"Sainte-Chapelle, Nouvel Esprit" (Feed Your Soul for Lent #1)

"La Sainte-Chapelle, Nouvel Esprit"

La Sainte-Chapelle
The holy chapel, medieval reliquary
Where pilgrims honored holy fragments.
In my eyes it is the glory of Paris
Not for ancient remnants, now gone 
But for the soaring stained glass
With shimmering stories of the Word
Cut into fragments of centuries old colors
Today's fresh light streaming through.

A holy chapel I want to be
With the Holy Spirit, le Saint-Esprit
Living and giving life within me
The stories of the Word, translucent
Illuminated by the Light of the World
A radiant sanctuary of the sacred
Miraculously inside this fragile temple
Holy chapel, new spirit
Sainte chapelle, nouvel esprit.























I recorded this piece, along with several others, at a classical concert in Sainte-Chapelle in Paris in October 2016. "Chaconne" calls to my mind the drama of the passion and compassion of Christ on the cross. 

You can find more music, photos and links here: La Sainte-Chapelle, the Glory of Paris.

  
Today is Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent.

It is a traditional season of fasting from physical distractions. That should give us an increased focus for feasting on what feeds our souls.

I'd like to spend Lent sharing goodies to nurture the spirit: music, art, nature photography, poetry, inspiring article links. 

Along this theme of saints of the spirit, this came across my Facebook feed today. Saint Fred is an article in Atlantic Monthly about Mr. Rogers, the beloved children's TV personality and ordained Presbyterian minister who passed away on this day in 2003.

I am still pinching myself that I had this amazing opportunity to visit Switzerland and Paris with my daughter Joanna, who was presenting at a mental health conference in Geneva. I only wish I had more money to travel!  I realize that I neglected to send all of my Europe photo posts to this blog's subscribers last fall. Here are the links. 

Switzerland

• Off to Europe!
• Our First Afternoon in Geneve
• On the Shores of Lake Geneva
• All Around Geneve, All by Myself
• Sweet Sunday Morning in Geneve
• Saint-Pierre Cathedral
• Musée d'Art et d'Histoire
• On Our Way to the Swiss Alps
• O Little Town of Lauterbrunnen 
• Mürren and Gimmelwald by Cable Car
• Staubbachfall in Lauterbrunnen
• Foggy Days in Lauterbrunnen
• Trümmelbachfalle, Ten Waterfalls in a Big Swiss Cave
• St. Beatus Caves at Lake Thun in Switzerland
• An Evening in Bern

Paris 

• Eiffel Tower and Seine River Cruise
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• La Sainte-Chapelle, the Glory of Paris
• A Little Louvre Love
• Musee d'Orsay in Paris
• Arc de Triomphe and a Late Night Dinner in Paris 
• Basilique de Sacré-Cœur in Paris
• Palace of Versailles
• Gardens of Versailles in Autumn

Gardens of Versailles in Autumn (Europe #24)

A quick sandwich and a Nutella crepe from an outdoor cafe in the gardens...

 The musical fountain show...

The Orangerie...

Stairs! More stairs?!?!?! NOOOOOOO!

Nice view from above though!

We didn't leave Versailles until 4:30. We were supposed to be on the train several blocks away by then. We barely made it. We got back to our hotel, quickly gathered our luggage, hustled as fast as we could to the train station, and hopped a non-stop to Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Unfortunately, the airport is in a different transport zone than our hotel. We were supposed to pay for an additional ticket. Since we were in such a hurry, we just figured we'd pay the difference when we got to the airport. When we got off the train, we looked around for a ticket kiosk. No deal. We tried to exit the train area by sticking our existing tickets into the exit machine. No deal. We looked again for a ticket machine. No deal. We looked for an employee to help us. No deal. We were trapped. Seriously?!?!

In desperation, I spotted a lady in the distance - on the other side of the exit thingy - with an airport badge and a uniform. I called out loudly and she came over. Her English wasn't fluent, but she understood enough to beep us through with her magnetic employee badge.

We hustled through the airport, grateful to find that our Air France flight was delayed and we had a little extra time. An employee stopped us and asked to weigh our carry on luggage. It was way over limit with all the souvenirs I had purchased in Paris. I looked pleadingly at him. "We're late for a flight to Geneva." He relented with a warning for "next time." Alrighty then.

So, we made it on the plane to Geneva, overslept the next morning, and barely made our flight back to the USA.

Phew!

We've been home nearly seven weeks. I really wish I could go back and spend more time at each place in we visited in Switzerland and France. But then again, if I ever go to Europe again, wouldn't I want to spend the time seeing something different? Cathedrals! Castles! Cottages! Sigh. I've been bitten hard by the travel bug.

This is the last of the photo blog posts from our trip, though I will probably do one on international travel tips on one of my other blogs at This Mom Grows Up.

Au revoir for now!

Virginia

You can read more about Versailles here.

You can see my 15 Switzerland photo posts here: Switzerland.

You will find Paris posts here as I create them: Paris.

• Eiffel Tower and Seine River Cruise
• Notre Dame Cathedral
• La Sainte-Chapelle, the Glory of Paris
• A Little Louvre Love
• Musee d'Orsay in Paris
• Arc de Triomphe and a Late Night Dinner in Paris 
• Basilique de Sacré-Cœur in Paris
• Palace of Versailles
• Gardens of Versailles in Autumn

North Carolina: Mountain Shops

We've been home from North Carolina for over a month, but I realized I hadn't posted pictures from our last two days there! What reminded me is that I created and ordered six 11"x14" poster collages on the Walmart photo web site. I haven't hung them up yet, but they look great! Many of these pictures made it onto the final one.

Ten of us went to the village of Blowing Rock on a Wednesday. I love that place! So quaint and picturesque!

My grandson enjoyed the playground when we stopped for a picnic lunch. What a cutie!

We visited several shops. I am always drawn to words, so I love inspirational signs.

I was supposed to meet my family at the ice cream store, but they weren't there when I arrived, so I popped into another store two doors down. Cross Trade reminds me of Trades of Hope. They import lovely craft work from Brazil to support artisans with a fair living wage. What a surprise to see that the cashier is my friend Anne, who is also the mother of my brother-in-law. What a sweet lady! We had a nice chat. I hadn't seen her in years and didn't realize she lived in the area.

We all enjoyed our waffle cones at Kilwin's ice cream store.

Heading back to the van, I saw the Dulcimer Shop. I love dulcimers! I've owned one since I was in 8th grade, but haven't played it in years. I bought new strings and a music book, and enjoyed hearing the owner play one of the dulcimers for us. 

Take a quick listen to the sweet music that the owner Bill Magee played for us on request!

I'm getting my dulcimer restrung at Lyrical Lumber here in Maitland, Florida very soon. Two of my daughters want to learn to play it, and fortunately it is super easy. There are even instructional videos on YouTube.

On Thursday, one of my adult daughters bravely took five of her younger siblings to Grandfather Mountain, while the other three of us adults stayed at the cabin to do a final cleaning before leaving the next morning. I'll put those photos in a separate post.

That afternoon, we all visited Mast General Store, a beloved local vintage landmark.

Besides being a general store, it is still a working post office!

Of course, the kids bought both Nehi and Cheerwine sodas!

One son arranged his Mast treasures on the table back at the cabin.

 

It was my second son's 16th birthday, so I got him a Grandfather Mountain t-shirt to remember the day.

Such a lovely trip to North Carolina! Here are the links to the other photo posts so far.

• The Cabin at Higher Ground
• Mountain Flowers
• Mountain Creek Fun
• Watauga Lake in Tennessee
• Biltmore Estate
• The Gardens at Biltmore Estate

Grace and peace,

Virginia Knowles

This is Where I Am in Time

This is where I am in time

I think as I glance at the

Calendar on my wall

A block for today on the page

For this month, this year, this lifetime:

Here I am

Yesterday I had been traveling 

Around and about

Finding my way on a map

Looking ahead to each

Place I would visit

Before my ending destination: home

Where I am now

So I thought as I looked

Curiously at this calendar

That this too was a map

Of time, my time, my place in time:

Here I am

Here and now

For just one moment

Then on to the next now and the next

Though I still meander around and about

In my memory, my history, gathering

Stories and images and vintage beauties

These souvenirs I bring along

Still, I cannot go back in time

I only move forward

With the wisdom I hope I have gleaned

Into a future unseen

This is where I am in time

I am here and I am now

On my journey day by day by day

Toward home

~*~*~

Last Friday and Saturday I went to a church ladies retreat in a quaint little historic town. I walked with a new friend and fellow poet, Debbie Burton, and we were talking about fresh inspiration. I told her that I don't make myself write poetry. I wait until an idea comes and grabs me.

