Day Fourteen
April 14
Our last full day together…
Tomorrow, my aunt will fly back to Leeds, England and Leah and I will finish off our trip moving farther east.
We left the blustery town of Aix-en-Provence, heading south towards Cassis. We managed to squeeze out of the parking garage with nothing notable to report!
Either we don’t understand enough French or the toll system is just a giant mystery… but for some reason, we’re still lacking full confidence heading through the booths (over and over and over…)
Cassis was incredible! Breathtakingly magnificent! Leah and I hiked around Calanque du Port-Mieu. Leah toyed with the thought of taking a plunge in the deep blue Mediterranean waters… but the water was so frigid.
We saw braver souls with wet suits surfing along the coastline on our way to Toulon this evening.
A few recent conversations have left me feeling a bit wobbly emotionally this evening.
For whatever reason, when we reached the sea yesterday, I was struck with the reminder that my mom won’t be waiting for me when we return. She won’t be sitting on her “royal throne” eagerly waiting to hear every detail of our trip.
Today, when we reached the sea… I felt her smile. We had reached the place along this trip that she and I had talked about me going months ago.
I needed to take some time today to remember - to remind myself - that while she no longer lives with us physically … our lives are impacted and touched over and over by the legacy she left behind.
It’s possible to say she may speak more loudly to me now than when she was physically in front of me.
She has reached a place of holiness. Perfection. She is now the best version of mother I could ever hope to have.
She lived a life poured out…
Continually dying to herself for the sake of others. And when she passed, she left behind seeds of great potential. Seeds bursting with life.
Today, as Leah and I hiked around the glimmering Mediterranean… we felt her smile, reminding us…
All things work out for good.
No matter the journey -
God remains faithful…
Over and over and over.
Sometimes this side of Heaven -
Often, on the other side…
Tonight, we pray we reflect Heaven a bit more brightly because of this beautiful woman called, “Nanny” by so many.
Our aunt has been a dear blessing to us along this wild adventure! She has spoiled Leah regardless of the many mini-heart attacks Leah has caused her to have along the way.
Hanging out of a hotel window - a million stories high, jumping out and scaring her from the elevators, heaving suitcases on and off trains, stairwells… the list goes on and on.
One thing we know for sure - we can only hope we can follow in these women’s footsteps and leave the world a more beautiful place for having traveled through.