Heaven (Friday, July 25th 2003) I started my day today at 4:30 am. It was dark & cloudy.

There was thunder booming & lightning flashing in the sky. About 5 minutes down the road I hit the rain. My day had started so early because I had a service job 224 miles away & I had to be there no later than 10 am. I drove for about 15 minutes in the pitch-black rain then it cleared. As I drove through the desert I could see the silhouettes of the flat-topped desert hills all around me. I was just following the stripes in the road. There was no moon & it was very dark. I was heading east & off in the distance I could see a sparse light blue illumination in the sky. The sun was starting to come up. I drove on & watched what were the black silhouettes of the desert hills get painted with colors of tan, brown, purple & dark green by the rising sun. There was the smell of sage all around me. Now I could see the towering mesas that lined the road around me & the sky looked as if some one had painted it with a brush & water colors. Swaths of clouds stretched out from the horizon, pink orange & white on a canvas of blue. I continued to drive & as I left the desert & entered the continental divide the colors of tan, brown, purple & dark green that made up the landscape, gave way to mint green, pine & granite. There was no one on the road. I was alone there & the earth was alive. There were deer running across the road ahead of me. There were eagles soaring overhead. Ground squirrels frolicked back & forth on the side of the road. A black bear peaked out of the forest to see what was going on then turned & went back into the tall pine trees. A rabbit darted out in front of me to cross the road. I looked through a clearing in the trees & saw a huge valley dotted with 100 foot tall pine trees & through the morning haze I could see the mountains on the other side. I was at an elevation of about 8000 or 9000 feet. A strong emotional reaction came over me that almost brought me to tears. I cant explain it. I became all choked up as if I was going to cry. I saw the world slowly unfold in front of me in all of its glory & splendor. It was as though I was traveling on the road that runs along the border of heaven & earth & I was on the heavenly side. This must have been what

the first people who came here saw & fell in love with. This is the land that they learned to appreciate & respect, the land that sustained them for countless generations. This is such a beautiful place. This is where the creator intended me to be. I have come home. At long last I am finally home. Thank you God for bringing me to this place & giving me this morning & every morning to follow. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you. Gregory J. Schiller