About Marguerite

My shop bears the gentle name Marguerite, echo of a woman small in stature, immense in heart. My grandmother taught me to love what doesn’t shine, the silences that speak, the gestures that remain.

She lived through the war. The farm protected her family as best it could, but she knew hardship. The Germans stole her bicycle. And yet, Marguerite never let bitterness take root. She walked on, with a quiet dignity that never bent.

She moved through the seasons like one walks through morning dew: courage at her fingertips, humility in her soles. Her hands sank into the soil, and the aches buried in her bones told that story for years. Her gaze followed faith like a beam of light.

Each Sunday, she went to mass, exquisitely elegant in her simplicity. Her shawl neatly folded, her jewelry discreet, she walked as one honors a ritual, with the grace of those who understand silence. She spoke to me of old customs, like passing down a song whose words warm the soul.

The House, an Inventory of Dreams

As a child, I ran between the two churches, faster, to reach her sooner. The bell towers rang for communions, and I headed toward the house with its door always open: for family, for friends, for the postman, for the milk. It was Marguerite’s house, where every corner whispered a memory.

Nights under the eiderdown were expeditions. Under the bed, a secret world slept: dried linden flowers, dog-eared books, forgotten healing plants, a voiceless violin… an inventory of dreams. In her bedroom, amidst the gentle disarray of treasures—timidly sparkling jewels, elegant hats—the scent of coffee drifted like a whisper. My grandfather shaved slowly, facing the barber’s mirror, and the grandfather clock beat the heart of happy days.

Wednesdays were sacred. The Aronde carried the whole family to homes full of life, or conversely, to absolute calm. We listened reverently to stories of life.

The Hand-Stitched Secret

Sometimes we visited my great aunt, a bridal dressmaker. What magic for a little girl! The fabric hummed beneath the needles. Her husband was a tailor too, in a lovely little shop with a bell that rang at the entrance. I remember the costume creations and her bracelet at the wrist, where needles seemed to dance.

We also visited my grandfather’s friends, in modest workshops or hushed parlors. I, curious, listened to silence embroider its secrets. It was in those outings, between steaming coffee and firm handshakes, that I learned to recognize beauty in what cannot be explained.

Today, my mother watches over this memory as one tends a fragile flame. And I, through this shop, make Marguerite’s memories dance among chosen objects, whispered phrases, and glimmers of the past.

In every detail, there’s a breath of her: her light, her modesty, her tenderness.

My grandmother is all that, and so much more. A hand-stitched story still blooming in the drawers of the heart. A memory woven with courage, silence, and love, even in days stolen by war.

To my beloved grandmother, and to all the family.

Whispers of Memory – Selected Fragments

“She taught me to love what doesn’t shine, the silences that speak, the gestures that remain.”
“She moved through the seasons like one walks through morning dew: courage at her fingertips, humility in her soles.”
“Each Sunday, she went to mass, exquisitely elegant in her simplicity.”
“The bell towers rang for communions, and I headed toward the house with its door always open.”
“Under the bed, a secret world: dried linden flowers, dog-eared books, forgotten healing plants, a voiceless violin.”
“The fabric hummed beneath the needles… I listened to silence embroider its secrets.”
“In every detail, there’s a breath of her: her light, her modesty, her tenderness.”