I go back and forth about whether or not I should even attempt to put into words the experience of Devils Tower and the beginning of this new year of my life. I know that I have already written about the evening we arrived at Devils Tower and how moving it was, but up to this point our time spent at Devils Tower has been the most memorable for me and I feel like there is so much to say. Some that read this may think that what I will say sounds a little “spooky” or silly, but… well go there and then see if you can still call me those things = )Sandy and I woke up and went to do the short hike around the tower. About a fourth of the way around I stopped because I wanted to pray and just sit with all of the energy that was ever present in that place. I set the camera down, took my hat off, and considered removing my boots. I was reminded of the bible story which told of Moses and of God in the burning bush,. God told Moses to remove his sandals because the ground he stood on was Holy Ground. I felt that the ground I stood on there was Holy Ground as well. I climbed out just a little past where I was supposed to, and sat on a large boulder at the base of the tower. There I prayed many things…I prayed for strength, wisdom, and courage to live each moment of the next year of my life with intent and mindfulness. I prayed that I would be open to all that God had in store for me. I prayed for constant awareness…awareness of the fact that I was created in the image of God and that I would not limit myself on what I was capable of. To realize that what I dream I can do and become. That my mind can take me past what this physical form tries to tell me I am restricted to. I prayed for my friend Michelle and her family, for in this day I shared the birthday of her sister that has passed on. I told Michelle that on that hike, when I sat to pray I would celebrate and honor the life of her sister, and I did just that. As I sat there with my prayers and my thoughts, I was filled with something so powerful…so deep, that the tears fell down my face. They fell from my face to that rock below me and I believe those tears are a part of me that will remain there, just as all those that came before me and will come after leave a piece of themselves. I stood up and walked towards where Sandy was patiently waiting for me…it was hard to speak and all I could say was “Imagine how big God would look to you if God were standing right in front of you”.
Again the Native American Indians believed the tower and the surrounding land was sacred. In a sense the tower was a type of church or sanctuary to them. We read that many Native American Indians felt such a strong spiritual connection to the tower, that when climbers began hammering metal spikes into it that they felt as if those spikes were being drilled into them. There is a court case right now between a couple of Native American Indian tribes and a group of climbers. The Native Americans are asking that the law restrict all climbing for the month of June so that they may perform their sacred rituals without interruption. The climbers are claiming that this would go against their constitutional rights…I will let you all make your own mind up about this. Sandy asked this question though, “what would we do if climbers wanted to start drilling spikes into the side of a spectacular Roman Catholic Church, or any other church?”
As we walked around I tried to just be as open as I possibly could to all that was surrounding me and drawing me in. At one point Sandy had stopped to read one of the park signs, and I just stood still and continued to SEE. At times it seemed like I could almost see the Native Americans walking through the woods around the tower, appreciating it and life in ways that are lost on most of us now. I saw this rock up ahead, just a bit off the path that seemed to be calling me to it. When I walked up on it I actually saw that from out of this small boulder was growing a Pine sapling. How was it possible? What determination to live, to grow, to be part of all that surrounded it. I thought about how much I take for granted, and how if I just opened my eyes I would see all the beauty and power that surrounds me, that makes my journey through this life so very worth REALLY LIVING!!!!
Ok, I will try to wrap this up…as we made it almost back to the beginning of the trail we stopped to look at the view of the black hills in the distance. Up until now, I had not felt the wind, as I had the night before. Earlier that morning my mom and I had been talking and she had told me to listen, because if I was feeling God that strong he probably had something to tell me. So as I stood there on the edge looking down with the tower behind me, and felt the wind hit my face, I heard God speak. In that wind I heard Him say “around the other side, when you prayed to me, you talked a lot and asked for much, but you did not stop to really listen” I AM LISTENING NOW!
Sandy and I then began our drive further down the road and stopped in a little town called Tensleeps. We had to knock on the door of the house near the campground. The old-timer answered the door in his cowboy hat and bed clothes. He threw on boots and a jacket and checked us in. So thankful for all of you and for this life!
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