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Blog readers, thank you for visiting my page, which I have largely neglected over the past months. The motivation to create had migrated to my art room! (See the photo inset for a quick collage project.)

I hope to have plenty to write about in the next five weeks. I will be accompanying our daughter, her husband and their toddler for five weeks in Marseille. I am pinching myself at the opportunity to spend time with them while also improving my French language skills and satisfying my wanderlust. I have been to France a few times before, and I used my high school and college French skills (decades old!) in western Africa on several trips there. But this immersion is sure to help me with la grammaire et le vocabulaire.

We are heading to the south of France because Karen and John have dedicated their lives to ministry with college students. They will be joining a team sharing the gospel with students at the largest university in France. My role will be to help keep little Sydney occupied and happy, and to help the family navigate the signs and shops in French.

It has been daunting to think of being away from my husband and home for a month. This is an opportunity to learn about myself, so I have been taking time to think about venturing beyond hearth and home and husband. It is good to consider who I am on my own and without the comforts I have amassed and curated over the years. It is sobering to feel anxious at first. But now I am reassured that I can be an individual who is beloved and whole while not necessarily in close proximity to my spouse and my things. My identity comes from being God’s beloved, not earned by any goodness or achievement, but simply because I exist.

When I traveled to Africa, I had no idea what lay ahead, so I opened my heart and my mind to the people and experiences that I would encounter. That stance served me well, especially when I was uncomfortable. Through my travels there and elsewhere, I have come to appreciate that there are wonderful people everywhere on this planet, and the best way to find them is with curiosity and a friendly, loving attitude.

So that is how I will approach this adventure. I will stay in touch with my husband by phone and email journaling. I have arranged my home and packed my bags with an intention to hold all of it loosely, since none of us really knows what will happen next, to our things or to us. And so, I’ll say with my daughter and her family, “allons-y!” Let’s go!