Chester Cathedral, Sunday Afternoon
There is something quietly reassuring about a city that has been standing long enough to stop caring whether you notice it or not. The Romans were here first, two thousand years ago, and left their walls.
The Cathedral has been here since the eleventh century. The bronze elephant outside for twenty-six years. All three have learned patience.
On Sunday afternoon, someone walked past the elephant without looking up from their phone. The tote bag said Pop Boutique. The Cathedral sign said Main Entrance, Discovery, Encounter, Faith.
The elephant said nothing, as elephants do. The Romans said nothing either. They left their walls and moved on.
Every generation receives what the previous ones built, carries it forward with whatever doubts and contradictions come with being alive at that particular moment, and eventually passes it on.
The students of today inherited two thousand years of walls, cathedrals and bronze elephants. The future is already in their hands.
