--
"Splendor and majesty are before him;
strength and joy are in his dwelling place.
Ascribe to the LORD, all you families of nations,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him.
Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness."
I still remember the names of mountains I only saw as a little girl. Not only do I enjoy knowing what the mountains are called, but the stories of how they came to wear the names they do, whether named for a person or for something about the appearance or history of the mountain. For example, the striking home of
Angel Glacier (and poetically named)
Mount Edith Cavell, was named for a WWI nurse known for giving medical care to all, regardless of which army they served and who was executed by the Germans for helping over 200 Allied soldiers to escape. The stunning and distinctive
Mount Rundle was named after a well-respected English missionary named Robert Rundle who spent years ministering to the people, both First Nations people and settlers in Western Canada. Some of the most photographed mountains in Colorado, the
Maroon Bells, were named for the reddish hue of the rugged rocks that form them.
Since I have returned from my trip to BC I have been poring over national and provincial park maps and Google Earth, sorting through mountain ranges with names like the Monashees, the Selkirks, the Canadian Rockies, the Purcells and the Kootenays, to find the names of some of the majestic peaks that will now live in my memory forever since meeting them up close for the first time, or getting reacquainted after long separation. Let me introduce you to a few of them:
 |
Standing sentry over the town of Revelstoke in triune glory is Mount Begbie,
named for Sir Matthew Baillie Begbie, who was the first Chief Justice of British Columbia. |
 |
| Keeping watch over the other side of Revelstoke stands Mount Mackenzie, glowing softly under an autumn moonrise. This peak takes its name from The Right Honourable Sir Alexander Mackenzie, who was the second Prime Minister of Canada. |
 |
| This is Mount Sir Donald, and I can't for the life of me imagine why it isn't as famous as the Matterhorn! It's name comes from Sir Donald Smith who was instrumental in the building of the Canadian Pacific Railroad that crosses these mountains in an incredible feat of engineering. Sir Donald had the honor of driving the last spike to complete its construction on November 7, 1885. |
No matter what their names are, they were all signed first and forever by the Artist who formed them. They wear His majesty, His telltale splendor, and His flare for the breathtaking. They proclaim His Name on the heights of a land of impossibly high places, a place once described as "50 Switzerlands" for the sheer size and numbers of towering peaks spread farther than you could see, even from the top of the highest ones! He who is big enough and powerful enough to craft these glorious giants in the palm of His hand, plainly speaks to all with ears to hear, and out there it's quiet enough to hear Him.
He paints in the countless shades of blue and green . . .
He speaks in the contrast of the magnitudinous and the miniature . . .
He sings in the splash and tumble of the waterfall . . .
He plays in the high alpine meadows fragrant with wildflowers . . .
He loves in the heavenly aroma of pine that fills your lungs
as if you're breathing for the first time . . .
He etches His wonderful, matchless Name in every crag and crevasse, every peak and valley and every glistening glacier . . .
I will go back to these mountains again and again in my memory and hopefully again in person someday, but it is because of how close I feel to Him there that I am a mountain girl forever and always. His is the Name I can never forget!
Where do you find His name written for you to find?
___________________________________
Joining Ann Voskamp in counting His graces for her Multitudes on Mondays
I hope you'll join in if you haven't already!
In the counting of the endless gifts I say with C. S. Lewis,
#791-805
791. New Joel Rosenberg book to read!
792. Flexibility
793. Photoshop CS5--my digital darkroom and artistic playground
794. See You at the Pole and She So Sweet's excitement over the opportunity to be a leader!
795. Word of the safe and healthy arrival of my new nephew, Cooper Keith Allen!!
796. Street Pitas at Daphne's on Wednesdays--it's become a tradition!
797. Fresh Alaska salmon and corn on the cob for dinner
798. Diminishing pounds
799. Homemade dark chocolate orange mocha
800. Clouds
801. Chili & cornbread
802. Job opportunities for Drummer Boy and She So Sweet
803. It's official--I am a college student!
804. Finding one lost thing while looking for another lost thing
805. Sunday morning breakfast, the four of us, together
Joining Michelle DeRusha for:
Joining L.L. Barkat for:
Joining Laura Boggess for:
and joining Jen and her Sisterhood:
A heartfelt thank you to these generous bloggers
who make these communities available!
