La reconnaissance..... (Gratitude...)

For the first time all semester, I'm at a loss for what to write.  How do I even begin my last post from Grenoble?  How could I ever gather together my deep sentiments, let alone transform them into words that will convey my feelings..... my gratitude?

It certainly ended up being a beautiful ending to the semester.  My time, surrendered to the Lord as I asked Him to rule over it, seemed to stretch out each day as if it was an endless canvas, stark white and always painted with simple, beautiful moments.  A huge 'gift' of this week was the opportunity to sit in on a morning at Champ Fleuri, a bible college in the mountains near Grenoble, run by Torch Bearers Ministry.  And of course, I won't soon forget Jay's beer batter party where innocent edible 'victims' from the grocery store got dropped into batter and then into scorching oil: pure american goodness, I suppose. :)  Certainly this week was my last minute trip to Geneva to visit my Aunt's friend who works at the UN.  In so many ways, I feel like God opened up time in my week to go just so that He could bless my socks off.  It was seriously brinking on ridiculous, how much Kim and her FRENCH husband and her ADORABLE 7-year old Max treated me like royalty and like family.  I saw so much in a short 24 hours.  And then on Friday, I will always vividly remember sitting in a small conference room taking my final with three other students who had to take it early (well, it's not that part that I really want to tuck way....).  I was writing four pages on a topic concerning french society, and looked out the window to see Grenoble's FIRST SNOW.  How beautiful, peaceful, and calming it was!  It surprises me still how much snow transforms and refreshes.  It was the picture-perfect ending to a semester lived in the French Alps, for sure!

And today, my last day.  A day where I did a lot of things like I always do, but with an extra ounce of gratitude, knowing it would be my last.  I returned to the bookstore I went in the first day I was here.  I bought a sweet topographical hiking map of Grenoble and it's surrounding three mountain ranges from the Center of Mountains (a horrible translation to what I know as La Maison de la Montagne).  I ate a 'Victor Huge Crepe,' nutella and banana, my favorite.  I played cards for hours at our favorite cafe, Ligne Sezz.  I bought chocolate. :)  I wandered the Christmas Market.  I celebrated a friend's birthday. 

It hasn't really hit me that it's time to say au revoir to Grenoble, for now.  I am beyond excited to return home-- in 48 hours I will be with my family for the first time in three and a half months.  And yet, I think as I say goodbye to some very dear people here, and as I ride the train to Basel and stare at the jagged snowy peaks that fill the entire window.....well, its just really hard to leave a place that has become home.

Grateful.

There's really no other way to describe how I am feeling. 

The synthesis of all I've learned, all I've seen, who I've met, what I've done..... all that can come with time.  There's still much more I want to express about this semester, about Grenoble (so don't worry, the blog posts are not finished yet!). 

But for tonight, it's a simple song that I'm singing.