Chapel of the Holy Cross

Auntie and I at the Chapel of the Holy Cross - Sedona, AZ

I am on spring break this week. Auntie Rubina and I left yesterday morning and drove to Sedona. We made a stop in Flagstaff. Dear Flagstaff. It was crowded with people but it was comfortable and inviting. That town will always hold a piece of my heart. We had lunch then headed east to Sedona.

The drive through Oak Creek Canyon was beautiful. Patches of snow in the shade of the evergreens as sun danced through the branches. It's spring and the trees are ready and waiting for their leaves. There are resorts and lodges along the canyon road; one called Forest in the Trees was particularly captivating. Guests park their cars on one side of the road then walk across a beautiful wooden bridge to what looks to be a treehouse of sorts. It's wonderfully inviting.

We arrived at our destination and spoke with the concierge who recommended a list of things to do over the course of our stay. We had some time before sunset so we drove ten minutes to the Chapel of the Holy Cross.

This is a magical place. From the road I saw the Christian symbol of a cross jetting out of the rocks. The cross is a reminder of the crucifixion of the Savior and usually does not create peace for me and so I was not ready for the complete feeling of peace that cloaked by being as I entered the chapel. I collapsed onto the bench and gazed at the massive symbol before me. The candles, the glass, the view through the window. It was elegant in every way.

The plaque on the wall just outside the entrance to the chapel depicts the history of the chapel. The best part reads as follows -

"The accomplishment of this dream was made possible when sculptor and architects met on common ground. The sculptor then became the donor and passed on her vision to the architects who sublimated it in terms of transcendental form. It is now a Monolith with the Christian connotation of the one cross...organic to the structure. When we consider that just as the soul inhabits a human frame, and the house is built to shelter that frame, it is the mission of the church to shelter and inspire both soul and body. It therefore should not only be a monument to faith, but a spiritual fortress so charged with God, that it spurs man's spirit Godword!"

This morning I woke early and thanked my Father in Heaven for the beauty of the world around me. Now I sit by the window and watch the orange of the sunrise over the red rocks. Rejuvenation is my word for the day.