An Arduous Assumption

I happened to note the link to this blog on the Southwest Conference UCC website... the description says this blog concerns my arduous sabbatical journey in Europe-- casting aspersions on my rigorous schedule. Originally blaming the Conference Minister, I now find I must vent on the Director of Communications. All in good time, all in good time.
Happy Assumption Day! Today Paris is celebrating the assumption of Mary, mother of Jesus, into heaven. The epicenter is Notre Dame Cathedral, of course. Kel, Steve and the kids were treated (on their last night here) to a stunning procession of lights and angelic music along the Seine River past the church last evening. As I write now the organ is thundering and what must be a choir of hundreds is singing beautiful hymns that echo all over "our" neighborhood. Yesterday we gazed in through an open door to the altar, where the bishop was presiding... again backed by etheral music. You don't need to be Catholic to be swept up in the spiritual depth of what is clearly a very big deal here.
Our family deserted us this morning to go home and start school. (Kayla begins 1st grade Monday, and Aidan begins preschool the following Monday.) We escorted them to Charles deGaulle Airport this morning, and saw them off with reluctance. We spent a wonderful two weeks together, with a lot more going on than sightseeing: Our relationships with Aidan and Kayla deepened significantly; we all had the sense that Katie was very much with us; I feel about this time much as I did about the monastery visits. I will need to reflect more.
Pictured at left is our visit to the giant ferris wheel and carnival set up each summer in the Tuileries Garden adjacent to the Louvre Museum (which you can see in the background). From the wheel you can see for miles in all directions (similarly to the Millenium Wheel in London). We also enjoyed other rides and some romping in the Tuileries playground. And yes-- we also did Paris Disneyland.
Aidan and Kayla soaked in the magic of Paris readily, as did Kel and Steve. The food, the sights, the people, the pace, the indescribable je ne sais quois blend with remarkable effect. They, and we, enjoyed (way more than their dad did) a hot-air balloon ride (right) and view of Paris.
The kids also had an elevator adventure yesterday morning. Liz and I were roused from our hotel room early by Steve yelling in the street outside... "Kelly and the kids are stuck in the elevator!" We hustled down the street, and sure enough, the elevator decided to stop about a yard up from where it was supposed to (as it likes to do from time-to-time)-- and since Kelly had not brought the key with her needed to send it back up, she was stuck. She was calm, and so were the kids. Liz ran out for the police, fire, sanitation, maintenance and tourism departments. Cool-in-a-crisis Steve got a butter knife and began removing the screws holding the safety glass in the elevator door... and it worked! After about 45 minutes the window came out and we were able to get a key into the elevator. They all used the stairs (7 flights) for the rest of their stay.
So we are back in the apartment (trsuting the elevator), feeling more and more at home with the rhythm of life here.
Onward.