Hot Springs Spring Eternal

One of my biggest problems is turning off my brain. No, really ... it's very difficult for me to turn off my brain ... to relax ... to rest ... to unwind. I'm constantly thinking or worrying or pondering or creating or wishing or a plethora of other "ings" as well. It doesn't matter where I am or what I'm doing or where I'm going, my brain never stops churning. Sometimes that's a good thing, I suppose, because it makes me write and write and write, but other times, it's a curse because it keeps me from sleeping and causes me to overthink everything. But ... since I arrived in Canada last Wednesday, something has happened to my nonstop brain ... I've been able to turn it off from time to time ... to not think about anything other than the moments I'm living in ... to soak in every precious second I have with Matt, Becca and Coraline. It's different this time ... I'm different this time ... they are different this time. I can't really put it into words, but it's almost as if there's some sort of unspoken understanding between us ... an all-new appreciation for the importance of our time together ... a deep-seated knowledge that this time is special.

I've been surrounded by the breathtaking beauty of the Canadian Rockies for the last couple of days ... trust me, words can't even begin to describe the magnificent grandeur of the mountains here in Canada. They are very different from the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, more rough and jagged, the type of mountains where it seems like people would go if they wanted to run away and never return. There's a peacefulness that comes with being in the mountains, a soothing, healing, quiet peacefulness that bids me to leave all my troubles behind and rest ... to turn off my brain, breathe in the cold mountain air and let my tired and weary heart find solace and peace in the rough and jagged mountains of Canada. I haven't had much of that for the last couple of years, peace, that is. Maybe that's part of why I felt so compelled to make this trip ... compelled to the point of getting on an airplane by myself and coming here. Perhaps I was meant to come here because this is where I will find some of the peace that has eluded me for so very, very long.

Over the last few days, I've done several things I've never done before, things I never would have imagined I would ever get the chance to do. I soaked in an outdoor hot springs pool on the side of a mountain in Canada with my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter, and yes, the steaming hot water and the minerals it contained did wonders for my crashing on the ice battle wounds. I saw the world-renowned Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel that has been host to countless dignitaries and celebrities for many years. I rode in a gondola with my very excited granddaughter to the top of one mountain and then climbed a wooden staircase to the top of another to take in a view like nothing I've ever seen. I saw sculptors creating ice statues, and I walked into a cave and across a frozen river. And in a few short days, I will see the wonder of Christmas morning through the beautiful blue eyes of my only granddaughter.

Matt is a brilliant young man, so I wasn't surprised when he filled me in on all the history of the places we have visited. In fact, I couldn't help but smile as he was especially excited to tell me about the natural hot springs ... his favorite activity by a landslide thus far. As we soaked in the water, I was struck by that history ... the history of the hot springs ... I was struck by the fact that the discovery of the springs was the reason the town of Banff was established. I think there's a lesson in the hot springs for me ... a lesson about not losing hope or giving up ... about stepping far outside my comfort zone ... about taking the time I need to heal and grow and learn and become the person God created me to be. 

Hot springs spring eternal, friends ... maybe we all need to soak in them a while.