Manon Bout

Introducing…one of the coolest French ladies I know: Manon Bout. She lives in a little town about 40 minutes from Grenoble…one of those quaint little French towns that you think only exist in the movies. Not so. Manon is the perhaps the spunkiest, liveliest silver-haired woman I know. Yet she is without question a lady; as all French (and Italian) grandmas, she is never without her high heels. I’m telling you, if I had to choose just a few words to describe the French, classy would definitely be one of them. (I think that’s one reason why I enjoy people-watching so much in France.)

During World War II, Manon was a teenager, and she participated in the French Resistance. (During the Second World War, Germany occupied France- it was an awful thing to have your country taken over, as you can imagine. And so people had the choice to either collaborate with the Germans, which was definitely the easier choice, but likely went against what they really stood for…the other option was to resist against the Germans, which was obviously a very dangerous decision, one that could cost you your life.) Manon walked long distances to deliver letters that contained information about the Germans. She only did this a couple of times before her fiancé insisted she stop because it was too dangerous. (Although they still took part in the Resistance, he thought a teenage girl shouldn’t be put in such a dangerous position.)

Manon has one of the best “how we met” stories I’ve ever heard. She met her hubby-to-be on the slopes. She loved to ski (her dream town is surrounded by the Alps); however, there was one little problem. She didn’t know how to stop. One day, she was swooshing down the bottom of the mountain when she saw a big group of people in front of her. “Get out of the way!!” she screamed. But no one moved an inch. So she crashed smack dab into this group of people…and guess who was swept off his feet, both literally and figuratively? Her future husband. You could say she was a knock-out. ☺

Manon is my French grandma. She gives me a big kiss on each cheek each time she sees me. You may know that that’s how the French usually greet each other…but her kisses are grandma kisses- every one is bursting with love. She also happens to be a fabulous cook. When you sit down at her table, you feel like royalty. Manon lived in Cameroon with her husband for a few years for his work, and they had several guests over for dinner practically every day. So she is an expert when it comes to entertaining!

Manon has so much faith. She says the most touching prayers; they are so sincere and full of gratitude. When she prays, her understanding of who Heavenly Father is is so evident, and you can't help but know Him better as a result. I love meeting people with such different, interesting stories, who also inspire you and give you a stronger desire to be better…like Manon Bout.