I had the good fortune and opportunity to take my very first hot air balloon ride today.

It was one of the most beautiful and exhilarating experiences of my life. I’ve never known the world to be so quiet, so peaceful. We rose shortly before sunset and floated among the clouds for almost a full hour before landing, gently, in a giant mound of sand several miles down the road.

With our busy lives, we often forget about how resplendent the world around us can be.

Thousands of feet above the Earth, there is no judgment. No vanity. No hate.

Purity, beauty, and the brilliance of light piercing wispy clouds.

It was a soul-renewing experience.

Our pilot shared a blessing from Ireland moments before we lifted off and I wanted to share it here:

“May the wind welcome you with softness
May the sun bless you with warm hands
May you fly so high and so well
that God joins you in laughter
and may He sit you gently back again
Into the loving arms of Mother Earth.”