There's a special place in my heart for one particular mountain on this earth. It symbolizes hope and love and an experience I had with my dad that I'll never forget.
Yesterday, I came across some pictures of my boys and me on that mountain this past summer. We didn't actually "climb" it, but we hiked some amazing trails. I took a moment to reflect, and I thought about how it felt to be there.
One of my favorite things about our English language is the way we can use the same words in multiple ways to drive different meanings.
The word mountain symbolizes much more than a majestic wonder of nature extending into the heavens.
There are so many "mountains" in our lives that we have to climb.
Mountains of snow to shovel and clear from our sidewalks
Mountains of laundry (I mean seriously, how is there always so much laundry!?)
Mountains of worry over whether we're getting things right
Mountains of paperwork and bills
Mountains of challenges that block our paths
Mountains of choices that shape our lives
We all climb these mountains in different ways.
Take the mountains of laundry for example. The soap we use, the way we sort it, the process to fold it all and put it away; those can vary dramatically from person to person.
We're achieving the same end goal, but each of us does it just a little bit differently.
Those who approach life with the perspective that it's beautiful that we climb our mountains differently have it figured out.
It shouldn't matter how we get there, the only thing that really matters is that we make it to the top.
Let's be grateful for the climb.
When we pass each other along the way, smile and build each other up, even if we disagree with the unique methods of getting there.
Keep climbing friends.
One step at a time
One decision at a time
One day at a time
We'll all get there, in our own ways, on our own timelines, in exactly the way the universe meant it to be for each of us.
And the view will be amazing!