I am just devastated by today’s fire in the Île de la Cité in Paris. Notre Dame has meant so much to so many people.
At each significant time in my own life, it has been an important touchstone, a place to visit in the world, a place of serenity and permanence.
Notre Dame has been one of those monuments to beauty and graciousness that one simply takes for granted, much as one takes for granted the stars within the night sky.
I am hopeful that it can be rebuilt, although I understand what a massive undertaking that would be. After all, what is a monument like Notre Dame, created over the course of centuries, if not a symbol of hope?