I Think I Was Always Meant to Find Provence
There are places in this world that feel less like destinations and more like memories waiting for us. For me, that place was Provence.
Dear friend,
There are places in this world that feel less like destinations and more like memories waiting for us.
For me, that place was Provence.
I didn't go there looking for answers. I went because something inside me had been quietly calling for years. The lavender fields, the olive trees, the linen dresses, the markets overflowing with flowers, the long lunches with wine that seemed to stretch into the afternoon… somehow they already felt familiar.
As if my heart had been there long before my passport ever was.
I celebrated my birthday there, alone.
Some people hear the word alone and imagine loneliness.
I remember freedom.
I wrote this sitting beside an open window in Saint-Rémy. The air smelled like lavender and warm stone.
I wandered cobblestone streets without a destination. I lingered over coffee because no one was waiting. I bought flowers simply because they made me smile. Every moment belonged entirely to me.
It wasn't a trip.
It was a homecoming.
One morning, outside my window in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence, an olive tree caught my attention. In my bag, I had been carrying a small key from my wedding bouquet — a keepsake that had quietly traveled with me through so many chapters of my life.
I tied it to a branch.
Not as an ending.
As a thank you.
For the woman I had been.
For the woman I was becoming.
Sometimes healing isn't dramatic. Sometimes it's as simple as leaving behind something that no longer needs to be carried.
As I walked those quiet streets, I found myself thinking about my father, Gaston.
I never truly had the chance to know him.
There are conversations we'll never have, stories I'll never hear, pieces of him that remain mysteries. Yet somehow, standing in the south of France, surrounded by olive trees and old stone villages, I felt unexpectedly close to him.
Perhaps because his name belonged there.
Perhaps because the rhythm of life there echoed something I had always carried without realizing it.
I've always been drawn to French cooking, flowers spilling from market stalls, beautiful soaps, slow meals, art, tea, and wine shared without hurry. For years I thought these were simply preferences.
Now I wonder if they were breadcrumbs.
Little reminders leading me home.
Maybe we inherit more than photographs and family names.
Maybe we inherit longings.
Maybe somewhere inside us live the dreams, tastes, and rhythms of the people who came before us.
I may never know exactly where that thread begins.
But I know how it feels when I follow it.
It feels like Provence.
This is why Love Letters from the Moon exists.
Not to teach perfection.
This is the part I keep coming back to.
Not to chase an aesthetic.
But to honor the quiet moments that remind us who we are.
Lighting a candle on an ordinary evening.
Setting the table even when you're dining alone.
Buying flowers for no occasion at all.
Cooking slowly.
Looking up when the moon rises.
Listening when your heart whispers, This feels like home.
Sometimes the most extraordinary journeys don't take us somewhere new.
They simply return us to ourselves.
Until the next moon,
Angie 🌙
— with love, by candlelight
Some summers rearrange us before we’ve even noticed.
Seasonal Reflection
The Summer That Changed Me
Every once in a while, life hands us a season that quietly rearranges everything.
Not with fireworks.
Not with dramatic endings.
Just one beautiful morning after another until you realize you’ve become someone new.
Perhaps that’s what travel really gives us — not an escape from ourselves, but the chance to meet ourselves somewhere we’ve never been before.
The first sip tasted like permission to stay a little longer.
Wine Recommendation
Château Minuty Rosé
Provence, France
There’s something magical about pairing seafood with a Provençal rosé.
Château Minuty is light, crisp, and beautifully refreshing, with delicate notes of wild strawberries, white peach, and citrus that brighten every bite without overpowering the delicate sweetness of the mussels.
Pour it well chilled, tear into the warm baguette, and don’t worry about using your fingers.
The best seafood dinners are a little messy, wonderfully slow, and meant to be enjoyed one shell at a time.
Best eaten slowly, with bread in one hand and the world forgotten.
Beautiful Recipe
Provençal Mussels with White Wine, Garlic & Herb Butter
Some dinners aren’t meant to be hurried. They’re meant to be shared over candlelight, with a basket of warm bread in the center of the table and a bottle of wine that’s already half gone before the meal arrives.
This is one of those dinners.
The broth is every bit as important as the mussels themselves—rich with butter, garlic, white wine, and herbs. Don’t forget the bread. You’ll want every last drop.
