The Picards

Normally I wouldn't write something like this about a friend which I'm sure many people that read our blog know, but because they've been a large part of our life and perhaps an even bigger inspiration I want to express some of my feelings about the Picards. I can already see Elodie, over there across the pond, blushing. I imagine she'll show Paul and he'll just smile and say "oh, they're so nice." But I'm not writing this to be nice, I'm writing because I never really got a chance to tell them how I feel and how much I've learned from them. Elodie, Eva and Jérôme were some of the first people we met when we moved here. Paul was in Afghanistan. Even though we were in the same ward we met at the pool. Eva and Jérôme seemed way smaller than now, but had such infectious personalities that we couldn't stay away. That hasn't changed, you can't be around either of the kids without wanting to still be around them when they leave. They always played with Gorden like he was one of them, even though he was quite a bit younger. I'm not sure if that's a reflection on their parents or an insight to their souls but either way it was exactly what our little family needed. the move was very hard for Gorden and he didn't start to snap out of it until he made friends with Jérôme and Eva. Soon Paul came home and we started trading temple nights babysitting each others kids. Paul got me a job where he worked and Elodie became Kelly's best friend. i can't count how many times Kelly came home and said "Elodie's so amazing" or "Elodie said...." Elodie became someone for Kelly to lean on and learn from. Kelly even kinda wishes she studied child psychology instead of elementary education. the point is Elodie taught us by example and academically. It was always good to hear her point of view. Paul was the same. He was the greatest example of hard work and dedication. He always went the extra mile. Whether he was helping someone or writing one of his thousands of 30-page papers he always did more than was asked of him. He was somewhat of a folk hero at work because he always found a way to do more than anyone expected. He did what others only thought it might be nice to do. He had the highest gpa i've ever heard of at BYU and none of his classes were in his native tongue. He spoke a variety of languages and seemed toknow something on every topic. He had been deployed in combat zones, had served a mission and had work in military inteligence and church security. "Rennaisance man" seems to be an understatement, but appropriate that it's a french word. I could gush for pages about how many things they taught us and showed us examples in but the point is they've been to us some of the best friends we've ever had. They've sacrificed for us, they've played with us, and they've been there for us whenever we needed them. The funny thing is, I'm sure tons of other people feel the same way about them. They were some of the most wholesome, genuine and righteous people I've ever met. In a place where so many people put up a front they were always real, always genuine, always practical. I love that. Everytime i'm around any of them I find myself trying to be more like them. I think that's the greatest compliment I can give.