Just received a Twitter from St. Paul’s Cathedral in London saying today marks the 70th anniversary of evacuation of British citizens during World War II. Germany had begun bombing raids on the city at night, and the decision was made to send as many people—particularly children—as possible to homes outside of the London area. The Kilns, which is in Oxford and was owned by C.S. Lewis and his brother Warren, became a safe haven for several youngsters during the Blitz.

Blackout curtains still hang on the windows at the Kilns as a reminder of World War II and the precautions people had to take even outside of London.

When life takes a different turn than what you expected, the best place to be on Sunday is in church! One of my favorite verses is found in Psalm 91: “He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge” (v. 4). I do wish I had the opportunity to walk back through the doors of this old place of worship, but I can’t do that today. It’s located somewhere in the English countryside. But there is a little church down the street that will work just as well.

Since tomorrow is Sunday, I thought it would be nice to post a photo of C. S. Lewis’ church, which is located not too far from the Kilns. I was with two friends on the day that I took this photo. It was damp but not really raining. While visited his grave, we heard organ music and decided to go inside the church. After struggling with the door for several minutes and knocking to see if someone would let us in, we finally lifted a huge iron latch and the door swung open. The chapel was alive with activity. People were busy cleaning and dusting, and yes there was an organist playing heavenly music.

This is the view from C. S. Lewis’ bedroom window on the second floor of the Kilns. Writers are always trying to “figure out” how other writers come up with ideas for books and things. I confess that as I took this snap shot, I wondered if Lewis ever thought of Lucy, Prince Caspain, Aslan, and the others while gazing out at this view. . . . The pathway leads to the pond where he would swim every morning—rain or shine, warm or cold.

“Aslan! Dear Aslan!” said Lucy, “What is wrong? Can’t you tell us!”

Whenever I visit Trafalgar Square and see the four huge lions that were made from recycled French canons, I always think of Lewis’ Aslan: “He’s wild, you know. Not like a tame lion.”

“Are you ill, dear Aslan?” asked Susan.

“No,” said Aslan, “I am sad and lonely. Lay your hands on my mane so that I can feel you are there and let us walk like that.” And so the girls did what they would never have dared to do without his permission, but what they had longed to do ever since they first saw him—buried their cold hands in the beautiful sea of fur and stroked it and so doing, walked with him.”

—From The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis.