September 11, 2026
Yellowstone National Park
Today is a solemn day. I remember vividly that I was starting my first day of work at a new church 25 years ago. Before turning into the parking lot I heard on the news that a plane had flown into the World Trade Center. My first thoughts that some pilot of a small plane had a heart attack or something and it was an accident. Then the announcer said a second plane had crash into the building. I knew instantly this was not a mistake, but I didn’t know exactly what it was. No work was getting done that day so I returned home. Soon my girls were home, the school having sent all the kids home early. I couldn’t reach Glen at work at the Air Force base, all the lines were busy and we didn’t have cell phones. We were simply glued to the tv. Then I remember Glen coming home around 3pm. Our oldest ran to him sobbing in his arms because she feared an attack at the base.
Everything changed that day. Gone are the days when loved ones could see you to your gate at the airport. I remember when Glen and I were dating. He came home from Albuquerque and a group of us brought musical instruments to the gate and when Glen exited the plane we started playing This Land is Your Land (it was the only song everyone knew). I was crying and hugging Glen while other passengers who wondered what was happening, started cheering.
Yes, everything changed.
Not Yellowstone.
The park is huge. And I am so small. I can imagine for some it might be scary to be so engulfed by all this grandeur. Or one can sense that one’s place in the world is minuscule and fleeting. I choose to see myself as God’s guest in this world God created and I look for God in all.
When I receive communion, I approach with my hands cupped. My hands are so small to receive the Grace embedded in the bread and wine.
Yes, the world has changed and God has not. God’s Grace is a gift for all.
Not a geyser, it’s more of a steam vent. The colors are so rich and vibrant.
