Saturday

The excitement hovers and hangs in the air.
The bags are packed with clothing for the trip.
The anticipation of the unknown as we set out for places we've never been.
The lure of the mountains.
The chance to seen the majesty of the Grand Canyon.
The excitements mixes with a tinge of nervousness for that which we cannot control.
Will the flight be on time?
Will our luggage land with us?
Will the strange bed be comfortable?
Will the food be good?

For all we talk about life as a journey,
most days we travel the same roads,
in familiar ruts of daily life:
Grocery store, dishes, meals, work to do, places to go.
Most days don't seem like an adventure.
Yet, lurking in the corner of every day, You are there.
We might smile at the truth that, "The other name for God is, 'Surprise'."
But most days, blinded by the mundane and ordinary,
I am not sure I see as clear as I like.

So it helps to get away.
It helps to go to a new place, an unfamiliar place, that place where Jacob said,
"Sure God is in this PLACE and I didn't know it."
Because maybe the best souvenir I can bring back with me is not some trinket or token bought
But a sense that if God is there in the mountains of Colorado
If God is there is the vast canyon of Arizona
Then maybe God can be here in this everyday moment called today.
And if I can live that truth...
It truly would be the best news I have ever heard.

Amen.