The magic in places like Honahlee or Peter Pan’s Neverland exists only in imagination, in books or on screens, but I think there’s still real magic in the real world.
It is hard to put the Grand Canyon’s magic into words, and even pictures don’t do it justice.
I’ve been blessed enough to travel to a lot of wonderful places, but so far none have eclipsed the Grand Canyon.
It is massive, which is an understatement.
I think everyone should try to sit on a rock and look over the rim at the Colorado River at least once in their lives.
I think everyone deserves to see at least one sunset across the gorge.
It’s a great place to just sit and ponder your place in the universe for a while, but when I was there I also noticed another kind of magic in the air.
There were a lot of sounds I didn’t understand.
They happened to be other languages, and I heard a lot of them.
When I pried my eyes from the canyon long enough to notice the people around me, I noticed their expressions and inflections seemed to be as awed as mine.
The Grand Canyon is a sight to see, for sure, but it’s also great to hear others express their astonishment at one of the world’s natural wonders in their language.
I noticed the same thing last summer when I went to Washington D.C., and to a greater extent in New York City.
While my family browsed the Disney store, I stood on the sidewalk in Times Square and just looked around.
It wasn’t long before I heard the familiar sound of tourists from all over the globe.
Times Square was an experience all its own, and the diversity added to it.
I found something on which to prop myself up while I stared down the street, but soon my view was obscured by someone who began to talk to me.
She talked fast, her voice was shrill and I have no idea what she said.
I didn’t say anything so she walked closer.
We didn’t speak the same language so I just shrugged until she pointed to the place where my elbows rested.
I moved them, and she jumped on the bollard to get a better look at the street.
We didn’t speak the same language. We didn’t get to the city from the same place.
We had a host of other differences, but, for those few minutes on the sidewalk in Times Square, we enjoyed the Big Apple just the same.
I think something special happens when melting pots like the Grand Canyon, Washington D.C. and New York City boil down to the humanity in all of us.
I think it’s magic.
Casey's Column 
Casey:Well done! This post brings back many memories of my 23 years in the US Army and 21 years as missionaries. Over a good part of the US There was Germany, Japan, Iran, England, Vietnam( the beautiful Central Highlands) if you could ignore what was happening. Then Germany and most of Central Europe. So many magic moments. Thanks for reminding me. God bless.
Thank you! Y’all should write down all of your stories.
I agree! This reminds me of a convo we had the other day, which brought back memories of the Grand Canyon and all the parks I’ve been lucky enough to see…
They’re great.
Casey, many thanks for encouraging me to write down my stories.But writing is not my forte. I still cannot believe I made I’d through a doctoral program. Preaching and teaching is my element.Wind me up and I can go all day. I am afraid my freshman English professor was correct when he said “I see a world of experience and a willingness to share but your writing mechanics stink”. I try but it takes an effort. I identify with Dr. A.W. Tozer who wrote numerous books and edited a religious paper when he said “I struggle with every sentence, paragraph and word”. Amen! Thanks again.