Mountain-top experience

I was absorbed in my reading of Luke this morning, specifically in the passage known as the Annunciation, when I paused, blinked twice and thought, “That’s it. I need to go to Mary’s Peak today.”

Normally the road to the top is closed by Thanksgiving, but the weather has been so mild and dry that the Forest Service has kept the gates open. Or Gabriel himself came down and popped some locks for me. Never underestimate an angel.

It was a day of rare beauty. Before leaving home, I was advised by phone that with my PET scan scheduled for tomorrow that I should eat a low-carb diet today and “rest and relax.” So, of course, once I got to the end of the Mary’s Peak road, I left the parking lot behind and wandered around the old-growth forest of Nobel fir and hiked to the summit. I’ve been there at least a dozen times before, and I’ve never seen the skies so clear. The snowcapped Cascade peaks were all lined up from Rainier south to Diamond Peak, but even more impressive was the view of the Pacific—about 40 miles to the west. It was clear enough to see the surf off Newport.

Abby was with me, as usual. She couldn’t have been happier if she’d had two tails to wag.

As I hunkered down out of the wind next to the cement building on top, looking across a corrugation of blue-ridged mountains, I asked God, “Is there anything I’m meant to hear from you today, or to understand.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, the words that came to mind were, “Yes, there is. You are mine, and you are well loved. Enjoy this day and the creative work of my hand.”

I did more than enjoy. My soul feasted. He filled up my senses.