First day of Taize
April 13th, 2008
I’m sitting on a heavy, rod-iron folding chair looking out at Burgundy. Lush green grass, a perfect stream with grazing cows (those white ones again), rolling hills with vineyards. The sky is huge. After Tokyo where there is such little sky to be seen, it’s a relief to see so much openness.
There are dark threatening clouds, fluffy, while clouds and patches of blue that the sun finds now and then to brighten up the world. I’m in Taize, France. Brother Roger started this community after WWII to provice a hiding place for Jewish people. He had a strong desire to help the world become a more peaceful and loving place. He couldn’t understand why humans had to have so much conflict; especially Christians. He established a community in which reconciliation and peace would be made concrete day by day.
We took a bus this morning at 9:10 from Macon station. We were sure we would see other Taize people but not until we stopped at the TGV station on the way did we finally pick up one other person going to Taize. We found out later most people go with a group and have their own bus. As soon as we got off the bus at Taize we quickly befriended the young woman who was riding with us. The entire place was silent. It was Sunday and everyone was at common prayer. Claudine, our new friend, was a very relaxed, fun and high spirited 25 year old from Australia. She’ll be fun to get to know this week.
We were very early so we put our luggage in tent P and took a walk through the countryside-actually in and around the village of Taize. Everywhere I looked was a perfect watercolor painting. Each house perfectly taken care of. Lace curtains in the windows, seemingly perfectly placed wild flowers in the yard. Not a sign or an advertisement anywhere. Even now as I look at the hills from my chair I see no commercialism. We walked back to the community site and I decided to take a look in the church where they were having the service. They were having silent prayer as I walked in. Over a thousand people and you could hear a pin drop. Then they started singing. It was so moving. At that moment I know I had come to the right place.
Behind me are 30 blue and orange tents where the youth sleep. Since we are in the 30 plus group we got to have a room.
I worry a bit about being so quiet this week. I lead such a busy life that it’s hard to stop my brain from moving so fast. That must be the reason I’m here. A chance of a lifetime to share with people from all over the world and to rest my brain. Let's back up a bit...
Yesterday we got to Macon train station. Grabbed the first taxi we saw. A nice man who spoke no English was our taxi driver. Suddenly my French reappeared. When there is no choice but French then I’m not shy about speaking. We had a nice conversation all the way to the hotel which he chose for us. It was very nice. A recording of a croaking frog and a statue of a black bell hop greeted us at the door. We were checked in and in our rooms in record time. The only information they asked for was my first name and our phone number in Tokyo. So there we were in Macon, a town we had never heard of. We went out to explore and find something to eat. The Taize information on line said we needed to bring our own sheets and towels so we thought they would be easy to pick up in town as so many Taize people stay there. Boy, were we wrong. There was not a towel or a sheet to be had in the entire downtown area. It took a lot of acting just to explain what a sheet was. I had no idea what it was in French. I know now it’s “drap”.
It’s getting cold now sitting on my rod-iron chair. Not quite enough blue patches to warn me up. I bought a book about Brother Roger, the founder of the Taize community and am going to find a warm place and read that now. Brother Roger was tragically stabbed to death in 2005 during a common prayer. A mentally ill woman killed him. There were thousands and thousands of worshipers that witnessed this. Hard to fathom something as awful as that. I visited his very modest grave in the little church yard in taize.
I’m sitting on a heavy, rod-iron folding chair looking out at Burgundy. Lush green grass, a perfect stream with grazing cows (those white ones again), rolling hills with vineyards. The sky is huge. After Tokyo where there is such little sky to be seen, it’s a relief to see so much openness.
There are dark threatening clouds, fluffy, while clouds and patches of blue that the sun finds now and then to brighten up the world. I’m in Taize, France. Brother Roger started this community after WWII to provice a hiding place for Jewish people. He had a strong desire to help the world become a more peaceful and loving place. He couldn’t understand why humans had to have so much conflict; especially Christians. He established a community in which reconciliation and peace would be made concrete day by day.
We took a bus this morning at 9:10 from Macon station. We were sure we would see other Taize people but not until we stopped at the TGV station on the way did we finally pick up one other person going to Taize. We found out later most people go with a group and have their own bus. As soon as we got off the bus at Taize we quickly befriended the young woman who was riding with us. The entire place was silent. It was Sunday and everyone was at common prayer. Claudine, our new friend, was a very relaxed, fun and high spirited 25 year old from Australia. She’ll be fun to get to know this week.
We were very early so we put our luggage in tent P and took a walk through the countryside-actually in and around the village of Taize. Everywhere I looked was a perfect watercolor painting. Each house perfectly taken care of. Lace curtains in the windows, seemingly perfectly placed wild flowers in the yard. Not a sign or an advertisement anywhere. Even now as I look at the hills from my chair I see no commercialism. We walked back to the community site and I decided to take a look in the church where they were having the service. They were having silent prayer as I walked in. Over a thousand people and you could hear a pin drop. Then they started singing. It was so moving. At that moment I know I had come to the right place.
Behind me are 30 blue and orange tents where the youth sleep. Since we are in the 30 plus group we got to have a room.
I worry a bit about being so quiet this week. I lead such a busy life that it’s hard to stop my brain from moving so fast. That must be the reason I’m here. A chance of a lifetime to share with people from all over the world and to rest my brain. Let's back up a bit...
Yesterday we got to Macon train station. Grabbed the first taxi we saw. A nice man who spoke no English was our taxi driver. Suddenly my French reappeared. When there is no choice but French then I’m not shy about speaking. We had a nice conversation all the way to the hotel which he chose for us. It was very nice. A recording of a croaking frog and a statue of a black bell hop greeted us at the door. We were checked in and in our rooms in record time. The only information they asked for was my first name and our phone number in Tokyo. So there we were in Macon, a town we had never heard of. We went out to explore and find something to eat. The Taize information on line said we needed to bring our own sheets and towels so we thought they would be easy to pick up in town as so many Taize people stay there. Boy, were we wrong. There was not a towel or a sheet to be had in the entire downtown area. It took a lot of acting just to explain what a sheet was. I had no idea what it was in French. I know now it’s “drap”.
It’s getting cold now sitting on my rod-iron chair. Not quite enough blue patches to warn me up. I bought a book about Brother Roger, the founder of the Taize community and am going to find a warm place and read that now. Brother Roger was tragically stabbed to death in 2005 during a common prayer. A mentally ill woman killed him. There were thousands and thousands of worshipers that witnessed this. Hard to fathom something as awful as that. I visited his very modest grave in the little church yard in taize.
The view of Burgundy from my rod-iron chair
Our bell hop who greeted us in Macon (don't think you could get away with this in the US!)
meeting Claudine upon arriving at the Taize Community
The view of the village of Taize taken from the foot of the hill.
The community is just behind the village.
The grave of Brother Roger.
His soul lives on!
