It is pretty easy to get excited about Paris. We stayed in Montmarte, a haven for artist throughout the decades. We visited the Eiffel Tower and climbed the steps halfway to the top like we were kids winding our way through a playground. It was the only time I’ve ever felt completely inside and completely outside at the same time. We went to Notre Dame cathedral with its impressive ground-breaking architecture, especially enjoying the gargoyle-studded views over the city.
We went to the Moulin Rouge, where I wondered what future societies would think if this was the only thing that survived from our world. We walked the Seine and saw beautiful sunsets from overwhelming bridges. It has been my favorite city thus far.
But this blog is not about the sites. This blog is about Monica. Because, although the sites were fantastic and what everyone wants to hear about, Monica was the highlight of our time in France.
We met Monica very briefly in Ukraine during Month 5 of our original World Race. When she saw we were in Paris, where she is now living, she reached out to us. We met with her for coffee and talked about life and Kingdom dreaming and purpose and the people we know from the U.S. and Ukraine.
A couple days later, we went to church with Monica and met some of her friends. We talked about travelling and about loving the world for what it is and wanting more for it.
We went to brunch at Monica’s place a couple days later. We talked about politics and shook our head at Trump videos on youtube. We ate some French food and listened to music. We talked about friendship and timing and all sorts of things that friends talk about.
Monica is our friend. For the week we were there, we had a friend that we more or less did life with. My fondest snapshot of Paris, more than the incredible architecture and historical sites, is walking through the rain with Monica, stopping to take a picture in the most inconspicuous spot in all of Paris, on our way to the metro to say goodbye.
All of this travel is beautiful. It is amazing to see what man has made and hear what man has done.
But nothing is anywhere close to as beautiful as a friend. Someone to share life with, to laugh with and scratch your head in confusion with. Nothing is more fascinating than people. They are God’s creation and infinitely more intriguing than man’s. People are beautifully fascinating because they are manifestations of the image of God. What people have done is fascinating because it is an image of those image-bearers. Direct connection with a friend is one step closer to God than connecting to the things humanity has made or done.
Monica reminded us of that. Although we dream about seeing the far off sites and appreciating the incredible stories behind them, friendship is the most incredible, the most magical, of all experiences and appreciating the community around us is more fulfilling and more enjoyable than if we could see all the sites of the world.
Paris was an incredible week because we got the best of both worlds, so to speak. But if those worlds were to compete, it would be a lopsided contest. We appreciated and valued our time with Monica much more than anything else Paris had to offer, with all due respect. She didn’t steal the joy of visiting the sites, she enhanced them. She allowed our sightseeing to take its proper place, secondary to real life living within community.
It has been a couple weeks since we left Paris and we still talk about Monica pretty often. And long after the glamour of having seen all of the buildings in Paris has worn off, there will still be a sparkle in our eyes and a swell in our hearts when we think about Monica.
