And Our Hearts Forever...

Many of us have a spot -- a place in this world where we go when we need comfort, solitude, or just a moment to breathe. These places, if you find the right ones, seem to separate themselves from the world that surrounds them. There, you are safe. There...you are you. It's different for everyone, but you'll know when you've found yours because they resonate with something inside you -- drawing you in. For me, that place, the one I hold close to my heart, is the Grotto at Notre Dame. I have and will always cherish every moment when I'm at this tiny cave of candles that's nestled in by Saint Mary's Lake. From my first visit ten years ago to my most recent trip just last night, the Grotto is, for me, my pocket of heaven on Earth.

I can't count or begin to recall the number of visits I've been fortunate enough to make to this deceivingly secluded spot. And oddly enough, I've never been alone there. Now, you would think that with the idea being that this place is my getaway, my fortress of solitude, I wouldn't venture there with company -- and I don't always -- I just don't mind sharing. I love taking those close to me to this spot. Because it's not mine. It's everyone's.

Trust me, I'm not the first, nor will I be the last person who attempts to put into words that which fuels my heart when I am there.

And even if I wanted to be completely alone, I'd be foolish to expect it. There's always someone at the Grotto... night or day, it doesn't matter... maybe they're just parting when I arrive or they're coming in as I take my leave. But there's always somebody -- another person, full of hopes and fears... maybe looking for what I'm looking for, maybe not -- and so we share this space, this utter peaceful moment, and perhaps we exchange a comforting glance, a simple nod of acknowledgement of how fortunate we are to have the Grotto.

Because it's always there. Waiting for us with open arms. No matter how far away we've been or how long we've been away, there's a candle waiting and a bench and an embrace of calming peace.

And so we stand, or sit, or kneel, and we almost cry with relief that there are places in this world that don't change... places where once we found courage, where once we grieved, where we sought the virtue of forgiveness and the strength to understand the things we never thought we could... through the heights of joy to the depths of sorrow, it is there and it is there that we are at peace. If only for that moment.

There are places in this world that mean everything to someone and something to everyone. This is one of those places. And last night I was able to be there with the woman I love.

Heaven.