Coming Down the Mountain

Have you ever wondered what it was like when John, James, Peter and Jesus came back down Mount Tabor?

They all hauled up there for some serious prayer and meditation time. God had an impressive plan- the Transfiguration!

But afterwards, what were things like?

Yesterday, the children and I went to a favorite nature preserve to hike and learn more about glaciers. As we explored the temperate, non-ice-age region, we sought out evidence of the last glacial retreat, 10,000 years ago. Big Sister in particular enjoyed finding what we believe must be 'erratics', large boulders that dropped out of the frozen debris of a retreating, melting glacier. She found many. Of course, boulders in Illinois are small and less impressive than those elsewhere, but we still like to count them.

Little Brother wanted to walk a special path he enjoys, and so we headed up a small hillpath in the light woods. As I climbed, I began to pray my rosary.

Now, I pray all twenty mysteries over the course of each week, and I pray them in chronological order so that I can always know where I am. As a stay at home-schoolin' mama, I pray when I can; five minutes here, while falling asleep for bed, during dishwashing... And I happened to know that when I last left off, I was on the Luminous mysteries, finishing up the last four Hail Marys on a decade.

As the light became more golden, and the blue sky exposed itself from the wooded valley to a more open blufftop, I finished the decade and announced the next mystery to myself. At the apex of the hill, in golden light, the Transfiguration imaged itself in my mind and my heart. Yes, this was the next decade. How beautiful to have climbed this steep hill- a smaller version of the climb of Mount Tabor- only to reach the top and witness in the best way I can the Transfiguration!

I prayed that decade while walking the ridgetop path, and halfway through, began the descent back down. I began to ponder what it was like for the diciples to have decended Mount Tabor after witnessing the Transfiguration and this became my meditation.

They must have been floating on air. I cannot imagine their descent was any sort of let down. James, John and Peter had to have been changed.

I cannot yet pour out my thoughts about this, so it will have to wait for another blog entry. But the golden-ness of the moment remains with me and I thank God for allowing me these thoughts and ponderances. We came out to appreciate God's creation in all its complexity, and returned feeling closer as a family and more relaxed.

Glacial erratic in northern Illinois