Miracles

      The state I live in right now is flat. Just about anywhere you go if you stand still and look around you can see for miles. The vivid colors of the plains is something painters have tried to capture for generations. About five miles outside of town there is a valley. It's a small gem in the middle of the vast empty space. There are stone pillars with layers of browns, golds and brick red colors that have been forming over centuries. There are marvelous trees that have been around for centuries. If you listen close enough, you can almost hear their stories.
  
      The valley is one of those untouched parts of nature that gives the whole area balance. I like to go to there and walk around. I'm pretty sure that I could visit that valley everyday for the rest of my life and that everyday I would see something new. Last week I went to the valley to walk around and came across a hawk. It stood a few feet away. We looked at each other. Neither of us moved. It was as if we had a silent understanding. This was his home, but I could visit as long as I respected it. I have never been that close to such a beautiful majestic animal without there being some sort of fence or cage.

      To see this animal up close and personal in the wild was something that I will never forget. He flew away with grace and beauty, never once looking back to see if I was following his rules. I'm pretty sure he knew I would.

      This is one of the reasons I love going to this valley. I keep hoping I will see him again. So far, I haven't, but I'm pretty sure he has seen me.

      When I go to this small valley, I'm reminded that we are all in a balance with each other. There is a balance in all life. Where there is life, there is death. Where there is love, there is hate. We live in a constant state of change. Those changes are all about balance in life. I have never understood the reason why good things happen to bad people or vice verse. I do know that there is a reason for all things in life. I may not know the why or even the how. All I know is that it is a blessing on a daily basis.

      The miracle is the valley in the middle of the flat lands. It is a place the people here seem to respect. They haven't tried to make it into some sort of tourist attraction nor have they tried to make it into something else. It has been allowed to grow and flourish. What a beautiful thing that is to me.