Cardston Alberta Temple - Symbolism

Just inside the front door of the Cardston AlbertaTemple, is a stone relief, depicting Jesus and the Woman at the Well.  The life size carving spans the length of the room, and in the middle, from under the well, flows a small stream of water that drops into a fountain lined with colorful green and blue tiles.  As I gazed at the scene, on our recent visit, the meaning of their private exchange came to my mind, and lingered with me throughout my visit there.  The fact that the water was real, brought the scene to life.

Why are symbols so powerful?  Maybe because they touch a part of me that can't be described in words.  Even now, I am finding it difficult to express what passed through my mind in those few moments, at the edge of this beautiful pool.  And the lessons are profound and private, just like the original exchange between Christ and the woman. 

Rocky Mountains - View from Above

Glacier National Park, Montana

Bill riding Gondola, Banff

Banff, Alberta Canada

As impressive as Glacier National Park is, it is only an infant preview of an even grander view of the Rockies Mountains, found in Banff, Alberta, Canada.  There we traveled to the top of a mountain in a gondola, to witness the expansive view of seven different mountain ranges, with trees carpeting the valley floor.  It must have been where the word "Awesome!" was first uttered.

Lake Louise canoe ride

And to top off our experience, we traveled to Lake Louise, where Bill successfully convinced me to paddle into the lake with him, in a canoe.  Emerald green water below a snow white glacier is now a picture, forever, in my mind.

A delicious moment, was stopping back, at Glacier National Park, for a slice of  huckleberry pie with ice cream, on our return trip home.  Bill and I compared it with one of our favorite memories, eating a smoked salmon omelette, at a small street cafe in Paris, years ago!  Yum!

Huckleberry Pie and Ice Cream, Glacier National Park, Montana

Why is it so satisfying to see a place from high up?  I feel I cannot get my bearings until I have stood in a mountain above a city.  My internal compass is not content, and I am lost, until I can see with my eyes, or picture in my mind, the world around me.  Maybe this is the result of having grown up in the mountains.  Even when I lived in Bolivia, as a youth, I was in the top of the Andes Mountains, and could gaze in awe, at the miracles of God's creations.  Perhaps it is perspective I need.  I can see where I am in relationship to everything around me, and how amazingly beautiful it all is.  I feel humble among God's creations.