Back to a simpler time.

One of the highlights of my visit with Grace was celebrating mass on Matin de Pâques (Easter morning) in the front row of Notre-Dame Cathedral. How did we land in the front row? No clue. Karma blessed us. We toured the space after the mass concluded, in complete awe of the immensity and complexity of the architecture, the stained glass windows, and the reverence to thousands of years of faith.

But what struck me the most about that experience? As we walked down the Seine that morning and approached the cathedral, its simple familiarity was in stark contrast to its magnificent presence. Within that opulent, ostentatious structure, stood the simplicity of time. The cathedral had been witness to thousands of parishioners and prayers for centuries, and yet here it stood, as it always had, welcoming us in. There was immeasurable permanence in those 4 walls and its ornate spire. It was, simply stated, a church.

Most people wouldn’t use the word “simplicity” to describe Notre-Dame. Certainly not the hundreds of craftsmen who built it, or have been re-building it since the tragic fire in 2019.

But I challenge you: Find the simple familiarity in the complex things that surround you. For it is there, that you will find peace.