It’s difficult to put into words what this week has been like thus far! We’ve had amazlingly magical moments, yet the pictures don’t seem to do them justice. Imagine standing in a park, looking up and being utterly surrounded by a captivating view. Then add to that the fact that the view changes in every direction that you look.
What I’ve been most impacted by thus far was our trip to the Antelope Slot Canyon (actually in Page, Arizona). It was almost what I’d call sensory overload, and every single corner of the canyon took your breath away. I had purposely selected the 10:30 am tour as that’s when the sun affects the light in the canyon the most. I’ve said many times that though I’m definitely a church goer and am very active in my church, I feel most close to God outside of the church building. My entire family and many others were in the Slot Canyon with me, yet there were times that I felt totally alone with God. Wherever we moved with our tour guide, the light moved with us. I took in the light and thanked God for all the blessings in my life, and for the beauty of that day. The Canyon was so narrow in places that only one person could sneak through at a time while walking sideways. For me, that was God saying “take time to walk slowly and appreciate the beauty of your surroundings”.
Even in the dark parts of the Canyon, for me both God and light were present.
I use the phrase “blown away” a lot when describing an event or a feeling that’s occurred, yet I hesitate to use it here because even that isn’t enough to describe our first six days on the ground in Utah.
In Zion National Park, it wasn’t the light that was overwhelming, it was the sheer majesty of the rocks that was breathtaking. You had to stand in one place and make a 360 degree turn in order to attempt to take it all in. I’ve thought of my Mom almost this entire trip. First, because we were apart for Mother’s Day for only the second time in our lives, and second because my Mom would be having the time of her life if she was with us. My Mom is the lover of all things scenic. When we were on family trips, she’d say “look over there!” and we’d all look!! I can’t wait to show her the many photos we’ve taken.
Even the drive throughout Zion was breathtaking! I’ve purposely included a photo taken from our SUV just to show how from every place within the vehicle you are surrounded by beauty. You can see from the two lane road that winds through the park that you are literally surrounded by the majesty of the rocks. Cars are literally dwarfed by the power and might of nature. There were even places that were scary!!! Well, OK Kim was scared on the roads that had sharp curves and no guardrails. And there were MANY of those!!!
Where “blown away” as a phrase does fit the trip thus far, pertains to us staying safe. You can be injured easily if you don’t watch every step and when it’s windy you could be blown off a ledge in an instant. We are well aware of this and have taken every precaution to ensure that this remains an adventurous, yet safe vacation. Kendal is never more than two steps from one of the three of us. She loves to run around, but waits for our signal to indicate that it’s safe for her to do so. I wonder what she’s thinking in her three year old brain about everything we’ve seen, because it’s hard for me to take it all in. One of the things that Kendal ensures that we do before every meal is to hold hands and pray. I love that she reminds us to do so no matter what else is happening. So for me, every single thing about this trip reflects Majesty, Light and God. I can’t wait to see what the rest of the trip holds for us!
Conquering Life; Love and Dialogue with Loretta Veney 
God of light and shadow, wide and narrow places, immensity and smallness, sound and silence; make yourself known in and all things and make us attentive to your leading and guiding, always and in all ways. Amen.
Thank you, Loretta, your reflection evoked this prayer in and from me. Again, amen.
Paul, you’ve made my day!! I’ve just read your prayer to the group!! We will be reciting it daily for the remainder of the trip. Thank you so much for sending this beautiful prayer!! Much love to you.
For someone who writes, it has been immensly difficult for me to put into words all that I saw and experienced. Out of the MANY things that were apparent, the residents seemed to echo, resoundingly, the peace brought forth by the canyons. When you see all the rubble, the ENORMOUS fallen boulders and eerily hanging rocks, it could rival a destruction scene from a movie and almost unreal at times. But even with that, there was just a huge sense of peace, respect and oneness. From the Castlerock Coffee house owners who treated us like family, to our tour guide Rob, who’s treamendous respect for the land made us feel safe and kept us in awe.
Kendal too, I believe learned this same reverance as she TIGHTLY held on to a wild Juniper Berry that Rob picked and gave to her. Even when she fell asleep in the truck, if that berry slipped out of her hand, she popped up, retrieved it and promptly fell back to sleep – LOL!
There is JUST so much to gain from this experience. It has been Life Affirming for me in so many ways and I am eternally Greatful to have had this experience.
Kim, we all truly were in awe of everything that we experienced!! It was simply Amazing!!! BEST of all for me was the fact that we all experienced it together!! A true bonding experience and a trip I’ll never forget!! I smile about it every day!!