I grew up in the Midwest, the land of corn and wheat.  When we would take family vacations, driving across states to see extended family, all we would see for miles and miles were rows of corn.  Very few hills.  Very few lakes.  It's farm country.  Two years ago, when I studied in France, I saw mountains for the first time.  We were up in the Alps at a retreat, but it was rather foggy and we didn't see very much.  Occasionally, the clouds would clear and we could see a little bit, but not very far.

A few weeks ago, I went to Annecy and saw the Alps for the first time clearly.  I always thought that I liked mountains, but now I really know.  Over the past five days, I had the chance to spend time with some truly wonderful people up in the Swiss Alps.  Every morning, we were able to see a double sunrise.  Obviously, Switzerland is not on Tatooine, so what do I mean by a double sunrise?  We were somewhat in a valley, and so when the sun really did start to rise, we couldn't see the sun because the mountains were blocking it.  We saw the dark sky start to melt into the colors of daylight, and then during breakfast, the sun would begin to crest the mountains outside of our hotel a d the light shone into the valley.

Yesterday morning, when I came downstairs and looked out at the mountains, I saw an overcast sky, snow atop the mountain peaks, and clouds resting above the valley but below the distant mountain peaks.  How great an artist is the LORD!  I could try to replicate the streaks of snow over the dark blue face of the mountain, but it would most assuredly fail to capture the beauty.  The greatest artist, greatest photographer, the most talented replicator, none could truly capture what God has made.