Tuesday, September 22, 2009

In fact ...

There is nothing funny or ironic about anything in this disaster. I deleted all that was equivocal in my previous post on Paul's 40th day remembrance Mass and from now on I'll update only dry accounting stuff on where the money you gave went, at least for the amounts I know about, and only if we decide something material not mentioned in this post:

1) $54,600 to the St-Jude-affiiated Children Cancer Center of Lebanon (CCCL)
2) $35,000 to the Dames de la Charité (Lebanon)
3) $5,000 to the Foyer de l'Enfant Libanais (Lebanon)
4) $1,500 to a lady unable to pay the hospital bills for her mother's cancer
5) 11,000 GBP to UCH T11 North

13,957 GBP were donated half by BNP Paribas employees and the rest by BNP Paribas as matching funds and presumably already sent directly to Cancer research UK (not sure).

We cannot thank enough all those who gave and we may not manage to thank everyone individually. Some may worry that their money never got to the account but this is unjustified as banks return money that they are unable to assign to an account.

Sorry to disappoint both those who loved Paul and the lurkers but I really have nothing left to say.

Philippe

Sunday, September 20, 2009

Fourtieth Day Mass

Fourty days already since the night when Paul's breathing stopped before our eyes and a very moving Mass yesterday for this traditional stage in the mourning process in the Oriental christian tradition. The sermon centered around the testing of Job.

At the short condolences reception afterwards, we were moved to see Teddy, the father of Philippe, an eleven-year old who was crushed by a rock before the eyes of his parents at a wedding reception one week before Paul's death and who is buried a few meters from Paul. In the photo of Paul's resting place below, the flower was placed by Phlippe's mother: