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Notre Dame is Burning
Erika Ferrari Lopez
4/15/19
And just when it feels like everything is burning, it actually is. News broke today that the Cathedral of Notre Dame was on fire. Thankfully, firefighters put it out in time to save the building, but the roof and spire are gone. Recently in a church group, I found out that one of my top five strengths is Connectedness, the belief that nothing is random and all things, people and events are interconnected. So it’s no surprise I immediately started wondering what message God might have for me in this event. The burning of a place that had such special significance in my life.
Over fourteen years ago, I was sitting in the office late on a Friday night working when the phone rang. It was my sister. She said she had some news. That they had found cancer in her breast and it didn’t look good. I sat quiet for a minute after the call, and then started crying hysterically. I was sure I was going to lose my sister. That night my fiancé, Len, picked me up from the office. We were supposed to go out, but instead, he drove me home. I remember looking out the window at the White House Christmas tree wondering how the world could still look so cheery and bright when my world had just become so dark.
I smoked then. A lot. A lot of cigarettes. I loved them. I love them still. I knew they were bad for me, but in my…
