Take a breath

A friend asked me today if I was disappointed in our trip to Canada. My pictures were nice, but not the dramatic scenes I usually capture on vacation.

I thought about the difference between this trip and others. I think we still had the anticipation of seeing new territory together and getting lodging along the way without reservations. I think the difference was how we were breathing most of the time. Except for Niagara Falls, most of the territory we saw was rolling farmland, level lakes, and rolling hills. There was not the extravagant terrain that we often see. I noted a difference in how we would take a breath of peace so often in what we were seeing. The mosquitoes were making war on us; however, the hikes even in the rain and the smells of the forest were very peaceful. There was no phone service, and we were secluded from the busyness of business and big cities. I found myself exhaling and inhaling peace.

When you look at the Grand Tetons from a hot air balloon it takes your breath away. When you look into a deep canyon outside of Jasper it takes your breath away. When you fly over the Grand Canyon in a helicopter it takes your breath away. But when you examine the beauty of a wildflower, see a single sailboat on the water, take in the reflection of a fallen tree in a lake, or wonder about the history of an old barn, you find your breathing slowed and peaceful.

We were guided to peaceful places where we could take a breath and have a great, peaceful sense of His presence.

~~

It is good to be near God.
Ps. 73:28