Tired of climbing volcanoes for two days (Mount Hood and Mount St. Helen's), on Wednesday, I headed to Multnomah Falls in the Columbia River Gorge. What a gift this amazing place is! On my hike, I passed 10 named waterfalls and numerous anonymous falls. The photo of Multnomah Falls n the left is from the Multnomah Falls Lodge site (http://www.multnomahfallslodge.com/).
A waterfall is a remarkable phenomenon. It's a merging of power, beauty and sound. A waterfall engages all of the senses except smell (and I'm sure there are waterfalls that have an aroma-- I just didn't experience this).
Strangely, I find waterfalls are places of peace. Even though the roaring of the water is loud and rushing, even violent, there is a calming effect as I gaze on their awesome power.
Waterfalls are poignant reminders that what brings peace is not always peaceful, at least on the surface. There is the proverbial "calm in a storm" and the "eye of the hurricane." Any force of nature can inspire awe and a sense of inner peace. Perhaps, these forces of nature embody the truth that peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of the sacred. And what is sacred reveals itself just as much in the storm as in the still and calm.
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