Imagine discovering a virgin forest.  You walk amongst the giant trees admiring their stately magnificence, alone except for the chatter of the birds and the silent flittering of butterflies.  In the distance a troop of monkeys announces their presence as they feed and play high up in the tallest branches.

As you walk along you hear the unmistakable roar of an ocean.  Following your ears you emerge from the shade of the canopy into the brilliant sunshine of a spectacular beach stretching away as far as you can see.  You are the only one there.  You kick off your shoes and walk towards the water feeling the soft warm sand under your feet.  The water is refreshing and inviting, and the beautiful rolling waves make you wish you had your surf board with you.  Down the beach you notice a rock that seems to be moving.  Curious, you approach it and as you get closer you see that it is a turtle coming up the beach to lay her eggs.  You watch in silent reverence as she goes through her nesting ritual that has been unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.  A strong bond forms between you and the turtle, and you can’t help but escort her back to the water and wish her well as she disappears amongst the waves.

You start heading back, and climb a hill to get your bearings.  You are greeted by an amazing view of unspoiled beaches, lush forests and gently rolling hills, each one higher than the ones before it.  You pause to take a deep breath and try and absorb it all.  A real peace comes over you as you watch the sun sink slowly into the ocean lighting up the few clouds that it seems were placed there only to reflect every imaginable shade of orange, pink and yellow.  Just as you think it can’t get any prettier, the colors morph into magnificent deep oranges, reds and purples.  The sun’s rays reflect off the water making it look like shimmering molten gold.

Satisfied, you make your way back home through the gathering darkness.  You pour yourself a drink and head to the patio to enjoy the cool evening breeze.  There isn’t a light in sight.  You look up and realize that the astronomers are indeed correct.  There are billions and billions of stars up there, and it seems as if you can see them all!  The Milky Way is a clear band of stars so dense that they seem like a cloud, and you understand where its name came from.  You look for the familiar constellations and at first you have a difficult time distinguishing them – there are so many stars that they camouflage the ones you know best.

A deep peace falls over you.  You feel connected to all your experiences of the day – the forest, the beaches, the ocean, the turtle, the sunset and the stars.  You realize that God’s creation is the grandest, most elaborate, most colorful, most varied and most wonderful of all creations.  You breathe a contented sigh as you Become One.