Thanks to incredibly generous family/extended family, we are spending the week in Edwards, Colorado.  The drive coming never seems as long as the one going home.  Probably because at the drive’s end (when a car full of seven bodies gets smaller and smaller), mountains, fresh air, and spectacular views fill your sphere instead of air blasts of 100+ degree August heat.  Ohhhh … I hope this is a loooooooong week :)

Today, we ventured from our oasis of beauty, nestled at the base of Arrowhead. to Glenwood Springs.  Here’s a little blurb from their municipal directors:

Incorporated one hundred twenty-five years ago, on August 25, 1885, the City of Glenwood Springs sits at the confluence of the Roaring Fork and Colorado Rivers, 180 miles west of Denver.  Throughout our history and continuing today, Glenwood Springs is known for its medicinal hot sulfur springs, rich natural history and scenic beauty that draw tourists from around the world. 

We didn’t soak in the springs, although it was tempting.  We headed straight up the mountain for an afternoon of fun at Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park.

The gondola ride would have been enough for us.

Such a beautiful view from our seats perched above the Rockies.

Even with wires in the way.
 

Hey …. Who are those cute guys following us?

They only allow six in a car.

Is this some kind of indictment on large families?

I tried to not take it personally.

 


 

Super fun offerings in Glenwood Caverns.

The amazing cave (a HUGE hit with the guys),

super fun alpine coaster,

canyon swing, bungee trampoline,

panning for gold, rock wall climbing ….
 

All Jack wanted to do was roll quarters in this lovely little contraption.
 


 

“Where’s your wallet, Mommy? ….  Just one more quarter.”
 

Seriously, how can you deny the kid?!

I feel for the woman that lands this man.

We’re doing our best to make him completely rotten!

One of the other hot attractions in the make-shift western town is the crowd pleasing geode cutting station. A trough of rocks ranging in size from small ($5) to large ($15) beacons the attention of young patrons.  After selecting your dusty, brown, very plain stone, you head to a neighboring shack that houses a saw ready to cut the rock’s crusty exterior.


 

My older boys were pulled like magnets to the rock trough.  (Jack, still eagle eyeing the captivating coin thing.)  As they rummaged through the pile, I stood glued to the gal whose job was to cut the things.  Hands on each side of the specimen, she pushed and turned the rocks through the powerful blade.  It stressed me out… almost made me sick.  I just couldn’t get over the thoug
ht of what a careless mistake might mean for the sweet girl.  I could just see… in an effort to do her best and push a rock (some were super skinny) through the blade, her slipping and slicing through her finger instead of the stone.  As a mother, I wanted to step in and swoop her away from potential danger.

Since I’m such a constant embarrassment to our kids, I decided to do what I so often encourage them to do … I walked away. But before I did, I heard the gasps, plus several oooh’s and aaahh’s from  the spectators.  Our girl had managed to cut through the rock and reveal an interior not at all consistent with the crusty exterior.


 

Beautiful. Delicate. Intricate.

Looking on at my brood enjoying the show, I couldn’t help but take in the analogy staring me straight in the face. My crusty crew. How often do I focus on their rocky, dirty exterior – thinking that’s all there is? Have I lost sight of the magnificence inches below the surface?

Next, I’m taken aback by God, once again.  To think, for a moment, about all the wonders He has created for His eyes only.  Day after day I focus on life being about me.  This rock is but one small item testifying to the fact that creation is about and for Him. We accidentally stumble upon beauty that has existed since the world was created … and we marvel.


 

If it were up to me, I would have walked by that dingy old rock, not paid it a bit of attention.  I might have kicked it, or maybe even picked it up and hurled it at a tree.  Never giving a bit of thought to what might be hidden just beneath the surface.  …. Oh, this one has some major legs to travel on.  Do I even dare to take it beyond my kids and let the analogy travel to people I encounter in day to day life … trickling down to those super annoying passengers I encounter along the way?

I’m so thankful the God’s creative arm reaches across the universe, that His creation dazzles whether I see it or not … and that He looks on the inside instead of focusing on my crusty exterior.

Oh,yeah, I’m going there.  Lounging in all my glory…so glad God looks at the inside :)

But, isn’t Coin Boy cute??!!

Thanks for walking the road with me.

-Kay

Hey… for a peek at some beauty in creation we are just now encountering, head on over to NASA’s web site and take a peek at the pics Hubble is sending our way.  Hubble Images

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