Ron Tecson Post #4 "A one time deal" 4/19

In Lane's book "Landscapes of the Sacred," Lane stated in Chapter 8 that " The sacredness of a place may be highly ephemeral, subjective, and hard to define. A special experience that one has at a lace perceived to be sacred usually proves to be unrepeatable." I remember going back to Shenandoah Valley a couple of years after my first hike, hoping to experience the feeling of being really close to God. I went back to that same spot, the highest point in the AT in Shenandoah valley where I had a religious experience but to my dissapointment, I did not feel the presence of God like I did before. What went wrong? Everything is still the same....the beauty of Shenandoah Valley is still there, I was standing at the same spot where I stood before and yet it felt like its not the same. Perhaps I expected to have the same experience, I wish I knew back then the first axiom of a sacred place that states "Sacred place is not chosen, it chooses." I could have just enjoyed the hike and cherish the beautiful scenery that Shenandoah Valley has to offer instead of worrying when will I experience again to be closer to God. I should work on my relationship with God, maybe the event in Shenandoah Valley was his way for me to preview what it will be like to be really close to God.