Monday, December 5, 2016

A Little Miracle



A Small Miracle in the Canyon
By Walt Stone

I love to visit Third Dam in Logan Canyon.  I look at the shapes, colors, contrasts, reflections, trees, mountain tops, and stone outcroppings.  I love the bridge.  The bridge crosses the Logan River at the place where the Spring Hollow creek comes in from the south canyon. The river and the creek form a deep hole that fish love to congregate in, making it the perfect pool to look down into from the bridge. Fishermen love to fish from the bridge because you can see the fish below you. I get much joy from photographing and painting the bridge and the surrounding landscape.
     Last month, while Jean and I were visiting with Emily, Brock, and Dave in Logan, Dave and I decided to take a moment and go up to 3rd Dam to take a few pictures.  The canyon was beautiful and as we approached the dam I observed that the fall leaves were almost all fallen. But the river was running crisp and cold. The scenes around every turn were breathtaking.  When I spotted a good place to stop near the dam, Dave pulled the car over and  I hopped out and took pictures in a place near the little house by the actual dam.  It's the place where Tammi and Larry like to fish.  Then we continued up to the bridge at Spring Hollow and I got out of the car again while Dave drove over the bridge and turned around. I searched for a safe spot to get close to the river, being oh so careful since my injured Achilles
tendon had a long way to go to be fully healed and the surrounding muscles sufficiently strengthened. The scene was gorgeous and I found a familiar spot and started taking pictures with my phone. Even though it was November the temperature was warm and the path along the water was clear and dry.  While trying again to find just the right spot for the perfect picture, I took my eye off of the path for just an instant.  Stepping forward, I kicked a protruding root, catching my right toe underneath and breaking my stride.  As I stumbled forward, in that instant, I searched for the best place to fall, my balance completely gone.  In horror I realized the only place to fall forward was into the river!  Just as I (in that amazingly long instant) had given myself up for a good soaking, freezing splash, and a ruined phone, I felt a helping hand or force stop my momentum. I found myself able to place my right foot on the very edge and somehow lean to the left enough to allow my left foot to come down on the path and move me to safety.
After I got back into the car with Dave, I wondered how to understand what had just happened.  I mentioned to him that by some miracle I didn’t fall into the water! But it didn’t seem to adequately describe the feeling of Heavenly Father’s love that was filling my heart as we conversed on the road back to Logan.

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