How the decision was made to emigrate to France
For those who have known us for some time, our move to France did not come as a complete surprise. Rob had been working in France for years: first for a French company in the Benelux and since 2007 for a Dutch company in France. He drove an average of 60,000 km a year to tirelessly visit his French customers. Year after year, you could find us on the Autoroute du Soleil in the summer for a caravan holiday in… France. He would regularly throw the ball around: ‘What if I worked at the French office in Brittany? It would be nice to live there, I could buy a small tractor and you (Anita) could easily find a job…’. But Anita had already lived in France between 1989 and 1995 and didn’t see the point, as she was happy with her work and Hapert was a good stepping stone for the children. And above all: if she were to move again, it would not be to follow a man, but for a project of her own. So Rob’s big dream remained.
Corona
At the beginning of 2020, Corona entered our lives. Not a pandemic, but a social crisis that came full circle. Corona changed a lot in our lives and in us. And who didn’t? The developments did not look good and we explored Bulgaria as a new homeland. It soon became clear that we wanted to escape. But that couldn’t be the intention, could it? It was also remarkable to realise in Bulgaria that I was homesick for France and not for the Netherlands. Oops! What does that mean?
It was during this period of reflection that I came across the Mary Magdalene and Jesus World School. Although I had been a member of the Protestant church all my life and had been active in the church council, I had also explored many other spiritual paths, but this knowledge felt like coming home. Not religion or institution, but spirituality and leadership from the fullest and most holistic perspective possible. More on this subject later. Since September 2022 I have been helping this school behind the scenes to spread this profound knowledge and ancient wisdom internationally.
What if…?
I enthusiastically tell Rob about all my new spiritual insights, because we love deep conversations. Rob follows me and is equally enthusiastic. We also see the common ground with the Stephen Covey leadership training that Rob gives in the company. And one day, relaxing on the sofa, I wonder aloud, ‘What if…?
All points out in the same direction
Looking back at both our lives, I suddenly see a common thread: we are both fluent in French, committed to humanity, communicatively skilled and experiencing our spiritual leadership, Our two daughters are adults now. Now what if, as a couple, we are pre-eminently formed to bring Christ-consciousness to the attention of our French-speaking contemporaries? That would open the door to working and living in France! The seed was planted. And the decision came soon after: we are going for it!
From autumn 2022, we first talked about it around us: talking about it has a function in the realisation process. That’s a time when we also started looking for houses.
Moral of this story: never say never!
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