FRENCH WORD-A-DAY

Surrounding you with today and putting an avocado pit in your pocket. I can only imagine how your vine and roots are intertwining.

A wise man once said: Once uprooted, you cannot return!
It's a hell of a decision to make......leaving your children behind?

Dear Kristin, I sense enormous sadness and anxiety just below the surface. It takes one to know one! as they say.... But rest assured that Je compatis. As do so many of your friends and followers. I will pray for a good resolution to your dilemmas. Much love.

Dear Kristi, this is obviously a very worrying time for you all. It's the unknown which challenges us but if you consider your options carefully and then have some faith, it will work out fine. Think what is best for Jean-Marc and he will think what is best for you.
Have courage - it could all be very exciting. Thinking of you x

The selfish part of me is screaming "nooooo...don't move from Provence!" Kristi, you and your blog have been my connection to one of my favourite places on earth. You write about it with such honest insight and humourous detail...not to mention your photos which transport me there and give me such moments of escape that I can smell the sunshine and taste the cheese...ahhh. Wherever you go, you will make it beautiful, because that's what you do.

Kristi, I realize that much still needs to happen during this transition process, but, if you do decide to move to Colorado, please contact me. I lived there for 32 years before moving to Maine 11 years ago, and my two grown children and their families live in Denver and Fort Collins. If you needed a place to stay for a few days, a realtor referral, or any other type of assistance, we would all be delighted to help. Take care and don't hesitate to call on your many friends around the world - we are here for you.

This is sad for you and all your readers! I am wondering about staying in France but not a vineyard. Maybe a smaller place with a just right garden for you. Sometimes, when we must change, we go too far in the opposite direction! So, along with your loyal readers, I am praying for the next best step for you both. With your open heart sometimes the answer is right close by waiting to be noticed! Sending peace!

Dear Kristi -- What an inspiration you are. I will add the chorus of those who would miss your notes from Provence if you moved. As my Buddhists friends say, I wish you a calm, clear mind and a peaceful, loving heart. You already have plenty of both, of course. I will be thinking of you as you sort out the next best step in your journey.

I missed some of your weekly sharings. Did catch in one a mention of no rain.
I'm wondering if this was a big part of your decision.
I moved from Paris and London to the countryside in Maryland...could never live in a city again.
I hope you will start up a new series of writings for us. I should love to have you share how you are managing to bring some of your French way of life to your home in the States.
I go back to Europe for a fix every year...and have found out that I could no longer live there
however I miss the genteelness and appreciation of the little things in life and the beauty of towns and villages that have little plastic but loads of patina.

Is a vineyard all that Jean Marc has ever known? Is that his first love work wise? Does he need to keep vineyard dirt under his fingernails? Maybe there is a possibility of him working in/managing someone else's vineyard. I'm sure that crossed your mind early on in this journey toward a life change. In the end, I'm sure you two will make the right decision for you and your family. You know that old saying of when the good Lord closes one door he opens another. My best to you and yours as you go forward.

As someone said to me....you've already done it! You already left everything behind, built a life in France and made it your dream! Time to think young again and make another dream come true!
Please let us visit you!

Typo! "There are many things ..." : )

As Jules could tell you, a beautiful painting is made of many individual brush strokes, none more important than the other. You and Jean-Marc will make a decision, and then you will make it work. It will be your next adventure together. In the meantime, Every Single Today Matters.

I have had to move several times. Each time is like the end of a chapter of my life and I have cried as I left my home. My tears have often been for the garden I have put so much of myself into. Each wedding anniversary my husband gave me a tree and I planted it with love and care. It was hard to leave those trees behind. In life, it takes time for us to put down roots and for them to establish so we can start to grow and flourish. Sadly, I lost my husband .... and my only son and his little family lived a distance away. I had lived in my home for 25 years at that point and had built up a wide circle of friends and felt deeply rooted in my surroundings. But a house is just a house, a garden can be planted anew ........ I sat down with a pice of paper and wrote down the things that were most important to me ...... It was clear ... It was to have regular contact with my son and my two small grandchildren. I sold my house and moved nearer to them. It was hard at first, but eventually I put down roots, made new friends, old friends come and stay ..... I created a lovely home and another garden .... But best of all, I have what is most important to me, regular contact with those I love most - my wonderful son and his little family. So my advice is to think carefully about what is really important to you ...... And put that at the front of your decision making. Just take things one day at a time and make sure you enjoy the moment. X

I have followed you for many years. Your kids were just little guys when I started reading your blog and now they are grown up and beautiful.

