The awesome power of the Rio Grande River with its ability to literally change the face of the earth is most apparent in the Big Bend area in the desert of west Texas. There, over time, the unstoppable river has carved canyons through solid granite nearly one thousand feet deep! There is no disputing the timeless force of the water as it relentlessly works to forever change its own destiny.

Now let’s go to Colorado, to the top of the mountains along the Continental Divide. Standing in a soggy, water drenched meadow, looking at the snow capped peaks as they melt and send the water trickling past our feet, it is hard to imagine that this is the beginning of the same mighty river that changes the desert to accommodate its flow.

Society is the same way. It is hard for us to realize that the actions we take as individuals will help to change the world in which we live in. But just as the tiny drops of melted snow gather together until they form a mighty river, our own actions join with all others to create our great society.

When the water making its way down the mountainside meets an obstacle, it collects and gathers strength until it overcomes the obstacle and continues on its way. The difference is that unlike the melting snow that cannot decide for itself the path it will take, we as people do decide what we do as individuals. When there is an obstacle in our society, our actions will build behind it until it is removed.

We should all be aware of our individual responsibilities to our society. Alone we may not change the course of the “mighty river”, but remember that together the canyons were carved through the mountains, one drop at a time!