Provençal Mussels with White Wine, Garlic & Herb Butter
Ingredients
- — 2 lbs fresh mussels, cleaned and debearded
- — 2 tbsp butter
- — 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- — 1 shallot, finely diced
- — 4 garlic cloves, minced
- — ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- — 1 cup dry white wine
- — ½ cup seafood stock (or chicken broth)
- — 1 tbsp tomato paste
- — 1 tsp smoked paprika
- — Juice of ½ lemon
- — 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- — 1 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- — Sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper
- — Warm crusty baguette, for serving
Directions
- 1.Rinse the mussels well under cold water, discarding any that remain open after a gentle tap.
- 2.In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter with the olive oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes.
- 3.Stir in the garlic, thyme, smoked paprika, and red pepper flakes until fragrant.
- 4.Add the tomato paste and cook for another minute, allowing it to deepen in flavor.
- 5.Pour in the white wine and seafood stock, scraping up any flavorful bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- 6.Add the mussels, cover, and steam for 5–7 minutes, shaking the pot once or twice, until the shells have opened.
- 7.Finish with fresh lemon juice, parsley, cracked black pepper, and another small pat of butter stirred into the broth.
- 8.Serve immediately with slices of warm baguette for dipping into the buttery broth.
🍷 Wine Recommendation
Château Minuty Rosé — Provence, France
There’s something magical about pairing seafood with a Provençal rosé.
Château Minuty is light, crisp, and beautifully refreshing, with delicate notes of wild strawberries, white peach, and citrus that brighten every bite without overpowering the delicate sweetness of the mussels.
Pour it well chilled, tear into the warm baguette, and don’t worry about using your fingers.
The best seafood dinners are a little messy, wonderfully slow, and meant to be enjoyed one shell at a time.
“A good bowl of mussels reminds us that some of life’s greatest luxuries are surprisingly simple—a loaf of bread, a bottle of rosé, and enough time to enjoy both.” 🌙
I still keep a sachet in my drawer from this trip.
Garden Inspiration
Lavender
If lavender is the fragrance of Provence, then every breeze here is a love letter.
Tuck a little sachet into your dresser drawer. Let it soften your linens while you sleep.
Stir a few buds into sugar for shortbread. Drop a handful into a warm bath. Tie a ribbon around a bundle and hang it by the door.
Lavender doesn’t ask for much. It simply makes the ordinary feel a little more golden.
Write this one by candlelight, if you can.
Journal Prompt
What Am I Ready to Say Yes To?
If fear wasn’t invited on my next adventure…
Where would I go?
Who would I become?
What small “yes” could change everything?
Play this with the windows open.
Curated Playlist
Roads Through Provence
- Holocene — Bon Iver
- Ends of the Earth — Lord Huron
- Paris Sun — John Butler
- First Day of My Life — Bright Eyes
- Malibu — Miley Cyrus
- Sea of Love — Cat Power
- Sedona — Houndmouth
- Somewhere Only We Know — Lily Allen
I tucked mine inside my passport and found it months later.
Moon Ritual
Pack the Dream
Write down one place you’ve always wanted to visit.
Fold the paper into the shape of a tiny suitcase or tuck it inside your passport.
Each time you see it, remind yourself:
Dreams become itineraries the moment we decide they’re possible.
You don’t need Provence to live like you’re there.
Cozy Home Inspiration
Bring Provence Home
Fill a wooden bowl with lemons.
Leave a linen tea towel draped over the oven handle.
Keep olive oil in a beautiful bottle on the counter.
Light a candle while dinner cooks.
Open the windows.
Sometimes the feeling of a place travels home with us.
Untamed beauty is my favorite kind.
This Month’s Moonlit Find
The Lavender Bundle
There is something about a bundle of lavender that makes a room feel instantly loved.
Tie a handful of dried stems with simple twine and lean them against a window, a mirror, or an open book.
Let a few stems fall loose on the table — beauty is not in the arrangement, but in the permission to leave it unarranged.
This is the floral language of Provence: quiet, fragrant, and completely untamed.
This book made me want to book a train ticket immediately.
Book Worth Reading
A Year of Taking Chances
by Jennifer Bohnet
Sometimes all it takes is one brave decision to send life in an entirely new direction.
Set against the charm of Europe, this novel celebrates second chances, unexpected friendships, and discovering that the life you’ve been searching for may be waiting just beyond your comfort zone.
It’s the perfect companion for slow mornings, train rides, or afternoons spent dreaming about your next passport stamp.
I ordered this exact thing in Paris. No regrets.
This Month’s Invitation
Order the Thing You Can’t Pronounce
Visit a local café, bakery, or wine bar this month.
Choose the item you’ve never tried.
Strike up a conversation with someone new.
Take the longer route home.
The world has a funny habit of rewarding curiosity.
Sometimes the most unforgettable journeys begin with something as simple as saying,
“I’ll try that.” 🌙