More grand than the Grand Canyon.

Maybe the Grand Canyon was too majestic. Too overwhelming. For me to fully appreciate. Don't quite know yet. I need time for it all to percolate. Thought maybe that I was on the planet Mars. Where, I'm told, there's terrain similar to the Grand Canyon. But even more massive. More spectacular. And devoid of life. But still, it would be nice to experience. The quiet. The solitude. The tranquility. Yet, a cathedral effect. A masterpiece from the grand creator. When approaching the South Rim for the first time, so easy imagining my presence on Mars. An out-of-body experience. And I was drawn to the gnarled, skeletal silhouetted structure of a dead tree. That caught my fancy. My Italian true love, meanwhile,  was being captivated by the canyon itself. And I diverted to the wonder of a tree.  That's where I focused my attention. On my preferred kind of beauty. Far from majestic. But oh, so gorgeously compelling. A speck in contrast to the canyon. In fact, my true love is more compelling than the canyon. Because she reflects my concept of true beauty. She's alive. And with me. I'm aware.  Conscious. In love. Not only with her. But with extraordinary life. The ability to  communicate. With another being. Using the blessed gift of language. To create a loving relationship even more grand and meaningful than the Grand Canyon. --Jim Broede