No matter how many times I see this picture, I end up in the same place. Consumed with awe, absorbed in the beauty within the frame, full of wonder and gratitude. And thankful that my wife, Melanie, has always had such an eye for images that take your breath away.

Moments. Wordless and timeless.

Not sure if I can find a more poignant way to capture what matters most. Two young men, sons, pause within a challenging trek, one that transforms body and soul. Not a pause to refresh, for aches and fatigue give way in the presence of an expanse that challenges your point of view. History revealed in layers. Nature sculpting beauty from itself. Aging gracefully. The vastness and perspective She provides, so absent in the modern life of straight lines and right angles.

But it would be a mistake to say that in such beauty and awe, a sense of insignificance rises like steam from an explorer’s breath. And this may be the most significant malady of the present time. That nothing matters and we are insignificant, a blip in the infinite and expanding universe.

Not so.

We are within the infinite, and the infinite sparks within us. For the awe and beauty that wipes you clean of all but the flow of nature, reminds that we are most alive in beauty. We are home in its embrace. We are not a chance happening. We are in the story, within the layers, and the horizon begs us to remember. Remember where you truly came from. Awe, full and true, and breaking the boundaries of time and space.

One more moment and then off… The still and quiet sing the song of Nature’s whirling hum. The deafening silence broken by intent footfalls. Until you find the rhythm of inspiration once more.

photograph credit: Melanie Panepinto