Wherever you go in DC, if you look to the northwest there lies the National Cathedral. Its presence is sensed as you drive over the 395 bridge or through the tree covered George Washington Parkway. This Sunday, Tim and I decided to tackle the crowded streets and the mighty hill leading up to this great creature of a building. We stopped to snap pictures in our "backyard." I have always been amazed by the architecture of DC, and I am very frequently overwhelmed. It is a humbling feeling standing at the base of such an immense structure...staring up at the gargoyles, the buttresses, and thinking about the diverse faith inside. I once went to a service at the Cathedral that was led by a Catholic priest, an Episcopalian gave the homily, and a Baptist taught us how to clean one another's feet. Yes, diverse.
Tim and I have had a strange, if not very interesting and insightful weekend here in DC. We are looking to buy property...trying to assess how close to "the line" we can go before compromising our safety. We had an intense run-in at a local Irish pub. The Capitol was on lock down once again this morning as someone charged through the barriers and by security, disrupting traffic and normalcy.
Safety is a hard thing to assess. Is it mental? Is it local? Is it even worth it to think about? The National Cathedral however, with its depth, its presence, and its ornateness gives off a sense of strength, and of safety. Surrounded by lush gardens, sculptures of the gospels, and crosses it is a great lookout at the top of the swamp we made our nation's capitol.
