York Cathedral (York Minster) caught me by surprise. My daughter and I had just arrived in York and had begun walking uphill from the train station to the Minster. The August sun boiled down on us, because this was one of the hottest summers on record in Britain. We both carried backpacks that enclosed substantial "stuff" and were tired after our train journey from the London area. But we needed to climb our way up to the Minster before we could turn off towards the youth hostel.
It was just about mid-day. 4 August 1990. I hadn't realized this was the Queen Mother's 90th birthday. So I wasn't quite prepared for what suddenly began. All the bells of York Minster began to peal. They rang and rang and rang, in that peculiarly English art form known as change-ringing. My daughter and I didn't know what to make of it. The peal continued the entire time we walked toward the Minster, and I was awe-struck. We don't hear change-ringing over here in the U.S. In fact, folks don't seem to like to hear church bells ring much at all. I couldn't follow the cascading notes of the bells very well, but suffice it to say there was a breath-taking precision to the rolling sequences of the bells. If my memory serves me correctly, I think this peal continued for three hours that day, in honor of the Queen Mother. It was beautiful.
My daughter and I just found a bench outside and caught our breaths for a little while, letting the music of the peal sweep over us. Once rested, we decided to take a peek inside the Minster, just to get a first look before coming back later to explore it. (Those backpacks were heavy loads.) We climbed up the steps and entered under the incredibly detailed portals. Inside, the Minster gave us a lovely respite from the heat and bright sunlight outside.
Dim and cool and reaching high above our heads, the cathedral overwhelmed me. Some of you may have heard of or even seen the stained glass windows of York Minster. As I walked farther into the nave, I looked up and beheld the sunlight streaming through such wonders as the "Seven Sisters of York". Then I experienced something that was an entirely new sensation for me. I began to weep at the beauty around me. Keep in mind that the pealing bells continued to ring, though somewhat muted inside. I had to sit down! My daughter didn't quite understand what was happening, and I certainly didn't. We both sat there until I composed myself. I will never forget those moments. I never imagined that art and architecture had such power over me.
My daughter and I came back the next day without our backpacks and explored every inch of the Minster that we could!!
Needless to say, I associated York Minster with the Queen Mother from that point on. (She and her husband, later King George VI, had been the Duke and Duchess of York before he ascended to the throne, so York loved them both in a special way.) I 'celebrated' her 100th birthday here at home, but imagined the pealing bells of the Minster ringing out in even greater tribute to her. Even before my visit, I had admired and enjoyed news of the Queen Mother, and I remained a 'fan' of her till she died.
I am an even bigger 'fan' of her daughter, Queen Elizabeth II. She and my mother were born one month apart, and in our family we have always thought my mother and the queen looked like sisters. Today marks the 63rd anniversary of the beginning of her reign, and it seemed fitting to think of these two Elizabeths today.
God save her majesty! And God grant that I might still find myself overwhelmed by beauty in unexpected places.
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