Finding Clarity in the Fog: A Soulful Morning at Pikes Peak

Big Water, Big Knowing: Connecting to All

Big water has always moved me. Since the first time I stood along the shores of Lake Michigan, I was hooked. I still remember that day vividly—the water stretching toward the sky, blurring the boundary between lake and horizon. The waves crashed in rhythmic pulses, like echoes of my own heartbeat. I felt it deep in my chest.

In that moment, everything felt connected—me, the water, the sky. There was no separation. We were one.

The Power of Unity: A Lifelong Knowing

The idea of unity has stayed with me my entire life. I haven't always understood it, but it’s been as constant as my faith. Just as surely as I believe in a higher power and a greater purpose, I know we are all one.

We are connected by the same life force—the same sacred energy that makes us both beautifully unique and deeply the same. I rarely have a name for it. It’s simply something I’ve always known.

As I stood at the overlook, that belief grew deeper. It transformed from a feeling into a knowing. We are all connected.

Awe from Above: Pikes Peak State Park Overlook

The first time we visited Pikes Peak overlook in Iowa, I was captivated. It only took one visit to fall in love.

Looking out across the mighty Mississippi River, it’s impossible not to feel something. The bluffs rise effortlessly above the water, and the man-made structure at the overlook feels rooted in the land itself—growing with the peak, not disrupting it.

As I stood there once again, gazing into the river’s vastness, I felt the same way I did at Lake Michigan:So small, and yet, somehow part of something immense. Alone, and yet completely whole.

Go With the Flow: Lessons in Healing and Trust

The more I’ve grown, the more I’ve come to understand this truth:We are one.

That morning, surrounded by the stillness of fog, life felt like it had come full circle.

The last few years brought grief, trauma, and challenges—events that could have broken me. But they didn’t. Something deeper kept calling me forward. A sense of purpose. A quiet strength.

It's been over three years since we lost Danny. The pain from that may never completely go away. But knowing that we are one has helped me stay connected to him.

It’s been over a year since my hospital stay. I’m no longer afraid of "breaking." I no longer search endlessly for clarity. I don’t need answers to questions that don’t matter. 

Some memories may never return—and that’s okay.  

We are one.

In our smallness and our greatness, we are one.

We can be a droplet or the whole ocean. A ripple or the rock that creates it. We can transform—like the fog that cloaked the river that morning.

Whatever form we take, we’re the same essence underneath.

Trust the Process: Clarity Always Returns

As I watched the fog slowly lift from the Mississippi, I was reminded:No matter how thick the uncertainty, clarity always finds its way.

The river was only hidden for a short time—covered by fog that will always be part of it. When it cleared, it became even more beautiful. Even more mesmerizing.

Just because we can’t see the path doesn’t mean it’s not there. Trust the process. The light always returns.

Why Pikes Peak Will Forever Be a Favorite Place

Pikes Peak State Park is now one of my favorite places—for what it showed me, and what it didn’t need to explain.

For the clarity it gave me.For the peace I found there.For the memories and moments etched into my soul.

Thank you, Mighty Mississippi.Thank you for helping me see what I needed to remember.Thank you for reminding me:We are one.