Our Lady will Rise from Her Ashes, Stronger Still.

I've been in Paris for a week now and was planning on posting about how incredible this city is. How it has called me back a dozen times. How it is a city for artists, dreamers, feelers, pontificators, lovers, rebels, visionaries. While all this is true, I can't help but speak on the recent devastation to the one of the city's oldest and most exquisite relics, one that has lived in my Paris skyline since studying on the left bank in college.

To me, the Catholic Church and the cathedrals erected in its honor represent tradition. The old world. A preservation of a period in time that emphasized things like morality, empathy, and a connection to a power higher than ourselves. Despite yesterday's ravaging of such a profound symbol, the Notre Dame still stands. Yes, her beautiful mosaic glass is now charred black, her spire gone. But she will rise from her ashes. She will be rebuilt. And just as Paris has preserved the same customs it has practiced for centuries, the tradition will live on, stronger still.

This piece was originally featured in a April 16, 2019 post on Instagram at @themorganmay