Where Do You Go For A View?

I enjoyed reading Tony’s blog Red Mind in a Blue State. (I linked via the title bar because Blogger is not letting me do it here) His article, “Beyond Expectations” included a piece about the Grand Canyon. ( I suppose I should make a quick comment on an unrelated article since I can’t do it on his site, regarding his Friday Quickies blog. Maybe it’s my twisted cop humor coming to the surface; but, having pictures of a couple of provocative women under the same heading as Friday Quickies, no, I better leave that alone.) For some reason I cannot open the comment section to his blog to either read or leave comments; ending up by having to email my thoughts that way.

Lucy had written to him and I noticed that he had replied when I saw it come in a while ago. I too have some thoughts on this; although I thought I had written this as a blog a while back or at least saved it in a file long before I started blogging. “Ah, yes I remember it well”. I get to use that line much more than I should, my CRS syndrome is kicking in a bit early.

Gratitude is something which expresses our sincere delight for having been thought of or served by another. We say “Thank You”, or at least we should, on a regular basis for large and small considerations directed to us. This is especially true when counting the blessings bestowed by our Creator. I call this blog, “Where do you go for a view?” as will quickly become evident. Too many of us forget to “smell the roses” as we pass by, thinking too much of the drudgery and not enough of the beauty all around us.

The first time I got to visit the Grand Canyon, having gone there a couple of times since, was with my family. I was in my early teens and I had a similar experience to the one related by Tony. That first walk up to the “viewing point rail” after having driven through that long winding road through the forest of trees, that first glimpse of the canyon took my breath away. Nothing could have prepared me for such a vast expanse of beauty. I had seen pictures, watched the National Geographic Specials and yet there was no way to compare those images with what my senses were being inundated with.

One evening we all went to a park amphitheater to hear the rangers explain more about the history and geology of the region. We got there about the time that the sun was going down. After the lectures were completed we followed the path back toward the parking lot. It was now very dark and there were small illuminating devices placed evenly along the narrow path as markers. The long procession of folks marched semi-quietly in single file toward the cars, commenting among themselves about the lecture, something they had seen and wanted to share or any number of park related subjects.

I was walking with my family, very slowly, looking at the heavens that had been laid open before us. The stars were so numerous as to be truly spectacular and the Milky Way was there like fabric hanging in the sky. There was a couple walking along within earshot and one said to the other, “Where do you go for a view?”, as if the only place to take in the wonders of God’s Creation had to be seen from a specific spot, holding a railing and reading a sign posted by the National Park System. Kind of profound coming from a dumb teenager listening to some old farts who didn’t have the sense God gave a door knob. All they had to do was look up and say “Thank You, Sir.”

Thanks again go out to Tony for reminding me of that moment in time.