We arrived in Paris late evening on Friday night. After sharing a lovely day and evening in Chartres, full of prayer and reflection, dinner and the celebration of Lissa and Nicole’s birthdays in Chartres. Some of us decided to go on an adventure over to the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. We paused at the Louvre, the pyramid was glowing. A few of us jumped on the stone blocks in front of the Louvre to take photos and then we continued on. Our adventure spanned thousands of steps, before and after midnight. The Eiffel Tower sparkled and we laughed and cheered that it was sparkling for Lissa and Nichole’s birthday! We continued along the Seine at a leisurely pace, breathing in all the beauty of Paris, sharing stories, laughs, and a refreshed spirit from the journey we have all shared in the previous few days. Soon we approached closer to the Eiffel Tower, it felt as if we walked forever. We thought it would be best if we started to make our way back to the hotel. It was a few moments before midnight, when we crossed over a bridge. We stopped to take a few photos with the Eiffel Tower behind us, and the second that Midnight hit, with the Tower sparkling again. My birthday began! Cheers of Happy Birthday rang out from our group on the streets of Paris, my husband called me to wish me a happy birthday. I received a few messages from family and friends, but little did I know, that there were many many more cheers of Happy Birthday to come, as well as, many more steps and flights of stairs to come…
Written by Heather Grocke-Saunders