It’s day 14 and I’m taking you to France… thought not as you might expect.

You see… there’s a little bit of France located about 25km (15mi) off the coast of Newfoundland, one of Canada’s easternmost provinces.

Allons-y! (let’s go!)…

Is this first Christmas Memory post you’re seeing?
You can get caught up by starting back on day 1 to understand this year’s theme.

St. Pierre et Miquelon

2012 was a difficult year for me; in fact, for everyone in our local church. Some things happened that should never happen in a church family, but (unfortunately) sometimes do… and my head was spinning!

The Lord had first allowed me to have contact with St. Pierre & Miquelon residents back in the 1990s when I did a couple of bus tours for their senior citizens club. Still, it wouldn’t be un 2011 that I would make it to their island… in fact I was there twice that year.

A year later, a good deal of my world fell apart and our new pastor arrived in the Fall of 2012. A couple of months in, he noted that I’d never really had time to grieve the events of earlier that year – I’d been in a role that required me to put on a brave face of positivity for the most part. He asked me to take a week off, not do anything work-related, and relax… he suggested going away.

I knew where I wanted to go…

A little rocky outcrop, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, where there wasn’t much to do, ensuring that I could spend some quiet time reflecting, journaling, reading, praying.

Even though this particular memory isn’t directly a memory of Christmas Eve or Christmas Day… it was just a couple of weeks before and still in the month of December.

It was a wonderful, wonderful personal retreat and there’s no question in my mind, that I came back refreshed, and my mindset was such that I was able to enjoy a much more Merry Christmas than I might otherwise have.

(You can see another Christmas connection to St. Pierre & Miquelon here)

²⁶ But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14.26-27

Thank you sharing this memory and…