Mountains to Climb

The air couldn’t have felt cleaner and clearer than it did the morning we climbed Badger Mt.  I had this crazy date idea a few days before to climb Badger Mt.  Our group of six, me and Chris, Harrison and Brittany, and Christian and Lauren, walked along Dallas road to the base of the trail.  I thought that the hike wouldn’t be too hard, maybe a few steep spots, but for the most part pretty easy.  (Shows how many times I’ve climbed Badger Mt.). I was certain that the view from the top would be absolutely amazing.  A few nights previous Chris and I had driven up another part of Badger Mt., and the Tri-Cities at night was a sight to behold.  I couldn’t wait to see it during the day.

The "kids" climbing Badger Mt.

As we started to climb my breath became shorter, and my heart rate sped up.  My muscles were aching by the time we reached the halfway point.  I knew I was out of shape, but I didn’t know I was that out of shape.  I soon realized there were several factors that I hadn’t calculated into the hike that contributed to my “out of shapeness.”  One was that Chris and I were talking a lot, which caused me to suck even more air than normal.  A second factor was that as we continued to climb so did the sun.  Sweat dripped from my forehead.  There were also times that a road would cut through the trial and we would have to ask Harrison which why we needed to go.

As I reflect back on our ascent I think of our lives.  How many times do we start a journey in life anticipating it to be only slightly challenging?  At the beginning we think we can see the path to the top clearly, but in reality the only one who can see it is our Heavenly Father.  Hardly known to us are all the obstacles that will befall us.  Heavenly Father prepares us though, and provides ways for us to overcome them so that we can reach the top.  The best and only way to reach the top safely is through our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Our journeys are easier when we follow the paths that the Lord has set forth for us.  They are clearly marked and easy to follow.  Sometimes while traveling up the switchbacks of life it’s tempting to cut corners.  But as Chris so wisely taught me when I suggested cutting corners up the mountain, it harms the wildlife.  The trails we walk on were made for a reason.  Cutting them ruins the trails and creates runoffs that slowly break down the trail.  Following the marked path may take a little extra time and effort, but in the end the wildlife isn’t hurt, and accidently stepping into an unseen rabbit hole results in no sprained ankles.

As we neared the top of Badger Mt. I turned around,

“Harrison,” I called, “Are we almost there?”

“Yeah, we’ve been at the top for a while,” he said.

“Oh.”

After wiping off the slight blush that brushed my cheeks, Chris and I found a spot where we could look down at the Tri-Cities.  The view was better than I had imagined.  We could see the Columbia River sparkling in the distance, the spread of green trees that marked Richland, the new communities in West Richland, and out in the distance the fields of wheat, corn, and alfalfa.  The view wouldn’t have been as beautiful if the journey hadn’t been so difficult.

This is also the case in our life’s journeys.  At the end of our own personal mountains we climb, whether they are mountains of physical pain, emotional trials, family problems, or sin, the view is amazing when we get past those obstacles and finally arrive at the top. 

Chris and I at the top of Badger Mt. with the Tri-Cities
stretched out behind us

Our journey’s through life reminds me of a song by Hilary Weeks,

I had it all mapped out in front of me

Just where I wanted to go

But life decided to change my place

And I found a mountain in the middle of my road

I knew there was no way to move it

So I searched for a way around

Broken hearted I started to climb it

And at the top I found

Every fear every doubt

All the pain I went through

Was the price that I paid to see this view,

And know that I’m here I would never trade

The grace that I feel

And the faith that I find

Through the bittersweet tears

And the sleepless nights

I used to pray He’d take it all away

But instead it became

A beautiful heartbreak

Climbing mountains is hard, but it’s necessary to make us stronger, and to better prepare us to meet our God at the end of our lives.

And just a pointer when climbing mountains (whether they be physical or spiritual) it’s better to climb with someone rather than alone.  ;)  If they’re cute it makes it a whole lot better.

Love is really spelled T-I-M-E

Several weeks ago finals had come to BYU-Idaho.  If you wanted to find me I was usually in library with a pink binder on one corner of my table, an open text book to the side of me, my computer in front of me, and papers littering almost every free space on the table.  Thus it wasn’t out of the ordinary to find me walking into the library at 5 pm to meet with a girl for an English project.  The girl was already there, and it looked like she had been there for a while. 

“Am I late?” I asked.  “We’re we supposed to meet at 5:30?”

“No, at 5, but that’s okay.”

“I am so sorry!  I was with one of my friends who I don’t get to see that often.”

“That’s fine.  It’s more important to spend time with people, than homework,” she said, “It’s those relationships that we get to bring with us to the next life.” 

I sat stunned.  Usually when someone is late for a group project people aren’t too happy.  But this time my partner taught me a truth that helped me make important decisions the week before finals—a week when most people are to be found buried under books and papers.    

About a week before my first test I received a Facebook message from my aunt who lives in Arizona,

“Hey Amanda, we are in town visiting my grandparents in I.F. We're heading to Rexburg to see my old stomping grounds. Call us if you have time for a visit.”

I called them about thirty minutes later.

These were some of my favorite cousins.  They had lived at our house for about a year total when they only had two little girls.  They now had five girls and a boy, and their oldest was now a Mia-Maid.  As I pushed my tests and papers  to the side I reflected on what my partner had told me.  Yes, tests needed to be studied for, papers had to be written, and even though I would bring with me whatever knowledge I attained in this life to the next, I knew that being with my family was perhaps the most important thing I could be doing.   We had a wonderful afternoon walking around the BYU-I campus, eating at Wingers, and finally walking around the Rexburg Temple grounds.  Even though it had been around three years since I had seen them, the four oldest girls didn’t hesitate in being my best friends for the afternoon.  Our relationship was strengthened that day, and was worth any paper or test. 

My cousins and I in front of the Rexburg Temple

Several days later I once again left behind my books and notes to spend my evening with some high school friends, one of which I hadn’t seen since before my mission.  When we arrived at her house my friend gave me a hug, “Amanda, it feels like we never said good-bye!” 

It did kind of feel like that—just like we were back in high school again, except for the fact that her two little girls needed constant attention, and my other friend announced that she was going to have a baby in a few months.  Instead of talking about the upcoming school dance, we talked about raising kids, instead of laughing over a prank we pulled, we laughed over the perpetual energy of my friends two-year old.  Instead of staying up until twelve talking about what it would be like going to college, we said good-bye at nine, having already been worn out because of college life. 

When I came home my books and notes were right where I had left them.  Those books and notes weren’t going to change, but mine and my friend’s lives were, and I didn’t want to miss it.

When I take my last breath I won’t regret not studying harder for a test if it came at the “price” of strengthening relationships with my family and friends. 

Barbra Bush said, “At the end of your life, you will never regret not having passed one more test, winning one more verdict, or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend, or a parent.”

Let’s remember that when a friend or family member calls on us for an afternoon together, or an hour to talk.  They are the most important things in this life.