Friends, Freshing (re), Frosty

"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to survival."
- C. S. Lewis

A couple weekends ago, I was blessed with the most lovely weekend ever.  A good friend of mine, Cyndi, was in Quebec with a few of her high school French students.  I happened to have a couple days off during her visit, so I was blessed to be able to join them for a wonderful and refreshing weekend.

They stayed in a small town called Dunham in the Eastern Townships (a more English area of Quebec) and they were at the YWAM base there.  So great to see what ywam is doing there and to see other people serving the Lord faithfully in Quebec.  It was encouraging.

On the Saturday, we wandered the town and got to know a few of the local shop owners. There was one woman who has taught in international schools around the world for the last 10 years and she has been collecting things from all the countries she was in and now she has a little store where she sells everything. She was fascinating and I loved talking to her. I also enjoyed Gascon at the antique store.

In the evening, we went to the oldest vineyard in Quebec (such amazing ice wine!) and then went to a cabane a sucre that is located on top of a hill with a stunning view. Took us a while to actually get there as we were a bit mixed up with street names and locations...

I just love the little towns in Quebec. There is SO much history everywhere and the buildings seem like they hold so many stories and rich history. Each building had plaques in front, explaining what the building used to be and how it has changed over the years.

After our evening at the cabane, we all hung out and chatted. I don't remember the last time I laughed that much in one day.  It reminded me of how refreshing laughter and smiling is for the soul. I do laugh and smile frequently but having such a large dose of it was amazing.

Below is a photo of the woman's store. It was called 'dici et la' (from here and there). brilliant. makes me wish i liked teaching so i could become a teacher and travel the world at the same time.

The ywam base is located in a massive mansion. Millions of staircases and a lot of history!

On the Sunday, we went to the church I regularly attend, about twenty minutes north of Montreal. There was a potluck after the service and it was so great to stick around and be able to connect with people. I find when I'm there by myself it's harder to mingle, so I always appreciate having others there.

I feel like I could have spent hours in this town taking photos.. sparks up my creative side again which I'm pretty sure I don't do enough of.

This weekend was an amazing breath of fresh air. Over spring break i think i realized again that I need to get out more. I do get out quite often, but I think I need to find more people in the community to connect with. I was reminded of great friendships and just felt really encouraged in what I'm doing and also encouraged to hear what the Lord is doing in the lives of others.

And I loved getting to know five amazing girls a bit. It reminded me of when I helped out with youth-my favorite part was spending time with them-so much fun.

After our delightful weekend, I started the drive back to Capernwray and came back to find freshly piled snow. Now since I had already transitioned to spring, it is difficult to suddenly make the transition back to winter... we had a week of 25 degrees celcius and then we have snow? 

Normally I would have been frustrated, but it was probably one of the most beautiful snowfalls I have ever seen. And so I just stood outside marveling at the beauty of it and soaking in every bit of it.

And in the morning I was greeted with an even more beautiful scene!!  Ahh snow!! You are beautiful, but I am thankful you are melted for now. :)

And thus concludes an amazing weekend of refreshment with good friends, lots of laughter, enjoying the richness of Quebec culture and soaking in the amazing beauty that surrounds us and is a precious gift!  Until next time...