Getting to go to mass at Notre Dame in January was such an immense experience. I am a very lapsed Catholic, but the building bolstered my spirit. It was here I learned that my French has improved enough to understand the words to the mass and the tears flowed. It has been a long time since I’ve been to mass and it was just life affirming – sitting there with the firefighters that saved the building.

Seeing the Rose Window in all its glory – shining despite the rainy day – reminds all of us that life is actually a state of destruction and renewal. Sometimes things failing and being destroyed makes way for new ideas and reparation.

The side chapels now have a statue in the center, one modern piece of art, and one classical piece of art with a bench for reflection. 

Seeing it glow at night from the end of my island is one of my favorite sights in the world now. It refreshes me and stands as a monument of all that is possible.