Erosion

Well, it is our last day in the mountains. Sigh.

Today was terribly cold and windy, but I was determined to spend some time outside on our final day. There is a prayer trail here, with benches at various places to give us a chance to sit, think and pray. It was really hard to keep my mind focused as the wind gusted and the sun drifted in and out of the clouds. After an hour or so, it actually started sprinkling.

I was tempted to cut my trip through the prayer trail short, but every time I decided to head inside, the sun would peek out and invite me to stay a little longer.

The second-to-the-last bench is called "erosion". It faces a hill where the dirt is washing away, leaving cracks and gullies all down the hill. We are supposed to ponder the things that wear away at our souls. 

But today when I arrived at that bench, I actually laughed out loud. Because of all the wind these last few days, the eroded crevasses in the hill were filled with beautiful fall leaves. They were like rivers of gold running down the hill.

It was a reminder that God can make anything beautiful. Anything. And I'm glad I persevered through the weather to be reminded of that truth.