Wednesday, April 17, 2019

NOTRE DAME BURNS

It will be rebuilt but something is gone forever.
Je pleure pour toi, Notre Dame. et pour nous tous.

Yes yes yes. the Big Money should have been there immediately for Grenfell Tower survivors and yes it should be there for all the other urgent needs and crucial causes everywhere, yes yes YES! But that doesn't mean we can't also mourn this loss. It's not 'just' a buildimg, not 'only' a historical artefact. Feelings don't have to be rationed, doled out parsimoniously as if there won't be enough to go round.


5 comments:

Tom said...

Dear Natalie; I have already attempted to comment twice. All I get in response is that annoying, "Oops! An Error..." If this gets through I'll try again.

Tom said...

Okay, here we go:

Thank you for this post and the thoughts it expresses. We sat dumbstruck on Monday evening, watching as those terrible moments unfolded. So many memories; wonderful experiences; moments of sharing a bond with others from across the Earth, speaking in so many different languages. And for me, that heart-rending moment when the people stopped and sang in sadness for our beloved Notre Dame Cathedral.

Until then I hadn't realised how much [for all its faults] I love this country, and this continent of Europe. We will always 'Remain' here, to the ends of our lives. It may not be resurrected in my lifetime, but there is always hope.

Natalie d'Arbeloff said...

Thankyou Tom for your heartfelt words. I too have been very moved by the Parisians, and non-Parisians, response to this tragedy. The physical and spiritual presence of so many people who over such a long period of time have sat inside this beautiful place and bared their innermost souls must leave a residue of some kind, a holiness if one can still use that word, which will persist.

Catalyst said...

We, too, watched in horror. It is sad, not just for the French but for the whole world.

Natalie d'Arbeloff said...

Thanks Bruce. Indeed that image of the cathedral's spire slowly falling into the flames was unforgettable and somehow apocalyptic. I'm sure I'm not the only one who
felt this.