Places I've Been and Glories Seen

I was just thinking of glorious wonder moments from our travels across this country:

– Grand Canyon: the shadows and light that chase each other in that grand hole

– Arches National Park: rock that reaches for the sky, then bends back to earth

– Zion National Park: walls of wonderment just feet from each other

– Bryce Canyon National Park: cathedral-like pinnacles reaching for the sky

– Canyonlands National Park: a combination of all of the above–such an underplayed but delightful surprise

– Niagara Falls: the king and queen of all waterfalls, gushing love for each other

– Lake Superior: the ocean of the Midwest

– Topsail Island NC: Atlantic Ocean and Intercoastal Waterway waving to each other from a block away

Lake Tahoe–just an hour south of us – Alaska’s Inside Passage: greens touching blues kissed by freshest air on earth

– Hawaiian lava beds: the hardest rock soothed into sand by the warm salt water

– Oregon coast: mountain-like rock formations stretching up from the Pacific waters like a missing child that wandered away

Old Faithful: reminiscent of my one-minute tantrums that go away as quickly as they arise

The Sierra Buttes: the well-kept secret cousin of the Swiss Alps

Kansas Flint Hills: hello, people . . . the reason the Sunflower State is not all flat

Shenandoah Valley: almost heaven, like the song, in layers of green

Fall New England: a quilt of autumn colors

Texas: big sky, big everything–that is all

Lake Tahoe: with a purple robe of water, certainly the royalty of lakes

Glacier Bay: white so cold it’s shivering with blue

Pike’s Peak: most insane drive I ever took (“Do you ever have people who drive all the way up here and never go back down?” “Are you one of those people?” “Perhaps.” <—-real convo with a guy at the gift store at the top)

Monument Valley: worthy backdrop for all those John Wayne films, with big guys standing tall all over

While I haven’t traveled much out of the U.S., I have seen 46 of the 50 states. The four I hope to visit sometime soon are Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and North Dakota. The first three I hope will be a road trip related to a speaking event. North Dakota? That would be a detour, for sure.

In every state I’ve seen God’s glorious creation. Artwork. Playfulness. Drama. Musical crescendo. Open arms. Smiles of life.

I AM is all over the places where we live. And now in memories of those places of our travels I am in on-my-knees adoration . . . without words.

Janet McHenry is a speaker and the author of 24 books–six on prayer, including the bestselling PrayerWalk and her newest, The Complete Guide to the Prayers of Jesus. She loves road trips but can tend to be a back seat driver, especially when she is in the front passenger seat. However, she can sense a waterfall a mile away. She’d love to travel to your place to serve as a speaker for your next in-person event (or travel virtually): https://www.janetmchenry.com.

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