Sunrise...

A friend of mine recently said, “Let’s go to the Grand Canyon.  I want to see the sunrise.”

I love a road trip. 

The last time that I had seen the Grand Canyon was in 2007 when I was hosting a friend from Georgia who had come to see Taylor Hicks on tour in Tempe, Arizona.  In the interim before his next concert at the House of Blues in Las Vegas, we took a day trip to the Grand Canyon.  She was awe-struck and sat alone for a time reflecting.  “Grand” does not begin to describe this place!

On this November morning, it was very cold and windy standing on the Canyon rim watching to the East.  Several people from all over the world mingled around getting the best camera vantage. 

And there was complete silence.  No one spoke, not even the few children braving the cold.  It was a reverence I had never experienced. As I kept checking my watch, I irreverently whispered to my friend, “I guess the sun won’t be late.”  It wasn’t.  And the silence continued as first light appeared in the Eastern sky, the glow grew brighter, and then the brilliant rays brought us another beautiful day. 

Talk about the majesty and beauty of nature!

We hurried back to a warm lodge and a cup of sweet, hot coffee and watched visitors from around the world with backpacks readying for a hike into the wild.  The Grand Canyon is also a people experience.  It is a microcosm of the world’s people. 

The lucky ones.    

I am reminded that everyone’s world doesn’t start with a beautiful sunrise.  Instead, the sky may be lit by destruction.  What I spent for my sweet, hot coffee would feed a hungry child for a day, or longer.

Here we were, warm, safe, and so blessed.   

Another friend said to me this week, “Even with problems, we are still blessed.” 

And that we are!

~~~

May we remember and be thankful for our blessings this Thanksgiving Day and pray for a bright ray of hope for those who don’t start their days with a peaceful sunrise. 

We wish you a happy and blessed Thanksgiving!

The Taylor Hicks Community