New Years Day 2009

What did you do your first day of 2009? I thought about options and decided to get out and enjoy the day. I went up to Raven Cliff Falls in Ceasar Head. The sun was bright the sky was blue the temperature was 32. What more could you ask for? Well I could name a few (a few degrees might have been nice) but I still totally loved it.

Can I share a few pictures of the day. The most fascinatingly beautiful thing was the ice along the trail as I headed in. There were fragile beautiful miniature ice stalagmites you might find in a cave found along the edge of the trail. The beauty alone was stunning, but it got my curiosity too. How did they form and why? And in the moment realized that this is an amazing world. At times God gives us beautiful fragile moments in time that we may miss if we don't pause to notice them. If I hadn't paused when I saw a flash of sunlight on the edge of the trail I may have missed them. I stopped to admire them closer and took a few pictures but couldn't truly capture the sparkle of light that danced off the ice as the sun hit it or the depth of the light refraction that came off the individual fragments. As I came back the trail they had dissolved into the dirt to become mud. And I smiled in the secret knowledge of having had a brief view of the beauty that has disappeared for the moment. It was a good reminder to take time this year to thank God for the brief moments of beauty He creates for us.



Later I made it to the observation deck for the falls. Again a moment of awe of the beauty of the sight. I followed a trail called "dismal" trail. Why its called that I'm not sure, but along the way was a area of boulders that gave another view of the falls. I stopped for a few more pictures and a few minutes in the sun. It was a beautiful day. I took a few minutes to think and read. Till the coldness started to seep in.

It was a nice day getting out alone to take time to enjoy life's little beautiful surprises along the way. That's what this life is about... enjoying each moment and day along our journey of life. One of my secrets of joy is to take a moment to totally enjoy the time and moments that make up the journey and change the focus from the end of the journey to the moments that make up the journey and how they can change our perspective and life. And to take time to give God the glory for those moements....

Here are a few pictures