While hiking the North Ridge Trail on Cadillac Mountain at Acadia National Park, my daughter and I paused on a rock mound, breathing in the chill wind and the vibrant red, yellow, and green hues of Autumn. As we sat, Sheila commented on the solid, secure sensation emanating upward from the mountain depths. Peace flooded through me, and now I am reminded of the solid ground on which my faith was built. 

That one is like a man building a house, who dug deeply and laid the foundation on rock; when a flood arose, the river burst against that house but could not shake it, because it had been well built. Luke 6:48

“Mama, close your eyes and listen.” Sheila quietly instructed. When you are on the mountain, the wind moving through the trees sounds like the ocean waves rushing to shore. Except for the cold, with eyes closed, you could very well be at the beach where endless shells break under crushing surf.  But the mountain rock is immovable, its pink and gray and green granite boulders stand firm after countless millennia of glacial pounding. Solid as it is, the mountain harbors millions of shattered rocks along the trail, broken pieces huddled together beneath the massive outcrop where we sat.

I thought about a poem I wrote (see “Broken Shells” August 10, 2025 blog post https://www.catholicwritersguild.org/2025/08/broken-shells/) and the similarity of those shells and shattered rocks – so many pieces, each unique and beautiful despite their brokenness. Each forms a part of the whole. Each can fulfill its purpose on the canvas when there is a foundation in the Lord.  Whether at a beach or atop a mountain, whether we hear waves or wind, He is our solid ground.

“The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18

That day on the trail, I was overcome with the beauty of God’s creation and thankful for His love and care for us. The picture I took (above) is only a small glimpse of what I experienced, and my heart sings with the praise of Psalm 104:1-5:

“Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken.”

 

© Copyright 2025 by Paula Veloso Babadi

Feature Photo North Ridge Trail, Cadillac Mountain, Acadia Nati onal Park by Paula Veloso Babadi, used with permission.

Scripture texts in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved.