One thing that completely astounds me… is the incredible beauty and mystery of our planet.

When I am in places such as this…. I become more mindful of the complete exquisiteness, and grandeur of this place we call home.

The earth came into being about 4.5 billion years old.   BILLION.  That in itself is mind-boggling.  Overwhelming.  (Humans a blinky little sliver of that…. 14,000 years.)

Leave it to the Grand Canyon to remind you of its comeliness, and mystique, in the same breath.  I think the rocks are painted with Fairy-Gold.

Today was a jaw-dropping experience for me.  Of all the National Parks I have visited in my lifetime, I have never had the opportunity to visit the Grand Canyon before now.

Two things I will tell you for sure.

It IS a Canyon.
It IS Grand.

Whoever named this sucker was right on his game that day.

It is a wildly large place.  Which opens the doors for a wildly number of stories.  Stories about its history, and formation, and character.  Stories about Cameron the Canyon Swindler, Coulter the Master Designer…. AND… a woman. The Kolb Brothers and their photography.  Captain John Hance… who wasn’t a captain of anything. The first Up-Run on the river…. and the upheaval of the Indians.

Today, I was introduced to both the visual allure of the Canyon, as well as the cerebral enticement.

Yes.  The stories.  The sights.  The sounds.  The smells.  The emotions.  The overload.  And….

The Gratefulness for it all.

In the morning… I think I will go outside and hug a few rocks.  They’ve been around a lot longer than I have…. and they have opened the door for new learning and awareness in my life.

I bet they hug back.

 “Stories are like fairy gold, the more you give away, the more you have.” –  Unknown