Sunday turned out to be a holy day for Maria and I. We got up before sunrise and drove an hour north to Abiquiu and the White Place that Georgia O’Keefe loved so much and painted so beautifully. It was the most beautiful setting I have ever been in and we walked across some hills to the white sandstone cliffs she often painted.

We spent hours sitting and walking among the cliffs. It was so still, and so beautiful. There were some worn trails but no litter of any kind – it is not simple to get to and people treat it with reverence.

I cannot adequately describe the power and feeling of this space, it is truly sacred in every sense of the word. Maria felt it as or more deeply than I did, I think, she walked around the cliffs, touched them, we were both awed by this space.

The setting was astonishing, I could feel the power of it, and so well understand what drew O’Keefe to paint these amazing scenes, they stand out for miles against the darker mountains and hills. I was drawn to kneel in front of them, they were so beautiful, instead I sat down and prayed and meditated and listen to the silence.

This, undoubtedly, is why we came, and why we feel this particular geography and landscape so powerfully. I saw a video of O’Keefe speaking at the Georgia O’Keefe Museum in Santa Fe, and she said she came her because there was nothing else like it – the air is different, the wind is different, the sky and light is different.

We felt a deep connection to this place, and I think it will take some time and distance to fully understand it. It was a special and holy day for us. I know we will be coming back here, one way or the other, and I know we will bring some of this power and feeling home with us, and into our lives and our work.

The cliffs were speaking to me, and to Maria too, I could hear them and feel them.