By Kiera Rich – KRich13@bellsouth.net
Last week Jeff and I drove to Chattanooga, TN to spend the night. Before you decide that we’ve fallen off our proverbial rockers, let me tell you why.
Some dear, dear friends of mine from Nebraska were going to be spending a week in Nashville while their son attended Camp Electric. Because Chattanooga is sort of in the middle between Nashville and Atlanta, we decided to meet there.
Although I saw these friends in March and we email and phone somewhat regularly, the opportunity to meet them and talk in person and hug and laugh together still made me feel like a little kid on Christmas morning. I was SO excited!
I was excited to spend time with them and catch up on their lives. I was excited to reminisce and laugh about the same old stories and hear the new stories. I was excited for Jeff to have the opportunity to get to know them without a thousand other distractions.
And, as a unforseen bonus, I felt profound, renewed excitement about Jeff as my husband. He proved to me again how much he loves me by taking two days off from work so he could go to Chattanooga with me. Although these are technically my friends, Jeff embraced the trip as something we would do together because it was important to me. My dad was right, Jeff is most definitely a “keeper”.
Our trip was wonderful! We played tourist and rode the incline train to the top of Lookout Mountain. We shared meals and laughter. And for 24 hours, things were just as they had always been — except that we were in Tennessee rather than Nebraska and I was married and my friend’s daughter had just finished up an internship and their son now had his learner’s permit and…well you get the idea. Like it or not, time marches on and yet, these three remain…faith, hope and love. Lots and lots of love.
During our last few hours together, we again played the part of the tourists, as we visited Ruby Falls. Ruby Falls is a cave with a twist. Deep within the winding, damp caverns of Lookout Mountain, there is a dome with a 145 foot natural waterfall. According to their website, the Ruby Falls cave and waterfall is approximately 30 million years old.
I have never been in a cave before and yet there I was, with at least 45 other tourists, viewing the stalactites and stalagmites and learning that people who study caves are called “Speleologists”. People who just explore caves are the “Spelunkers”.
There really aren’t words to explain the beauty I saw that day. Formation after formation appeared as our tour wound deeper into the underworld of Lookout Mountain. These formations have been there for millions…MILLIONS of years. I was amazed. Speechless. And awed.
After nearly 40 minutes of following the trails in the cave, we came to the dome. Before we entered, I could hear the rushing water and feel the dampness. Once inside the dome, we saw the waterfall, in all its glory. It was so far beyond beautiful.
As I stood there, with the spray hitting my face, I had tears in my eyes. How could any human being look upon the amazing beauty of that waterfall within a sparkling, bejeweled cavern and not believe in God?
Later, as I said good-bye to my friends, I wondered the same thing. How can anyone look upon the beauty of a deep, enduring friendship and not believe in God?
I don’t know the answer to either of those questions; but I am incredibly thankful for all that God has made.
