Letting Go: Hiking the Observation Point Trail

For several weeks I pushed aside the fact that our daughter would be leaving. Her decision was no surprise; in her methodical way, our daughter spent much of this past year contemplating the option of serving a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For eighteen months, she will live in another part of the country and devote her life to serving others, regardless of their beliefs. She will also teach
a Christ-centered message to any who choose to listen.

In late September, we dismissed the busyness of family life, work, and our daughter's mission preparations. She wanted to say good-bye to the majestic red-rock landscape that means home. We drove once more to Zion Canyon.

As we started up the trail towards Observation Point, my husband commented on how he felt the tension melt away. I too felt freed from daily concerns as I paused to show a cascade of maidenhair ferns and wildflowers to our daughter and youngest son. In this oasis from scorching summer heat, the hanging gardens near Weeping Rock had once again survived.

Watching my daughter pause to take photos or contemplate the scenery, I felt impressed by her courage mingled with acceptance of her vulnerability in the face of unknown challenges. Living in the southeast, she'll encounter coastal beaches instead of cacti and the tallest objects in the landscape will consist of skyscrapers and a freeway overpass. I smile, remembering how our oldest son described Houston and Louisiana while serving his mission.

After her return, our daughter hopes to visit Europe--especially Germany-- a place abounding in mountainside castles and a cradle of classical music. But she knows that this mission isn't about collecting souveneirs, visiting landmarks or making lists of tourist attractions. She is going forth to serve.

Knowing that we wouldn't have time to reach Observation Point, we lingered at several places, enjoying the scent of pinon pines, dramatic patterns cast by evening shadows and the fascinating shapes and textures of Echo Canyon.

It was nearly dark when we returned to the trailhead. Under the canopy of cottonwoods that were just beginning to turn gold, we sat in silence waiting for the next shuttle to arrive. It came, but our daughter asked if we could stay for just a few more minutes. It felt good to wait while the first stars pierced the narrow slice of cobalt sky far overhead.

Another shuttle arrived, heading down-canyon. We heard the folding doors creak open. Our daughter stood and said, "O.K."

We've said good-bye to another missionary, our oldest son. We've felt the same aching joy.

We can do it again.


Copyright 2011 by Nani Lii S. Furse

Landscape of Early Spring

I usually don't mind winter in our relatively mild climate. Snow is rare, a spun-sugar delicacy that softens cliffs and mesas for a few hours or days. Clouds on the northern mountain portend frigid winds, but they're also short-lived. Even on the coldest days, spring never seems far away.

Seasons of personal dormancy can linger much
longer, like arctic Decembers that smother the light of day. At such times it's hard to do anything that leads to a sense of progression and change. Instead, I tell myself that if I can't turn life into a perpetually flawless performance it's better to withdraw with a shred of dignity. Then I subconsciously stifle dreams and positive emotions until my inner landscape resembles Narnia under the White Witch's spell.

A few months ago I realized how much I needed to find every-day metaphors to banish mental fog, to spark compassion and creativity, to validate the recurring possibility of change. Maybe that is why I suddenly wanted to to see the first hint of green wash through weathered cottonwoods. The rush of river and waterfalls beckoned me to Zion National Park.

During Spring break my husband and I hiked in the canyon with our two youngest sons. Although I didn't expect to spend any time in blissful meditation, this family outing was surprisingly congenial. No one lagged too far behind and our teenager made sporadic efforts to curb his impatience so that he could drive home. Between fragments of conversation, I studied my surroundings with new eyes.

The cottonwoods seemed lifeless at first glance. Ghosts of last year's leaves had drifted over the sand bars near the river and I realized that millions of tight new buds wouldn't open for at least a week.

My disappointment turned to wonder as we started up the trail to the Emerald Pools. Here was a chance to fill my senses with the essence of things: an arabesque of branches, a pine-tinged breeze and the touch of rough sandstone that hoarded winter cold. Squishing through mud under shimmering falls at the lower pool, I caught a half-hidden grin on our older son's face as he secretly enjoyed this childlike pleasure. And if there was an image that could capture our youngest son's laughter, it would look something like this:

Climbing to an amphitheater carved from ancient sand dunes, we were surrounded by echoes of cascading water, an ovation to spring. Our youngest son clambered over the boulders, excited to explore before he paused for a photo near a tattered shroud of snow. When my daughter and I returned a few weeks later, it would be nothing but a memory of winter's last hold.

I could only imagine the moment when this waterfall burst over the cliff, shattering silence along with the ice that might have glazed the upper pool. In reality I felt cleansed by the fluid music that graced canyon walls as it stripped my illusions and resistance to hope. I needed to feel small in this immensity of stone. It was one way to sense my importance to God.

In a matter of weeks, the falls would diminish to half-hidden springs that feed lush ferns and columbine near the Emerald Pools. My husband and I would walk under a canopy of leaves that greet summer with an oasis from blistering heat.

But I'll always remember Zion Canyon that cool March morning. Stark and beautiful, it turned metaphors into a promise as it became my landscape of spring.

Where do you go to gain perspective or peace?
How do you find renewal and meaning in the tasks of daily life?

Copyright by Nani Lii S. Furse

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