This photo was taken while hiking in the Wasatch Range just east of Salt Lake City. The view is of Antelope Island which sits in the Great Salt Lake. The Great Salt Lake is a remnant of Lake Bonneville which once covered over 22,000 square miles (about the size of Lake Michigan). There are three rivers that more than 1 million tons of minerals into the lake each year; water only leaves by evaporation. Consequently, the lake has a higher salinity than the ocean. It is tempting to think of the lake as unable to support life due to its high mineral concentration, but it contains brine shrimp and supports millions of various birds.

The lake’s size fluctuates substantially with variation in the rainfall. In 1963, it reached its lowest recorded size at 950 square miles, and in 1988 the surface area was at the historic high of 3,300 square miles.

I see so many parallels with our lives. We receive so much from others. What we take in is what we have to give out. We provide much more support to others than we could imagine. Our ups and downs are largely a result of our circumstances.