Dear Anne, 

as you probably know, we are going through a strange and tough period. Sometimes we feel really inadequate to such a drama called pandemic. We wish to celebrate your birthday by inviting our friends to read your book Le plaisir de vivre, published by Payot in 2009. A book that is rich in your teachings and memories that show us glimpses of your personal and professional life, with many anecdotes and quotes. We chose this book because of your willingness to share a truth that you discovered day by day in your long and intensive life, made up of happy periods and some terrible losses. You wrote that normal or previewed facts do not happen, or that they happen rarely; you also wrote that, at any rate, we must take care of our lives and keep our hearts and minds open, ready to find something good for us or for others. You wrote:

"L'une des choses que j'ai apprises avec l'âge, ou plutôt qui s'est imposée à moi, est que l'on peut prendre plaisir à vivre à tout moment, dans n'importe quelle situation de bonne ou de mauvaise santé, voire de souffrance, et que ce plaisir de vivre améliore la situation, quelle qu'elle soit."

We do not know who the child is in this photo, but we would like to be in her place, to be nourished by your sensitivity, wisdom and courage. 

Happy birthday, dear Anne!