A Sense Of Being Home

The summer of 2007 my husband, two teenage boys and I took a trip to Northern California to spend time with my family. I grew up in Redding, at the very tip of the valley and surrounded on three sides by beautiful mountain ranges. There is something about the Cascades and Sierras that creates a deep peace in my soul. As a little girl, we camped a lot on the Northern California rocky coastline. (We never refer to the coast as "the shore" - that must be an East Coast term for the east coast, er -shore.)

On our trip, after spending several days in Redding, I decided to take my boys and husband over the Cascade range via the crazy curvy highway 299 West. My husband has never experienced the breathtaking coast of NorCal, so I was particularly excited. As we crested the last mountain top, off in the far distance was the ocean - sky meeting sea - a seamless transition. My heart skipped a beat, just as it did when we traveled that same unchanged two lane road as a child. "We're almost there!" Dropping down in elevation, ours ears popped and ached, the tall pine trees greeted us once again to their lovely home. The air was filled with a mountain fresh scent and moisture from the sea. Mountains AND the ocean, together in a single glance - I was home.

The beauty was overwhelming. It all looked the same as it did when my eyes last saw the landscape - simple, grand, pure. We turned north off of highway 299 and began our journey up the coastline on highway 101. In many places this highway winds right next to the waterline then suddenly climbs great elevation up the side of a coastal bluff. Your eyes are drawn towards the body of water dotted by gigantic black rocks shooting up from underneath. Taking in the surrounding beauty, I felt deep emotion rise and tears began to fall from my eyes. It was a strange thing, but instead of fighting it, I just let the tears come. I sensed that God wanted me to really feel the moment, interact with past memories, the stunning landscape full of ancient Redwoods, and the familiar salty air on my skin.


I recently read an excerpt from one of my favorite books by John O'Donohue, "Beauty: The Invisible Embrace." In chapter two, Where Does Beauty Dwell, he asks a profound question: "Concealed beneath familiarity and silence, the earth holds back and it never occurs to us to wonder how the earth sees us. Is it not possible that a place could have huge affection for those who dwell there? Perhaps your place loves having you there. It misses you when you are away and in its secret way rejoices when you return."


As I read John's words, the memory of my time at the coast in 2007 came to mind. The emotion that bubbled up and made itself visible through my tears - could it be a sense of coming home to a land that remembers me? My special connection with that particular piece of God's beautiful earth, my awareness of His presence through the gift of beauty for my eyes to witness.

Yes, its a bit strange to think that the earth, a landscape, could miss me when I'm not there and rejoice when I return. But God created the earth and everything on it, the landscape and me. Both are created from the love of God, His careful design, and swift intention. It causes me to wonder...

I believe these moments are gifts from the Creator of all things beautiful. I long to be fully present in those moments and want to listen for His voice as He speaks to my heart through the beauty.

grace & peace on the journey ~ deAnn

(c) 2009 deAnn Roe of Vertical Creativity on all original works. Can be used with permission by contacting deAnn.