130 steps down, 83 up - Momento Mori

July 19

We students went to the catacombs - where there was blissfully chilly respite from Paris' heat and humidity awaiting us at the bottom of the stairs.

A sign inside proclaims that we have entered the "empire of the dead." The catacombs are a symbiotic relationship of old quarry tunnels and the need to reclaim the land taken up by centuries of burials in the cemeteries (cremation is only now becoming acceptable in France). Each cemetary that was moved bears its own sign, detailing the location and dates of the remains in that section - along with a small pedestal for flowers and such. The exhumed bones are stacked artfully around the signs - mostly the large bones of the arms and legs - ends out, with patterns of skulls grinning between. In art, we call a skull a "momento mori" - something to remind you of death (and to prompt you to take care of your spiritual life while you can). Personally, it reminds me to make sure I fully live this precious life.

And speaking of lives... my dear friends Brendan and Bree welcomed their son on Wednesday - so here's to Michael Andrew Beatty - welcome, young man!