Being One With Mother Nature And Letting Her Be One With Me

setting be the catalyst.

**

The echoes that she casts

crawls out from deep within her canyons

It is beauty, unsurpassed

Natures mysterious companions

The voices of her past gather

With our spirits as we wander

The dappled clouds in pure azure

Leaving us awestruck with her wonder

The fire in the sky, outlines

The ones raging on her edges

I can witness it a hundred times

And not see all the secrets of her ledges

She can fix an ache inside

With just the stillness of her being

Everyday without trying

Another treasure she's unveiling

The breezes blow wild through her canyons

Warmed by sunshine and driving rain

Like a hundred running stallions

Changing the surface of her face

The rising and the setting sun

Reflect the rawness of her beauty

Transforming since time first began

Revealing miracles, inspiring

Awes and songs and gasps of breath

Trying to express what eyes can't say

Shakespeare's words may say it best

If I compared thee to a summer's day

Her harshness and her beauty

Compel the wanderer to come

Her generosity and cruelty

To both man and beast, succumbed

The vastness of her vision

Reaches far beyond what you are seeing

Beyond any explanation

It is your spirit she is seeking.

**

For three years my ex husband and I lived in Arizona and had the pleasure of experiencing its incredible beauty.

We went out to help build a children's home on the Navajo reservation. He was a contractor and the mission we supported needed help raising funds and a home for children who had been orphaned or displaced from their parents, for a number of different reasons.

We hadn't been married long so the added change seemed natural. We lived in a small town called Holbrook, 20 minutes from Winslow Az. (yes the Eagles song) and Gallup, New Mexico, just off of the painted desert and petrified forest. Which, by the way, is not a forest at all.

Having never been far from the little farm I grew up on, in northern Indiana, I jumped at the chance for adventure. And Arizona did not disappoint.

Because we were helping a mission, the funds were raised by churches and organizations designed to aid the Navajo people in building and operating their own boarding schools and homes seperate from the government. So we housed "work groups, " people from other states bringing their youth and retired groups to join in a cooperated effort to get things up and running.

They provided the funding and materials and we provided the opportunity to work first hand, with the ones the buildings were for. They dug trenches for the sewer and foundation, set walls and trusses and after work hours, we would get to take adventures and enjoy the beauty of our surroundings.

We took trips to Slide Rock National Park and slid down the slippery red stones into the barely thawed, cold mountain water. We hiked the red rocks of Sedona and enjoyed the trades and craftsmanship of local artisans, nestled in the groves of yellowed birch trees, down miles of winding road.

But, my best memories are of the times we were able to participate in some of the oldest Navajo traditions, and the many trips we made to the glorious grand canyon.

Believe me when I tell you that no matter how many pictures you take, no matter how many sunrises or sunsets you snap, no matter how you hold your camera what camera you use or what lighting you hope to find...nothing captures the true beauty of this land, beyond the experience.

We've seen the canyon bloom, bursting and exploding with colors that even the rainbow envys. We've sat during thunderstorms and watched as the clouds danced on the edge of the canyon with the skill of a ballet dancer. We listened to the sound of thunder rumble, endlessly, while being chased by streaks of lighting stretching as far as you could see. And we have witnessed it disappear completely, as the fog, after a snowfall, filled it to its brim. The sights, sounds and history are so enriched and ingrained into my memory that upon returning or reminiscing it greets me like a long lost friend.

I remember thinking, how many others had peregrinated onto its ledges to discover this incredible spectacle. Were their breaths stolen, as mine was, every time I saw it. Did they stand in awe of what stood, ever changing, in front of them? Could they possibly know just how miraculous such a place is? It is as alive and changing in every moment, just as I am. Such an incredible thought.

I have also wondered, how many people wandered over its edge without ever knowing it was there? In the early days as settlers made their way through and across lands they’d never seen before.

It is amazing how such a place could exist.

I have been back several times since then, wanting to share my love for the Grand Canyon, (Arizona) with my family, getting to experience it all over again through their experience and excitement. Hoping to instill that same sense of peace and wonder for a place so far from our ordinary.

No matter what you believe or where you place your faith and trust. No matter where you go, this place, this incredibly spiritual experience with nature, will leave you feeling a deeper connection with nature than you could have ever imagined possible.

I hope to visit again to reconnect with her. I have changed and without doubt, so has she. But I have no doubt she will remember and welcome me home.

If you have never visited Arizona before, I hope this little testimonial will encourage you to come visit one of the worlds wonders. Come and sit, come and listen, come and relax, come and take your place in the experience of nature at her finest.

I guarantee she will not disappoint.

Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me.