Through the Fire - Notre Dame by Belle Calhoune

The post I intended to write was always meant to be about Notre Dame, but it wasn't supposed to be like this.  Never like this.  As we all know by now, Notre Dame suffered tremendous damage on Monday when a fiery blaze broke out in the upper portion of the cathedral.  Although Notre Dame suffered catastrophic damages, many parts of the cathedral, along with religious artifacts and symbols, were spared. God is good!

Three weeks ago I visited the sacred cathedral with my husband and two daughters on our epic London-Paris trip.  Having dealt with fear of flying that hindered my ability to get excited about the trip prior to it, I was awestruck by the presence of God on my trip.  It was most evident on my trip to Notre Dame.  The moment one walks into the cathedral, you know you are in the presence of God.  You feel Him surrounding you. You see Him all around you.

First, let me say that this was my third and most poignant visit to Notre Dame. The first time I was sixteen years old, and although I enjoyed the beauty and solemnity of it, I really was too young to fully comprehend what I was experiencing.  This most recent trip was special and my husband and I truly were awestruck by the beauty of the French gothic masterpiece.  Having studied French for ten years and traveled throughout France extensively, I am a Francophile.  I feel such a connection to the French people and I have ever since I took my first French lesson as a child. As a Catholic, there are few places as sacred and awe inspiring as Notre Dame.  Visually, I was mesmerized by the beautiful stained glass windows.  And how amazing that they survived the heat and flames!

We took a moment to light a candle and offer up prayers.  It was a serene and comforting experience.

The beautiful interior of the cathedtral.  A mass was being held as we visited.  Even though the priest spoke in French, you saw people of all nationalities worshiping and listening to his every word.

Priceless religious artifacts were on full display.  Irreplaceable artwork, ornate and intricate in their details.

I thought these two pieces were simply stunning in their beauty.

Notre Dame is still standing.  It survived, much as it has carried on through wars and revolutions. And the French people, and the entire world, will assist in the renovation of Notre Dame.  It is a symbol of hope and of God's love for all of us.  The glowing cross that was shown in the rubble is a powerful reminder of HOPE.

God was there when Notre Dame was consumed by flames.  He was there in the aftermath when people were outside singing and praying. He protected the pompiers (firemen) as they raced to extinguish the blaze.  He aided the French chaplain, Jean-Marc Fournier, as he entered the burning cathedral to salvage priceless religious artifacts. He was there, making sure all wasn't lost.

Sadly, Notre Dame won't be open to the public for six long years.  I feel humbled and grateful that we were able to make this visit.  I am thankful to God for guiding me on this journey.  There are no accidents in life, and I truly feel that God was showing me that something wonderful awaits you if you push past your fears and embrace all the world has to offer.

Blessings! Happy Easter!

Paris in springtime, Shakespeare & Company....research is just so fun! ---Roxanne Rustand

My daughter and I went to Paris in May--my treat, but she had to do the planning, as I was busy with a book deadline and couldn't let myself concentrate on anything else.   I'm so thankful for her hard work

She made list after list, developed an Excel spreadsheet, and ultimately had our two weeks planned by the hour.

Of course, we didn't exactly adhere to The Plan, but it gave us a great structure so that we could make good use of every single day.  If I'd gone alone I would have wandered around missing everything that proved to be a great memory!

The photo of the Eiffel Tower was taken during our dinner cruise on the Seine.

As a writer, I was fascinated with the Shakespeare & Company bookstore, which is on the Left Bank very close to Notre Dame. The store began in 1919 in a  different location, was closed during the Nazi occupation and is now a booklovers dream--crowded, twisting aisles through towering bookshelves, little hide-aways with  easy chairs tucked here and there, charming signs posted in unexpected places, like "Be not inhospitable to strangers, lest they be angels in disguise."  And, of course, there are the bookstore cats.

The most fascinating part of the store's history to me are the "Tumbleweeds," the writers who have come and gone through the decades. For generations, writers wandering into Paris have been welcomed to stay in the shop for free, sleeping in random cots throughout the store, if they would work in the store two hours a day, promise to read a book each day, and also promise to write for however long they stayed.

The other requirement is that they type a one-page biography, and now the store literally has thousand of these--many from illustrious writers of days gone by, such as  Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jack Kerouac and Anais Nin--to name just a very few. And still, many avid writers both young and old who have yet to make their mark are welcomed to stay. What a fascinating tradition!  My big regret is that this store was on our itinerary and I enjoyed seeing it, but I had no idea of the depth of its history until my curiosity was spurred and I looked it up online after we got home.  I am completely frustrated this morning, by the way---I cannot find the photos I took of the bookstore!  I've looked, and looked....but finally had to get this blog posted.

So....here are the Eiffel tower,  some beautiful stained glass (I believe this is from Notre Dame, and just part of the gardens at Versailles. Our tour guide said that all of those trees you see in the garden are actually on little platforms with wheels, so they can be wheeled into a vast storage area (right under my feet, from where  I took the photo) for protection in the winter!

Our travels were fun, and I used them as research for a new novella, Christmas in Paris, which is part of the new Sweet Christmas Kisses  anthology, which is now available for pre-sale on Amazon for just 99 cents!

Best wishes to you all,
Roxanne Rustand