The last few days have been filled with the joy of sharing the very special places i have grown to love with friends who are visiting us here in Sedona. It is such fun to see familiar places through the fresh eyes of someone who is seeing the place for the first time. It also reminds me as I watch each person's reaction that no two people ever have the same experience, even when they are at the same place at the same time. And even when I go back to the same places I have been, my experience is different, especially when I am with one or more friends.
In one of these pictures, two of my friends are with me at Cathedral Rock in a place called Red Rock Crossing. It is a place of powerful energy and beauty. The combination of the flowing singing waters of Oak Creek, the towering red rock formation called Cathedral Rock, the smooth curved flat rocks jutting out into the stream, the magnificent sycamore trees, and the lovely rock pillars built by people visiting the area all combine to create an experience of the sacredness of Nature that is unique and memorable.
In the other picture, several of my friends are shown enjoying a tiny little chapel on highway 180 north of Flagstaff, which leads to the Grand Canyon. It is called the Chapel of the Holy Dove, and not far from it is Spirit Mountain Ranch, where a herd of 11 white buffalo, sacred to many Native Americans, are cared for and can be visited. The message of the chapel and of the white buffalo is that of Peace. Both places bear witness to the deep human desire for peace on earth in our time. No wonder we spontaneously burst into the song "Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be. With God as Creator, loved ones all are we. Let us walk with each other in perfect harmony. Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now. With every step I take, let this be my joyous vow: to take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally. Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."
The acoustics in the little chapel were marvelous, and it sounded as if many more people were singing with us in there. At the foot of the beautiful San Francisco peaks, we walked among the white buffalo and felt the presence of many others in the gifts of prayer flags and other things left at the fence and the prayer pole.
May you too sense the great desire for peace that is growing in people's hearts everywhere, and may peace begin with you too.
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