Grand Canyon

"Leave it as it is. You can not improve on it. The ages have been at work on it, and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and for all who come after you, as one of the great sights which every American if he can travel at all should see."

-President Theodore Roosevelt

It is impossible, in my opinion, to look out at the vastness of the Grand Canyon and upon it's layers of history and not feel so very small. Like a mere blip on the timeline of history. But I also gained a sense of awe for my Creator. That His wisdom, creativity, intelligence, perspective and love are endless. I was reminded as I stood, unable to even begin to take it all in, that the same hands that made what was before me, created me as well. It's a humbling thought to say the least. Can you present your humble life as an example of His divine handiwork? Have you learned? Have you taught? Did you help others on their journey in life? What piece of you will live on as history marches past your time on this Earth?

I was grateful to be able to be there with Justin to see it for the first time. We only had one day to spend at the Grand Canyon, but still wanted to get in it and experience it away from the tour bus. We held our little map in hand and picked a trail to hike down into the canyon a little bit. Around every turn was a new breathtaking view.

(There's always time to be a nerdy nerd!)

When we came to our turn-around point we stopped to sit down on the rocks and rest for a minute. Up until that point I had been carefree, skipping and joking around down the trail. But then the mom in me came out. Justin has been known to trip over his feet or lose his balance from time to time. On the other side of the rock we were perched on a was a sheer drop off. Justin stood up, saw what was below him and promptly turned around and sat down! Which made me happy because I was having visions of him tripping over his foot and taking a spill over the edge.

Luckily our rest period was positively uneventful, other than the view of course! On our way back up the trail I looked up and saw a rainbow that completely encircled the sun. It was hard to capture on film because it was so bright. It was so beautiful and I had never seen anything like it.

We had to leave before sunset to head back to Phoenix so we could catch our early morning flight back to Atlanta the next day. But as we looked back behind us as we drove away that evening we were greeted to the perfect close to our day as we watched the sun slip behind the mountains. I felt at peace as I was reminded again that God is mindful of all of His creations... even me.