In no particular order… stream of thought.
1. Yosemite Valley.
The “Most Beautiful Valley In The World” will take your breath away. Mammoth walls of granite tower you on both sides. Spectacular waterfalls will delight your eyes.
2. Yellowstone
Yellowstone’s thermal pools, geysers, and unusual scenery will blow you away, but the real magic of Yellowstone is the wildlife. Elk, buffalo, deer, bears. You’ll see them all up close. It’s a wild place.
3. The Grand Tetons
This mountain ridge dazzles the skyline. The view doesn’t get better than this.
4. Manhatten
“New York, New York, there’s no place that I’d rather be. Where else can you do a half a million things all in a quarter to three.” – Huey Lewis
5. Lightening bugs (a.k.a. fireflies)
They light up the cornfields in the midwest at summer. Even if you’re used to them, they always bring a smile. They light up and amaze the inner child.
6. Fresh snowfall on the limbs of the trees in a forest basking in moonlight.
7. A beautiful woman whose eyes reflect the adoration and joy of Christ.
8. A handsome man filled with the Love of the Spirit.
9. A bounding puppy playing with a balloon.
10. The Fantasmic show at Disneyland on a cool summer eve.
11. Disney’s Electric Light parade with generations of watchers sharing the collective joys of their childhood.
12. A “Heritage Flight” at an air show, where they pair a modern jet fighter with a spectacular relic of aviation past, the jet flying at its slowest possible speed to stay with the prop flying at its maximum speed.
13. The graduation of someone you love after years of dedicated effort.
14. The first child of a young couple and the wonder in their eyes.
15. A friend whose hurt has been healed rise from the ashes.
16. The face of someone who has encountered the real and living God for the first time.
17. A child laughing hysterically playing with a parent who has completely surrendered his or her decorum to be completely silly.
18. Strangers working together after a disaster, dropping all pretense and selfishness for the common good.
19. Watching someone pass up the chance to engage in corruption and upholding integrity.
20. A finished work skillfully done, with passion, and vision.
21. Seniors in a resthome petting a visiting dog, or talking to a visiting small child, filled with a momentary joy that surpasses their suffering.
22. Piles of toys delivered to needy children and the relief on their parent’s faces.
23. A stranger releasing a heavy burden, simply because you gave them 10 minutes and truly listened to them with a sympathetic ear.
24. Veteran old men playfully hazing a young buck as a sign of bonding and fellowship, recognizing the passion and naivete of youth, respecting the journey, and pushing him further.
25. The spirit of a youth reminding tired adults what passion is.
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