I am sad to see this part of your journey on one hand, and know that you are making the choices in your live that you have to make.

Will the kids stay in France if you leave?

You have worked so hard on the house and the vineyard but as we age, that kind of physical work gets more difficult so I can understand that part of your decision to sell they house and grounds.

Please keep writing, we have to continue your journey. You all are in my prayers.

When we decided to move this spring I cried a lot because I had put ten years into my garden that stopped people walking past on the sidewalk. I even built the rock wall myself. I still had plans even after all that time (a garden is never done). So we moved to a new place with gardening space less easy to envision. But I do know that a gardener can make a garden anywhere. Since I don't want to wait ten years to get what I want I've hired a company to get all the bones in place (stones, trees, garden paths) so this time next year I'll be enjoying it instead of digging. Change is hard, but there are always unforeseen benefits (my wonderful new neighbors). Bon chance to you and Jean Marc. And remember that you really can't make a wrong decision. Your track record proves that.

Chere Kristi, it seems we are all experiencing unexpected changes in our lives. Adrift in our boats on stormy seas (apropos in my case but a picture of Snoopy comes to mind:-), your indomitable Jules seeming to find her safe port and the rest of us searching... for divine guidance? Je prie. Mais mon amie, whatever, wherever your landing, there will be beaucoup d'amis to welcome you, with open and loving arms et beaucoup de conseils.. of this I am certain. You are such a treasure, to so many, in any spot on our planet. I started following you because I am a Francophile. After ?? years I still follow you because you are Kristi. We love you. xoxo

Dear Kristi - Much of what I am thinking has already been said. Except, Until i got my depression under control, therapy and medication, I was making decisions influenced by that depression. I blew up my life twice, sold the house, ended a career, moved again. Hind sight is 20/20 they say and so I have found it true. Most of those decisions were made through a dark filter and if I had sought help earlier I would have saved myself a lot of stress and money.

I have lived in Denver - it has a lot to offer but vineyards - No. The sea - No. Avocado trees - No (sorry but true). I was raised with one in my backyard in Southern California and my dad wanted one here in Texas but not even here - it freezes sometimes. Also, You have to have a male and and female tree. A move to another continent? Seems it should come with a definite way to make a living for you and JM before you leave Provence.

My friends in Denver told me that since the state legalized pot - the cost of housing has increased every year. People are moving there for that new culture. With all that said I also believe that what ever your decision you two will make it a success. Just go into it with your eyes wide open and as much information as you can get and please do not rush.

I always learn something from your writing - today it is to enjoy each day for all of its blessings. Thank you.

Change seems to be in the air... for many, including us, and now I see for you. If you are thinking of moving to US and still want to do wind (no idea), Oregon is a great place to grow grapes. Or Walla Walla or Prosser or Tri Cities. But Denver is a bigger city. Anyhoo I hope your minds and hearts embrace the change!

The california coast ...

I admire your courage, but think twice about relocating to the United States. Our political situation is noxious. Were my wife and I younger and had your courage, we might well be relocating to la belle France.

David

Although I don't know the details of your situation, it seems as though Jean Marc is restless and looking for "something." The saying that "wherever you go, you can't escape yourself" is true. So many times we "look for love in all the wrong places" because we are trying to fill the God-shaped void. NOTHING and NO ONE else will fill it. External circumstances mean nothing if the internal state of our being is in turmoil. We flail about, looking for something to help us make the right decisions, and yet without any certainty that those decisions will be anything but the WORST decisions. If we are courageous enough or forced to really look inside, which of us really wants to base our future on US?? With my limited knowledge and unpredictability of the world, how do I know which of the 360 degrees to take?? The assurance of being guided by the One who knows and loves me most, who knows the future provides peace to live each day with freedom and joy - knowing that I am where I am supposed to be. We suffer apart from God but He calls us to become His children so that we can have that intimate relationship with Him that satisfies all. We are all guilty in God's court of breaking His law and deserve punishment. But Jesus stepped up and took what we deserve so that we can receive what He deserves - the father/child relationship of love. It only applies if we agree and accept this trade by surrendering our lives to Jesus. "He who loses his life will find it." (Matt. 10:39.) May God's Spirit lead you both into true life that brings inner peace and purpose. Feel free to dialogue with me more about this if you wish.

