Life
Experiences of Bill McDonald
From the Book
"A Spiritual Warrior's Journey"
The End of the Rainbow
We had been married
almost 30 years when my wife and I decided to take a trip to Washington and
Oregon in the early autumn. We packed my pickup truck with clothing and items
for the trip; of course, my wife always ensures that we have plenty of snacks
and drinks along the way. We took in some wonderfully beautiful sights on this
trip along the Columbia River Gorge. We spent a couple of days exploring
waterfalls and hiking in the rain forests. I believe that there are few places
on earth that can surpass this area for its pure breathtaking beauty.
We headed north, driving along a road that took us toward Mount St.
Helens National Volcanic Monument. It was rainy outside as we wound through a
landscape of both destruction and regeneration. It reminded me of nature's own
life and death mosaic, representing the struggle for all life.
It was all so symbolic, as I had just spent five months off work fighting
to recover and heal from my skin cancer. I was taking this trip partly to help
regenerate the inner joy I have always felt for life.
As we were driving up one hill, we looked out our car window and saw
a bright, deeply-hued rainbow that stretched across the entire horizon as far as
we could dream. I thought that this was a very special mystical vision of color
and hope. I felt differently about this rainbow than any I had ever seen.
I thought about how destructive the skin cancer had been to my face
and how I must have looked to others. I could hardly bear to look in the mirror
because my face had become so disfigured by my battles with this disease. My
face was much like Mount St. Helens, having been almost destroyed, but now it
was in that regenerative state where I was getting new skin and overall renewed
health.
I was looking at the rainbow, the promise of hope and second
chances, when the strangest thing happened. As my wife and I were watching the
rainbow, we reached the peak of the hill and saw the actual end of the rainbow
hitting the road just ahead of the truck. Of course, that was not possible, so I
expected to see the rainbow image keep moving out in front of our view. Now,
here is where it got strange; we actually drove right past and under the
rainbow. It was suddenly directly behind us. We had actually seen what we knew
to be the very beginning of the rainbow hitting the ground; then, somehow we had
magically driven directly under it.
I have never known anyone who has found the actual end of any
rainbow. In fact, I always thought it was impossible to find let alone go under,
but on this rainy day on the road to Mount St. Helens Volcano, we both
experienced a very special moment. It was then that I knew real healing was
taking place within me. I felt renewed with joy and peace about my own life once
again. I knew that rainbow was both a sign and a gift to my very own spirit.
#
Copyright 1998 - W. H. McDonald Jr.
