I called the kids downstairs and made hubby turn off sports when I spied the show. House Hunters International featured a couple and their four children looking for a home in Mougins, France. This was very, very near where we lived in Le Rouret. And for the first time, I was okay watching Southern France.

For those of you who may be new to this blog, Patrick and I and our three kids moved to Southern France in August of 2004 to plant a church. Although we thought this was a permanent move, a series of difficult circumstances facilitated our coming back to Texas at the very end of 2006. Someday I’ll write more about that time, but it’s still very hard for me.

To understand more fully how monumental it is that I could watch this show, I still have a hard time remembering our time in France. Much of it has been strangely blocked from my mind. Though I walked our kids to school nearly every day (several times a day to get them to school, pick them up from lunch, bring them back, pick them up again), I have very little memory of doing that. I have to actively think about France to recall a memory, but even then it’s hard for me.

Trauma does that to a person. Even a person like me who remembers EVERYTHING.

So I’m thankful that five years after our homecoming, I was able to sit through the entire episode of House Hunters International and actually remember some positive things. The food. The sites. The beauty. The beach. The people. The French language. The houses. For one of the first times, I smiled in the recollection. This is proof that God can take tragedy and trauma and heal us. It may take a very long time, but it can happen.

I once heard that you know you’re healing from the past when you can uncover positive memories. So this little TV show foray brings me hope.

Q4u:

Have you ever blocked a memory? Or lost a memory? How long did it take before you could remember something positive about the event?