Christmas gifts come in many different forms. The
storm that engulfed the Grand Canyon the previous evening gave way to a new morning, and hints emerged that this day would be different. The rain and cold wind had stopped, and on the far rim there were signs that the clouds might be clearing a little.
We walked to the rim of the abyss and looked into what had been darkness, and saw instead that walls and ridges were emerging from the mist. And just like that, the veil was lifted and the canyon filled with light and color.
Christmas has many meanings to many people; it is the solstice, the cycling of the seasons, it is the birth of a saviour, it is a time of family, it is the high season of the economic cycle when profits are made. To me it is also a reminder that our existence is a gift to be cherished and that there is much that is beautiful in the world. The rocks exposed in the Grand Canyon tell a long and ancient story, a story in which humans are but the smallest blip, yet in 2 billion years of time, there is this short and unique moment when the entire story has been laid bare by erosion in the most spectacular fashion possible. But rock by falling rock, the canyon is being removed and in a few more million years, the story will be lost in the mists of time. We are here together to share this brief moment, and these moments of life are the most precious gift I can imagine.
Stay safe in your travels and have a most joyous Christmas and New Year!
Christmas gifts come in many different forms. The storm that engulfed the Grand Canyon the previous evening gave way to a new morning, and hints emerged that this day would be different. The rain and cold wind had stopped, and on the far rim there were signs that the clouds might be clearing a little.
We walked to the rim of the abyss and looked into what had been darkness, and saw instead that walls and ridges were emerging from the mist. And just like that, the veil was lifted and the canyon filled with light and color.
Christmas has many meanings to many people; it is the solstice, the cycling of the seasons, it is the birth of a saviour, it is a time of family, it is the high season of the economic cycle when profits are made. To me it is also a reminder that our existence is a gift to be cherished and that there is much that is beautiful in the world. The rocks exposed in the Grand Canyon tell a long and ancient story, a story in which humans are but the smallest blip, yet in 2 billion years of time, there is this short and unique moment when the entire story has been laid bare by erosion in the most spectacular fashion possible. But rock by falling rock, the canyon is being removed and in a few more million years, the story will be lost in the mists of time. We are here together to share this brief moment, and these moments of life are the most precious gift I can imagine. 
Stay safe in your travels and have a most joyous Christmas and New Year!
4 comments:
I love this post. Very beautiful pictures of an awesome place, one of my favorites too. Thank you for an enjoyable year reading your blog. Of all the ones I read your's is my favorite. Happy holidays to you and your family.
The canyon shares many moods as it reveals the story of ancient time. Again thanks for the photo fix.
Great photos Garry! Laura & I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas! Perhaps Santa will replace your shorts that that the Grand Canyon so rudely ruined in 2008! Cheers!
Beautiful photos! I LOVE the clouds! I saw some last week moving up Deep Canyon (see here:
http://rav4adventures.blogspot.com/2010/12/different-view-of-deep-canyonthe-coming.html). It's so unusual to see clouds like these in our desert!
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