We are all given a view of a much
grander “mountain.”Because life is not always
lived from a
mountain top we must be
Motivated by Memories
through
the ordinary everyday portion
(“valleys”)
of our lives to the next mountain top.
The following is an essay I wrote
October 15, 1991,
about a mountain top memory which
motivates me today.
The “grander mountain” I wish
for you to view can be
seen from God’s two book’s, The Holy Bible and nature.
(see Psalm 121:1)
_________________________________________
Absorbed in the intensity of the labor and the amount of
energy it took to move one tired foot in front of the other, I trudged wearily
along the forest path. Earlier in the
day, having studied my map, I was motivated by the fact that we were headed for
a high-elevation alpine meadow. Now,
with the awareness of the responsibilities my wife Cindy and I had taken upon
ourselves this summer, to maintain several miles of winter-littered trails, I
hardly noticed the occasional alpine trees which were replacing the lofty
evergreens associated with lower elevations.
Then as
I began to notice fewer alpines and larger patches of grass, favorable
encounters with previous meadows came flashing through my mind. The higher we climbed, the less I noticed my
tired muscles. Even the pack horse
seemed to pick up her pace as she inhaled the fresh air. Cindy and I began to catch glimpses of the
wide open spaces in the meadow beyond the evergreen alpines. Then, like a sunrise on a spring morning, the
meadow opened up just before cresting the gentle curve of the ridge.
With new
spring in our steps, I noticed that every spire of springing grass blended into
one large carpet of green waves. The
delicately tinted flowers of purple, red, yellow, and white, nodding in their
perfection in the breeze, were adding perfume to the alpine-scented air. The warmth of the sun radiated down on us in
the thin mountain air. As we moved
along, small birds, startled by our intruding presence, fluttered away seeking
refuge farther down the thin path we were treading. Perched on a large granite rock, a marmot, as
if announcing our arrival to his meadow, pierced the silence with a high shrill
whistle. Fresh bear tracks on the trail
gave evidence of their recent presence.
Wondering
what more there was to see; we could hardly walk fast enough to satisfy our
curiosity. As we hiked along a rising
ridge, our pack horse, “Blaze” stopped suddenly in her tracks. Her ears erect and nostrils flared; we looked
with her down into a lower portion of the meadow to see a small herd of grazing
deer. Aware of our presence, a buck
stood tall and still as he stared in our direction. When satisfied that it was safe, our horse
responded to our coaxing and continued moving forward with us along the meadow
path.
Midway
through, we encountered a narrow stream that was fed by a clean, cold, gurgling
spring, which beckoned us to take a sip.
Thirsty, we lay belly down on the grassy bank. With head and shoulders above the water,
elbows in the air, and hands' palms down beside our shoulders, we extended our
necks to slurp the refreshing water through our puckered lips. Once our thirst was quenched, we arose to
continue our tireless hike.
While
moving along, our attention was drawn skyward as a raven crowed overhead. Instantly we noticed the deep blue sky was so
clear it made the snow-capped mountains in the distance appear much closer than
they were in actuality. Many forested
valleys filled the vast expanse between each mountain peak. My gaze was riveted across the valleys to
other mountain tops. Consumed by the
silence, I could almost hear the still small voice of God.
Then, as
if to remind us this wasn’t quite heaven, a buzzing deer-fly broke the silence
as he circled around our heads, looking for enough exposed skin to land on in
hopes of exchanging his stinging venom for our blood. Not willing to make the exchange on his
terms, I flailed and swatted with my hand, until I was successful, ending his
career, with a splat, on my left shoulder.
Our path
was now exiting one edge of the meadow.
Just like life itself, we must journey on, motivated to the next
mountain top by our memories.