Afterward, I wandered around and looked at the art and vintage stores before heading home. Quite exhausted, I fell into bed early, fully clothed, then woke up again in the wee hours. I snapped on the light and there by my bed was the calendar.

And these words started tumbling in my brain. Or, as I said before, the idea came and grabbed me. So I got up and wrote, first scribbling on the back of scrap paper, then typing in my computer. Then I went back to bed. I woke up and, mind a bit fresher, worked on it a little more. And the day marched on.

Here it is Wednesday afternoon, three days and how many moments passed? Sleeping, eating, cleaning, driving, teaching, dreaming, scheming, cooking, shopping, reading, writing, playing, gazing, smirking, smiling, consulting, consoling, arguing, sighing, twiddling, fiddling...

This is where I am in time.

Virginia Knowles

www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

P.S. #1: This poem reminds me of the song "Tick Tock" by Chris Rice.

P.S. #2: This is not my only poem that talks about the passage of time and life as a journey. Here are some others:

• Pilgrimage and Jubilee
• Lift Up Your Head and Laugh
• Between the Seed and the Tree
• Rebound

Or, if you would like to see a whole PDF book of my poems and essays, you can click here: Pilgrimage and Jubilee: My First Fifty-Ish Years in Poetry, Prose, and Pictures

Grateful Grace #2: "Broken Hallelujah" and the Story Behind the Song

Friends,

Here's a song for those days (or weeks or months or years) when nothing seems to be going right. Yeah, I've had them, too. This is what puts the smile back on my face.

"Broken Hallelujah"

by The Afters

I can barely stand right now.
Everything is crashing down,

And I wonder where You are.

I try to find the words to pray.

I don't always know what to say,

But You're the one that can hear my heart.

Even though I don't know what your plan is,

I know You're making beauty from these ashes.

I've seen joy and I've seen pain.

On my knees, I call Your name.

Here's my broken hallelujah.

With nothing left to hold onto,

I raise these empty hands to You.

Here's my broken hallelujah.

You know the things that have brought me here.

You know the story of every tear.

‘Cause You've been here from the very start.

Even though I don't know what your plan is,

I know You're making beauty from these ashes.

I've seen joy and I've seen pain.

On my knees, I call Your name.

Here's my broken hallelujah.

With nothing left to hold onto,

I raise these empty hands to You.

Here's my broken hallelujah.

When all is taken away,
  don't let my heart be changed.

Let me always sing Hallelujah

When I feel afraid, don't let my hope be erased

Let me always sing Hallelujah.

Let me always sing Hallelujah.

I will always sing

I will always sing

Here's my broken hallelujah.

The Story Behind the Song "Broken Hallelujah" by the Afters


Grace and peace,
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com

A Eulogy is Also a Beginning

This word "eulogy" 

literally means “good word.” 

My words are in praise 

of my mother’s good deeds, 

good heart, and good life. 

But they do not just mark 

an ending of that life.

A commencement marks the end 

of an educational endeavor, 

but also the beginning 

of a life of productive work.

A commissioning marks the end 

of purposeful training, 

but also the beginning  

of a season of service to others.

A eulogy marks the end 

of a life well lived,

but a eulogy is also a beginning.  

It marks the end of an old life 

of enjoying the presence 

of one we love, 

but also the beginning 

of a new life 

carrying that presence 

forward in our hearts, 

following the praiseworthy examples, 

and passing along 

the love we have received.

With these words, I ended my eulogy for my mother.  You can watch the five minute video here.  It's a bit bumpy, but the words are clear.  I hope the love is, too.

Grace and peace,
Virginia Knowles
www.VirginiaKnowles.blogspot.com