This joyful angel is dedicated to Annick and Claudine, of Marseille, France.

I knew Annick and Claudine as young girls when my family lived in Marseille in 1979.  Over the years, we lost sight of each other. When Annick contacted me through Facebook recently,we found that the bonds of friendship were just as strong as ever.  We both had momentous news to impart, after so many years. Annick told me that her sister Claudine had made a full recovery from breast cancer several years ago. Claudine, whose son is a grown man, enjoys life to the fullest.  You could say that she dances with joy at every opportunity, doing the Marseille Be-Bop.

Annick, the mother of two beautiful little children, is herself presently undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Her doctors assure her that the treatment will be successful.

The design for this angel is based on an illustration of a treetop decoration that I found in a library book many years ago. The book showed examples of traditional Christmas decorations from many countries, and an angel similar to this one was used to represent Poland.

May this sweet little angel help us all to smile, united in a sisterhood of hope wherever we may live.