It has been hot in Provence. Summer weather is upon us. Usually Provencal summers are cool in the morning, warm in the afternoon and cool in the evening. The gorgeous blue Mediterranean, plus the nearby Alps aren't there just to entertain us with being pretty. Though the last few days, it seems nothing could stop the blazing heat, that is exaggerating, let me rephrase that, it has been simply hot. Provence rarely breaks a 100°.
Today as I drove to see Annie the clouds thicken, a rain shower seemed inevitable. As the first rush of coolness came towards me I imagined it passing through me like the spirit of holiness, I felt relieved, renewed... Have you ever felt that? The spiritual and the physical in a singular moment?
Living in the country allows me to feel that energy more often. Nature speaks. Listening encourages the gift of its voice to become alive.
Five sounds I hear at this moment: The swallows as they race through the sky, the fading of the roses outside my window, the sun slipping behind the mountain and at the same time dipping into the sea, and French Husband coming home. I feel him coming home. I love that.
The solace of the day is having time to listen, not to what has happened nor what will come to be, but time to listen to that which is silently serenading our hearts into the communion of the present.
The cool breeze chased the dark clouds o'er some distant hill, the heat raised it hands and gave up leaving an enchanting evening not too cold, not to hot, absolute perfection.
A candle glows on the patio table, I hear his keys in the door as I fill his glass with wine.