The best thing about church

[_Meadowchik]

Is the drive there.

We live 26 minutes from the nearest LDS chapel where my teen son attends. This morning, we left at 8h27 and arrived at 8h53, as expected. The first 16 minutes took us from our village of 560 inhabitants to the highway, until which I saw less than five other cars driving on the roads. We live on the main road, so I turned out of our driveway, passed over the bridge and out of our village, accelerated just long enough to hit 80km/h and then take my foot off the gas for the 50 km/h speed limit of the neighboring, larger village. It hosts a cathedral bigger than the one in our village, and probably older. It just celebrated its 1000-year anniversary in 2015.

At the first intersection, it took a zigzag to catch the main road again, which leads us slowly past the mayor's office, the square, several bakeries, a grocery, and tabac. The road widens and we pass developments on either side, a sprawling modest neighborhood of houses on the right and several taller, government-subsidized neat and clean apartment buildings on the left. The speed limit remains, although we enter a different city's limits. The landscape opens as any buildings are shorter or further from the road, and green expanse stretches on either side. On the right, some kind of bunker-like structure is nestled under a gradually raising hill. It looks like the set of the Teletubbies, without the flowers. On the left, houses and farms are interspersed in the distance. We run 500 meters parallel a canal, marshy grasses and occasional trees separating it from the fields.

Two more villages, each with a cathedral, and the road veers left, over a bridge with brightly-painted yellow railings. We're about to hit the sweet spot. My foot pushes down, 70km/h, 80, and lets off as the road veers to the right. Pressing back and again up to 80, 90, then a touch at 100. Here comes the first roundabout. I can see far to the left so I am able to safely zip through its curves, and now into the rolling hayfields. The Vosges Mountains are in the distance, the sky is a steel-grey, and the hay is a muted cream against the out-of-place greens of this mild Alsacian winter. Now we get to go faster, and there is a passing lane that isn't really needed today. One hundred km/h, 110, until finally I approach another plateau with less visibility. The highway's next. The fun is over, except for getting to go faster, 140km/h, for about five minutes on the autoroute.

Time to settle the brain in for three hours of waiting, punctuated by friendly hellos and chitchat.

Someday I will get up early and take sunrise photos of those exquisite hay fields. Sometimes they are purple, depending on the year.

[_Ceeboo]

Hey Meadowchik!

That was really a delightful post to read - Thanks!





Please feel free to share your gift to write with us more often.

Peace,
Ceeboo

[_Meadowchik]

Thanks, Ceeboo! I so love where we live and just wanna tell sometimes!

[_Jesse Pinkman]

When I was married to my ex, I hated the drive to Church. It always took me forever to get the kids and myself ready to go, and we were usually running late. My ex was always seething in the car the whole way to Church. I was normally both exhausted and worried about what his wrath would be like later. Not a very Churchlike mood to be in.

Strangely enough, after the divorce, when it was just my son and I getting ready, there was no worry about my ex’s wrath, so the drive was actually kind of nice. Like you, Meadowchik, we live in an area where there are a lot of pretty churches and cathedrals. I could actually enjoy looking at some of those things. I had no idea that the emotional abuse I was suffering while married to my ex was such a distraction from actually enjoying going places.

[_Morley]

It hosts a cathedral bigger than the one in our village, and probably older. It just celebrated its 1000-year anniversary in 2015.

Is this Saint-Étienne?

I do so envy you where you live. Thank you for the moving description, Meadowchik.

[_deacon blues]

What a nice post. It sounds like a really nice drive. I'm glad your not one of those mean Mom's that doesn't let their kids go to church.

[_Meadowchik]

When I was married to my ex, I hated the drive to Church. It always took me forever to get the kids and myself ready to go, and we were usually running late. My ex was always seething in the car the whole way to Church. I was normally both exhausted and worried about what his wrath would be like later. Not a very Churchlike mood to be in.

Strangely enough, after the divorce, when it was just my son and I getting ready, there was no worry about my ex’s wrath, so the drive was actually kind of nice. Like you, Meadowchik, we live in an area where there are a lot of pretty churches and cathedrals. I could actually enjoy looking at some of those things. I had no idea that the emotional abuse I was suffering while married to my ex was such a distraction from actually enjoying going places.

I hope you can enjoy those things more now.

I stayed in a toxic relationship (boyfriend at BYU) for two years. Shortly after, I married someone else, but I could still hear his rants play like tapes in my head whenever something in my life would be inviting his criticism if he had been there. Eventually, the tapes stopped.

[_Meadowchik]

It hosts a cathedral bigger than the one in our village, and probably older. It just celebrated its 1000-year anniversary in 2015.

Is this Saint-Étienne?

I do so envy you where you live. Thank you for the moving description, Meadowchik.

No, but Saint-Étienne is very beautiful! I've never seen it in person.

You're welcome!

[_Meadowchik]

What a nice post. It sounds like a really nice drive. I'm glad your not one of those mean Mom's that doesn't let their kids go to church.

Hehe :D

Out of seven kids, he's the only one who still believes. It would be so unfair to pull the rug out from under him.

[_candygal]

Sounds so beautiful...envy you...but hey...I am a hick from the sticks...what is a tabac???