So excited to think you will come back to Colorado. I moved to Boulder three years ago from Washington DC......you know how wonderful Colorado is! And we had a bumper crop of heirloom and cherry tomatoes and cucumbers, and herbs and........

What a wonderful quote by Bosco! I'll pass it along to my students bientôt. Bonne chance, Kristi, you'll land on your feet wherever you are.

Your roots are so thoroughly in France. I am not one to move far from my roots, so the moves you contemplate are too jolting for me. Denver has winter, congestion & air pollution. You would be nearer your mother, farther from your belle-mère. And both of your children, who have their own apartments but are not really on their own. My married siblings and my own parents stayed in place while their children were in college. That stability of place made a good contrast for all the changes of college, in my view, and has kept us, a large extended family close together over decades. I joke that I am descended from people who came to North America from France in the 1600s and then a big group who came directly to Chicago in the 1800s from many parts of Europe, but I do not move except house to house in the Chicago area, despite chances to settle elsewhere. Where did that bravery go, leaving family behind to start theirs anew?

Your decision is made, so I wish you good luck with it. I can only hope the sale of the beautiful farm takes a long time so you can enjoy it and all its produce.

Our dear Kristi,
Once again,your beautiful writing fills us with inspiration and wraps us in hugs.
Today please let US wrap YOU in hugs!
There is comfort in resting assured that our destinies were decided before we were even born.
You always land on your feet,with a smile on your beautiful face.
You will again,accompanied by your loving family.
I really like this quote by Emerson: Hitch your wagon to a star.
A wonderful thought!(though not always a piece of cake to achieve!)
Blessings always to all of you!
Love
Natalia XO

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts, Kristi. Yes! For all of us currently considering where to write our next chapter, let's look forward to something better than we can now imagine! 💖

Take your time with your decision. We're doing the opposite and moving to France because the cost of living is very high in San Francisco and although we can have a lot here, we work so much to keep it going and then have very little time or energy to enjoy it. Plus, medical and education is far more affordable in France. Also, my husband would be back home with his friends and family. We're getting off the treadmill. However, I would imagine that the cost of living is better outside of the SF Bay Area and you could start off with a fresh, new outlook.

Whatever path you decide to take, I know that you will carve out something beautiful of your own. Sending you lots of love and caring, so wherever your new home will be, it will be one that brings you both much joy and fulfillment.

Such tough decisions, Kristi! I will keep you and your family in my thoughts and prayers. You are a beautiful person inside and out, and will bring beauty and love into the world wherever you go.

My husband and I have done quite a bit of moving around, too, almost all because of him, until I made the decision for us to settle down in the Seattle area. We, too, now live in a remote area--an hour and a half north of the city, because he wanted to get out of the city and I wanted to buy a home (Seattle is ridiculously expensive) It's working out, we've been up here 2 years and we like it. I recommend going somewhere where you can buy a house, either outright or be sure you can make the payments on retirement income if JM isn't working. My husband is retired and I'm working very hard to pay off this house. I have a long way to go, but I'm going to do it. A house is security, at least to me. For you, it would be a true lifetime garden.

You didn't provide the reasons for considering Colorado, but if Jean-Marc's heart continues to be in wine, Washington's wine industry continues to thrive and grow, being the second largest producer of premium wine in the U.S.
There may be an opportunity for Jean-Marc to be a wine maker for an existing label without having a vineyard to maintain.
Your friends here in Seattle may have made that suggestion.
In any event, the work ethic you have both shown will serve you well wherever you land.

