Adieu

The villa is quiet. Geoff and the girls took a four-hour train ride to pick up our camping car. I stayed behind to finish up some laundry and last minute cleaning. I know we have 2 weeks of France left but it feels as though we'll now be visitors instead of residents. Today seems to be the goodbye of our life here.



This morning I went to old town to pick up some things. I walked along Boulevard de Garavan thinking about our time here. It's like a time warp. So much has happened in our lives, so much change, and we'll go back as if this experience were just a dream. As I looked out at the choppy sea I thought about the allegory to life in book of Ether, chapter six, in the Book of Mormon. Jared, his brother, and their families set out for the Promised Land (eternal life) on the "great waters" of life. Many times they were buried in the depths of the sea by mountain waves. There were often terrible tempests caused by the wind. Significantly, it was God who created the "furious wind" (verse 5), and the "wind never did cease to blow towards the Promised Land". It was when they were "encompassed about by many waters" that they cried unto the Lord, "and he did bring them forth again upon the top of the waters". And in God's never-ending kindness "they did have light continually, whether it was above the water or under the water".



Looking back over this past year I can honestly say that there were times where I felt I was buried in the depths of the sea. There have been some periods of serious desperation! And Geoff, in his physical suffering, I think would say the same. But we were always brought back up to a greater perspective. We have never ceased to call on God for help, and he has never failed to give us light. Without God's wind, which causes all sorts of tempests, we would just stay where we are; we wouldn't move forward.



We, of course, are very grateful for the opportunity we had to live here and all that has gone with it. We marvelled at it daily. Equally, if not more, we were and are grateful for all of the difficulties we have experienced. Very, very grateful. They are what we'll remember most about our year in France.



On a lighter note, Geoff called as he was leaving for Menton (from the home of the nice family who is letting us use their camping car) saying that the camping car's water pump wasn't working (no toilets, sinks, etc.) and we'll have to find a repair place along the drive on Monday that can figure out what's wrong. It is a 2.5 hour drive back to Menton, and that was 4 hours ago...let the adventures of our Tour de France begin!!!