A Provence dream come true

Daily Gratitude

• Dreams. They are real, they are important. For me, they are how God gets his work done. 
• Friends and family who support you are a priceless gift. There are so many that are important to me. I will mention Claudia specifically, as she's been an integral piece of my recent endeavors. I am so thankful for you!
• Thank goodness for my Eddie dog. He gives me such unadulterated love and devotion. What would I do without that beautiful boy? 

My dream becomes a reality

You know that dream. The one that you tucked away because it was the wrong time or was seemingly indulgent or was just too big. That was my Provence Dream. Since I was a girl of about 16 I had a dream of traveling to the south of France. Someday, I would say. Someday I will smell the lavender fields and the sea mist. Someday I will shop the markets and walk the winding roads. Someday I will visit the structures that have housed man and beast for hundreds of years. Someday I will nibble on glorious cheeses and sip beautiful wine. Someday I will pray in a chapel older than memory. Someday...

The rustic countryside of Provence

That someday is now! 

Through the convergence of answered prayer, a college friendship, Facebook connections, and university course work, I am in the heart of Provence. I love how it happens. Let me show you where I stayed.

Freshly mowed hay field across the valley filled with wild oak and pine trees

My friend and her husband live in Buoux located in the Luberon Parc in Provence. This is an arid region covered with lavender, hay, and wheat fields. The hills are crisscrossed with networks of twisting narrow roads. The buildings, be they hundreds of years old or newly constructed, are made of indigenous stone and plaster.

Shepherd's cottage converted to a full service gite.

The old farm house has been added to and updated numerous times over the past century

Old and new converge

Rock walls, rock pathways

The view from my French window

Beautiful cross situated on the property. A gift from the original owner to his wife

How lovely to sip a cup of coffee under the wild oak trees

Supper alfresco is always inviting

Being here feels just like I thought it would. Yet, one cannot imagine the layers of history that is filled with war, conquest, defeat, love lost, love gained until you fully immerse in a place. La belle France, I am thrilled to be here! You are a dream come to reality.