I think that you and JM will land on your feet just like your Mom did in Puerto Vallarta, Kristi!!

I would give anything to live in France. The US is an unhappy country these days. There are too many ignorant and violent people to make it livable. You may come from an elite milieu but you would have to deal with Americans from all backgrounds and classes. Yes, we have a class structure here and your relative wealth would not shield you from our dysfunctional reality and extensive poverty. Our health care "system" is dominated by greedy insurance companies and yet is under attack from right-wing zealots. French education is vastly superior. Children are valued over there, but here they are only valued before birth. After children are born, they are on their own. By the way, life in Colorado is famously influenced by rabid evangelicals who want to control all aspects of everyone's life. Giving up living in beautiful, ancient and sophisticated France would be a mistake. I truly wish I could live there. It's a shame, but money can buy you anything -- and if I had it I wouldn't use it to spend my time lying on some remote beach but travel anywhere I could and France would be my first choice.

Kristi, whenever I have made important decisions in my life which were life-changing, I've said to myself over and over again that God has not brought me this far to drop me on my head! I also remember what Marilyn Monroe said: Everything happens for a reason...good things fall apart so better things can come together. It's been true for me -- all 74 years of my life. Life is an ongoing adventure so embrace the changes. My prayers are with you both.

I gave up my garden and Island life to come home to family. When lifestyle and health came crashing to a standstill, limbo was a place that kept me whirling in every direction looking for answers as I watered the fruits of my garden with tears. However, I needed the taste of comfort and support of relationships that nurtured and beckoned from afar. A garden of love is the best thing ever and the nice thing is, planting season always come back around. I wish you and JM all the best in opening your hearts to new adventure and change that may be hard but also exciting and bursting with growth.

Dear Kristi,

What is left when one has lived a dream? Another adventure, another opportunity, a new experience. As each dream is fulfilled, it becomes an intregal part of who we are.

Trust yourselves. Between your head and your heart, you will figure this out.

And remember your Desiderata....whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.

"Bon Voyage!" was the first phrase I learned so long ago in High School french class. In fact everyday is a new voyage that is awaiting us, everyone. I am in Texas following a similar dream, but family is in California, to give up the quiet, rural lifestyle, for beach town that is closer to an established infrastructure that will support me as I age... Who knows to find love again? Being 25 miles from town does limit meeting people, : ) I wish you a "Bon Voyage" today and your collective tomorrows. Additionally wish you love and a small green house for your avocado trees!

Hi Kristi, I live in Colorado, one home near Denver in Littleton, the other, where we spend most of our time, in Florissant, west of Colorado Springs. Life will be different here, if you come, but not in a bad way. I read only one or two comments above, and it is true there is no sea, but we have mountains. Four seasons. A dry climate. Yes, vineyards, and greenhouses and gardens. Property is expensive, less so near Florissant, possibly because of the marijuana, not sure. Because we never know what tomorrow will bring, it is always best to live in the moment (a hard thing to do sometimes). At least, even if we don't know the future, we know WHO holds the future in His hands and can trust Him! And nothing is irreversible, should you decide after a move - no matter where - that you prefer to go back to family in France. Maybe it is different in France, but here, as grandparents, it is foolish to move closer to the kids and grandkids because their jobs/desires may have them moving again, so you can't rule out that they won't move away anyway. There are a lot of French expats in Colorado, an Alliance Française In Denver, and many francophones. You can have avocado trees and lemon trees inside! Pray, trust, relax. Everything will be all right! Bises. Leslie

Bernadette
Your story hits a nerve. We are pretty status quo people. We don't like change, especially of our abode. I understand your apprehension, but we are the ones who make our lives. I would rather live in France also. But Colorado is a good choice. I don't live there, but my brother does. Except for the traffic, as you probably know, it is a great place. Thank you for sharing your experiences with us. I live on the Gulf of Mexico, and it is Swamp country most of the time. So there are good and bad points about every place.I have enjoyed them immensely. God's Speed.

Funny how your current situation has brought out the "Hey, it's also great to live in ________" from so many of our fellow posters! That appears to indicate that many of us can be happy anywhere, whether that's Denver, Boise, Pittsburgh or Northern California. So while we're at it, I'll put my vote in for a small New England village or a town in New York's Hudson Valley, where my roots are...

