The Wonder of Winter

Lightning flashes, thunder booms, the atmosphere trembles, reverberating waves of energy. Rain pours down for days on end. Then, ah! The sunshine breaks through, and villagers emerge from houses, faces turned up like sunflowers soaking in life-giving warmth.

Welcome to the wild winter weather of the Cévennes.

After the rains... rainbows! These prismatic arches delight those who behold their beauty. We stop and pay attention as if we've never seen such a sight. "Look! A rainbow!" Friends all over town emerge into the sunshine and snap photos. Some remember that God gave this gift as a symbol of His promise to never again destroy all mankind.

Rainbow over the river Vidourle

Rainbow reaching from the hills behind the Château de Planque over the viaduct bridge and down to the river.

Some days I walk in the rain. My formerly broken leg is healing well but needs exercise. So, carefully I go, with slow and mindful steps. I wave reassurance to a neighbor looking out his window, signaling for me to be careful. Believe me, I have that same concern.

I love standing on the Planque bridge, looking down at the swollen river Vidourle burbling and bustling on its way to the Mediterranean Sea. After the rains, the waters often run crystal clear, revealing multi-hued rocks and patterns beneath.

View to the south

View to the North

Stretches of subzero weather create ice sculptures in our little town's central fountain and design delicate ice patterns onto leaves and branches.

Place de la Canourge fountain in Saint-Hippolyte-du-Fort's town center

Icy banks on the river Vidourle

Le Cengle mountain

Morning trips to the chicken coop find me crunching across frosted leaves on iron-hard ground. I lift my eyes to the peach-hued, sun-warmed Le Cengle mountain. Where does my help come from? The Maker of heaven and earth. No bleak midwinter here.

With a river running through our town, there are many lovely options for a winter walk. My favorite is up the Route de Cros, just around the corner from my home, the Château de Planque. Under the viaduct and through what was once an entry "porte" or door, guarded by King Louis XIV's soldiers, we continue on above the river Vidourle.

View from the Route de Cros: River Vidourle and Domaine de Planque field

The wild weather variations impact the river's ebb and flow. The town knows well how to prepare for floods. Our first year here, just after the purchase of the Château de Planque, we experienced one of the worst in decades. Knee-high water in the entryway and through several of the ground-floor rooms. Thankfully, we hadn't fully moved in and had lots of young people, with strong backs, great attitudes, and buckets to bail us out. Literally.

January 16th, between rainstorms

January 18th, two days later!

Deep calls to deep at the roar of His waterfalls.

Sunny winter days in the south of France are one of the best things about living here. Bright blue skies, rain-cleansed air, the whoosh of the river, beckon deep, renewing breaths.

View from the Route de Cros, with the Domaine de Planque and Château de Planque across the field.

The frigid river waters meet sun-warmed air, creating magical steam effects.

Up the Route de Cros

Speaking of creating/creation, our Christian community here (www.ywambridges.com) holds a "Creative Week" once a year. We find so much life co-creating with God that from now on we plan to hold one per season.

Our winter session took place last week, inside where it was nice, warm, and dry. Innovations and inventions abounded, as well as more traditional art forms. From wood and metal work to embroidery, collages, writing, painting, and so much more, as we play and explore with the ultimate Creator.

We met each morning to process and pray. Together, we discovered that creativity extends to life-giving conversations and acts of service. We encouraged one another to enjoy the process and to not strive for outcomes.

All this led to a life-giving, even healing, week. Some projects are ongoing, some are still in exploration stages, and some were brought to fruition.

Here are some of our creations. Enjoy!

One participant found this tiny beauty. She'd written a piece on acorns and included this photo as there is one in the upper portion. However, the star of the show is this iridescent beetle, which immediately became our mascot.

Macro to micro, the wonder of creation is evident through all the seasons, if only we slow down and look.

La vie est belle...