As we lived out the horrors of our own time, we may pause to reflect back on the horror that was World War I a century ago.  All of those veterans are gone now, and it all fades into a collective consciousness barely kept alive by black and white images of wet and disgusting battlefields or the lost army of white grave markers.

But we should not forget it, even if it only emphasizes the similarity between our times and those.  So I’d like to point out a fascinating Blog today in the New York Times by Craig Allen “The Hidden Cities of World War I.” As it turns out the battle fields of “The Great War” were fought over the very ground that covers the ancient stone quarries from which the great French cathedrals were built.  And in these stones soldiers sought refuge from the hell above them. Amazing artifacts are left behind, wine bottles, live grenades, signatures in stone, and wall carvings.  And these have been wonderfully photographed by Jeffrey Gusky. These are gorgeous in the mood the set and in the way they emphasize the trick of the human eye of focusing on details.

Most amazing to me are hearts, celebrating distant sweethearts – a connection home. And as Gusky notes, ever so poignantly, there are many more of these expressions of love and tenderness than of national pride.  There is certainly a lesson in this about the most enduring of human qualities, if we will only listen to our own inner hearts.