Whenever I visit my Belle Mere (Mother in law,) memories of the past seem to bud and bloom, memories of what it was like when I first arrived in France. Though those memories no longer haunt me, they do remind me of how I have changed.
Living in France has not always been easy. If the Internet and the blog had been around twenty years ago I would have created a very different type of blog. One more thorny than rosy.
The first few years in France I struggled with adjustment, I threw fits instead of reflection. I was depress in a beautiful land. Nothing made sense and my sense of self was missing in translation. I was far from rosy, prickly to live with and refuse to bloom were I was planted.
My Belle Mere and I didn’t understand one another. Langauage was one thing, culture another, and our refusal to believe in one another was the thorn in the side. French husband was the pawn that both of us used… we thought we could win, but had everything to lose.
Thankfully time heals wounds. Thankfully the seeds of love bloomed in rocky ground. Thankfully the spirit of forgiveness and grace helped us to rise again and again.
My Belle Mere and I are friends, France too… nothing in life has shown me more about the beauty of amazing grace…
Thankfully rosebuds hold promise and thorns valuable lessons.
Photo: Roses in the evening.
Leave a Reply