Best wishes for what's ahead.

Hello, Deb,
Funny reading that you left Maine several years ago. We moved back to Maine (Falmouth, where I grew up) two weeks ago. We lived in Florida for twelve years and I am SO thankful to be out of there forever. We are coming home just as the leaves are turning and the temperature is dropping and we are loving it. We made a run to LLBean for flannel shirts and wool socks and other odds and ends of clothing not used in Florida, and are pleased beyond measure to be here. Arizona is beautiful, too. We have a godo friend there im Phoenix, our travel agent extraordinaire. She (Susan Boehnstadt) was Kristi's college roommate and very good friend. Best wishes out there in that lovely desert.
Nan

As someone said to me when we left New England for the US South: Sometimes you need to re-pot yourself. A shakeup can be what's needed for healthy growth.

Dear Kristin,
Wait for the US elections before you decide to move back here. If it goes badly, I may want to move there.

So my comments and so many many of them ring bellsl. Choices, changes, family, timing, background, relocation, new paths, new journeys, - all difficult and heart exploring decisions. One other relocation option: Canada - well developed and emerging wine regions in BC, Southern Ontario, a stable political system, excellent healthcare and education. Passion and enthusiasm for gardens, wines; plus, francophile options in Quebec,, Toronto. do consider.

Kristi, there are so many encouraging words coming from your readers and I'll add just a couple more. A wise Christian woman often says this, "When you walk with the Lord, change is always in your favor." It's about keeping an eternal perspective and trusting Him with each season of our lives.
Finally, I'll share these words from Helen Keller that are posted on my fridge to remind me:
"When one door closes, another one opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which ha been opened to us..." Both of these thoughts have given me courage to embrace the change and get on with it.

So I pray that God will clarify his plans for you in this new season, trusting that He is going before you to prepare it, even as He prepares you. He surely has great blessings for you and Jean Marc wherever that may be - and you don't want to miss them!

My pear tree is not blooming but I am getting 2nd fig crop! My camellias which typically bloom in January & February are blooming now! I think it is climate change...nature is confused.
Then there is Louisiana where U and JM might feel at home because we are French here! As a farmer's daughter, I can tell U my parents had several years of worry about climate & crops...it all worked out for them...my father would probably have dried up and died had he not been able to work "the good earth" he loved so much.
Bon courage!

Templeton, Carmel Valley, Salinas Valley, Santa Maria.....many different wine growing areas here in California. With the hundreds of wineries(many now organic..le terroir being most important, I am sure one of them could use the expertise of someone like Jean-Marc with his knowledge .........and most are within a couple of hours if not much closer to the ocean...and we do have sea urchins. You can grow anything here...especially avocados. You would be within a couple hour flight to Denver and Heidi, easy flights to Puerta Vallarta.
Whatever path your lives take you, whether you stay in France or migrate to the US for awhile, you will not only survive, but I expect that you will find you will flourish. I would imagine the hardest part would be for Max and Jacquie....for them deciding whether to come here, or finish school there. Remember what John said.......live each day and be at peace with it. Your family has the most important virtue.....love.

agreed

I have not won the lottery yet. If I had I would be there buying your house and asking you to stay and oversee all of the hired help needed to make it into the winery of your and my dreams. I am so sad to hear you may move. I have followed your blog since you were getting ready to move to St Cyr (sp?). I have read as your children grew into young adults. I have cheered you on every step of the way and will continue to do so no matter what path you take. It has been a delightful journey that I have traveled with you and I hope to continue to travel with you no matter where you go. I feel like extended family even if it is voyeurism. Being your mothers age and having moved many times in the past 15 years, I will tell you that it is extremely difficult to be far away from your children even if they are grown. Please consider that and Jean Marc's family also. I can tell that you are all very close. I wish all of you well and I will continue to follow you as long as you invite us all in.

Change can be difficult & rewarding & I know that you & Jean Marc will be happy & successful wherever you alight. I will keep you in my prayers & send you hugs.