Switzerland Series: Part 1| God’s Grace

The older I get, the fewer memories I have! Not that I’ve been throwing them out like old, worn-out shoes. Rather, I seem to lose them as easily as Cinderella slips out of her glass slipper during the midnight hour. There are some memories, however, that I do hold on to. Some of the special ones, the magical ones, the ones filled with Grace. Of course, it helps that I’ve written them down!

Since I will be in Switzerland gathering new memories–and forgetting old :-), during the month of September, I would like to share with you a series of Swiss memories from a 2009 trip. Forgive me for those who have already read parts of this adventure. They are all memories of The Sweet Life, however, and since part of the trip took place in Locarno, the Italian part of Switzerland, they are memories of La Dolce Vita!

Enjoy:

Switzerland…

I warn you.  Switzerland is for lovers. 

If you want to be one, go. 

Go high up into the Swiss Alps.  Any alp will do. 

Just go high enough that it takes your breath away. 

High enough that passion explodes your heart. 

High enough that there is hardly any sky left at all.  But don’t stop there. 

Climb until you can’t climb anymore.  And even then, take one step more. 

Because then, and only then, will you be a pure lover. 

A lover of life. 

A lover of Grace.

As you read this, you might think that climbing a Swiss Alp takes your breath away because it is so steep.  You would be right.  Some parts are so steep you can reach out in front of you, and with a slight forward bend, touch the trail.  Other parts are only “I can’t believe I’m doing this” steep.  Of course, going down those trails is steep, too.  Almost vertical.

Because my face was usually so close to the slope, I spotted everything.  Every pink alpen rose, every iridescent midnight blue dragonfly, every garnet or crystal studded stone within peripheral vision of the trail.  Even a chocolate scented plant.  What a lark.  And so, because I was taking one baby step at a time, I stopped.  That’s when I looked around.  That’s when my passions exploded. 

Passion for my own senses. 

Passion for my beloved trail mates. 

Passion for the miracle of having a physical body. 

Passion for those unrestrained mountains, untamed even after centuries of human and animal habitation. 

Passion exploding for life itself and the freely given Grace of it all.

What passions do you have? What makes your heart explode with life itself and the freely given Grace of it all?

Please feel free to share, even though I may not be able to respond to your comments until I return home.

I also invite you to share on facebook by clicking the appropriate icon. If you are a subscriber, you may have to click on the title of the post to display the icons. Thank you for joining me in Switzerland. Maybe we’ll be there face-to-face, or hand-in-hand one day!