Sunday, June 7, 2015

US Center Chapel

At the exact geographic center of the 48 contiguous states sits a monument.  Now this monument is not all that special.  In fact, the memorial is rather forgettable.  The landscape is the same as the last one hundred miles and seems to repeat itself for hundreds more.  The only thing special around this park is its location.  And that itself is a bit questionable as being label “special”.  But as I was driving across Kansas, I made a point to stop literality in the middle of nowhere. 


As I stepped out of my truck, I was greeted by those famous strong westerly winds of Kansas.  While I explored the minute “park”, one child sized building caught my eye.  A little white chapel no bigger than an average backyard shed.  The chapel was flanked by a couple park benchs, two wind battered trees, and a lonely handrail. 


As I poked my head inside, I found a few empty chairs, an open bible on a pulpit, a guest registry, and a painted outline of the US with a wooden cross in the middle.  Seemed like a good photo, so I pulled my camera up to eye adjusted a few settings. Click. 


Now I would love to tell you that the bible was open to verse that inspired me but to be frank, I do not know if I even looked at it.  I cannot recall, but reflecting on the few photos I took on that late spring day something clicked.  If the middle of nowhere somebody built this little chapel, why you ask?  I cannot say for sure.  I would guess that the people or person who built the chapel wanted to share something they felt of importance to visitors.  What I saw was a metaphor.  In the mist of these long, lonely, windy plains is a place where some people find peace.  I think it is a reminder no matter where we find ourselves in life we can always find our own little chapel.  Inside that chapel sits a book on a pulpit and inside that book holds something we may need.  One just needs to read it to find out.