This week, there isn’t a story, at least, not one written in words.
My family and I are on vacation, and yesterday we hiked high on Mount Rainier, where snow still lingers in August and the sky feels impossibly close.
Up there, I planted my walking stick into the glacier.
It’s carved with the face of Santa, but to me it’s more than that. It’s a reminder that wonder isn’t tied to a season. Sometimes it waits for us in the unexpected, in the crunch of ancient ice under our feet, in the way clouds crown a mountain, and in the laughter of family catching their breath together on the climb.
For now, I’ll leave you with this image from the glaciers of Mount Rainier that have been here for centuries, reaching up toward a sky that has seen it all.
And if you’re looking for a story while I’m away, the second preview of Midwinter’s Eve is waiting, with the first full chapter dropping September 7th!
Just a few days into this trip to the Pacific Northwest has already rejuvenated me and reminded me that magic doesn’t always arrive wrapped in ribbon. Sometimes, it leans quietly on a mountain, reminding us that we are travelers passing through… and that the journey itself is wonder enough.