another cigarette and I suddenly said to him, almost angrily;

“Michael, I want you to stop smoking!”

“Pardon?” he said, looking at me in his are-you-joking-or-what way, “Why?” he said, in his funny-pretend-innocent way, (because he knows smoking’s not good really).

“BECAUSE I WANT TO PROFIT FROM YOUR BEING HERE FOR AS LONG AS I CAN” I blurted out. It came out quite loudly if I remember correctly. (I have thought about this since, and I still don’t know why I said that. Or why I said it like that. I didn’t plan it. Honestly).

Ouf. You could have heard a pin drop.

And those words resulted in a reaction that I had not anticipated. At all. People around us suddenly stopped talking, and Michael just stared at me for a moment, looking very shocked, and he said, very softly, “Yes, I understand”. He whispered those words using a tone of voice I’d never heard before, so I can’t describe it easily like I describe the other voices he has. That’s all he said. Then he sort of smiled in a sad way I hadn’t seen before either, and walked off to talk to Laurent. People looked around, then gradually picked up their conversations where they’d left off.

You know, It’s not often that Michael speaks softly, unless there is just the two of us together. Michael normally speaks more loudly, and a lot more. Like me. But I just think something happened there though. I hope I’m right. I hope it’s ok. I don’t know what happened. I’m not sure.

Strangely enough thouge, when we spoke a few minutes later, on another topic, his eyes looked kind of a bit red. Maybe it was just the cigarette smoke. But, then again, I hadn’t seen his eyes like that before either.

Different voice, different smile, different eyes......something happened.

Michael..please listen to me...

______________

Now I want to talk about a conversation I had recently with my Aunt Céline.

I slept at my her place. We were both in bed, and, as I didn’t want to go to sleep just yet, I decided to talk a bit, as I know she likes talking too...
So I suddenly got this kind of inspired thought and I said

“I wonder what it’s like when we die...”

She said something about me having to ask my father as he had had a near death experience when he was 20......... right, I will talk with him about that for sure...

Then I said

“Maybe when we die, we come back... I think we come back, and we have a second life... yeah, I think we have a second life.

And she said (wahou, and I was not expecting this!) she said “yes, but maybe this IS the second life we are living...maybe we are ALREADY living the second life”.

“....heu.... already?” ! I uttered........

And then she said

“But maybe we are given a third life as well... or maybe even many more than just three....
__________

I think that was a very interesting talk.

But at the time it didn’t do anything to help me go to sleep......
__________

I think I say things sometimes, and I don’t know why....

Ummmm, I think that’s all for now.

Bye Bye,

Amélie

Ps Why do people smoke?

(Photo 2 - sonofthesouth.net)