June journey

Just some insights gathered on the second day of the Hobble Creek Youth Conference 2009. We drove up to Sundance Ski Resort and rode the chair lift to the top of the mountain. The day was cool and overcast but the view from the lift was beautiful! Everything green, everywhere you looked. There wasn’t an ugly spot anywhere on this vast mountain and I was looking forward to riding the tram down the mountain as well, not just because hiking down wasn’t all that appealing to this 56 year old Mia Maid Advisor but because I wanted to see the other side of the valley without twisting and turning in the chair (vertigo!). We were put into two large groups to play unity-building games, work on a craft, etc. After our second rotation, rain began to fall. Many took cover under trees; the group who had “first” lunch huddled over their plates and a few from our ward found me and shared my umbrella. My first thought (after the rain lingered longed than we thought was necessary), was to suggest that “we should pray so the rain will go away.” But before I could say anything, a second thought came to me: “No, there is a reason for the rain.” Well, it stopped for a spell; long enough for the rest of us to eat lunch and gather to our next rotations. And then the rain started again. Then lightning and thunder (VERY close on its heels) put an end to the activities and we were told to walk down the mountain. When there is lightning in the area, the chair lifts are shut down, for obvious reasons, so we really had no other choice. One girl in our group was very unhappy about this change of plans and let her feeling be known to all around. I decided that it was my responsibility to encourage her so for every complaint she made, I pointed out the positives…”Think of it as an adventure!” It worked! Even on me! Remember, I had planned on using “leader privileges” to ride down myself. Oh what a tender mercy it was to have the opportunity to journey down the side of the mountain and feel and experience the things that I did! It rained for quiet a bit even as we were going down and the path was wet and slippery and in some places quiet treacherous! There were tree roots to trip us up, rocks in the way and low hanging branches to whip us in the face. There were also small trees, placed just so, to hold on to and “heroes and angels” to help us across the many rain-swollen creeks. Many almost fell, some did trip and a few fell big time! But we all got up and continued onward. We came at last to the paved road serving the residences of the canyon so we had an easier time of it. Too easy it seemed! We either weren’t paying attention or just ignored the marker pointing the way but as a voice from above called to us we realized that we had to go back the way we came to find the right path. A few who weren’t very excited about retracing their steps, took a “short-cut” to the right path by climbing almost vertical up the side of the hill, holding on to tree roots to prevent them from siding downward. But we all made it quickly and safely “home” at the base of the mountain. I thought about that experience all the next morning before Fast and Testimony Meeting and decided to share it in Church. During the Sacrament, I had another thought come to me, “Go ahead and share it, but the experience was for you.” So gratefully (and tearfully) I did. This life is a journey, with many obstacles and unplanned-for events as we make our way to our final destination. When we fall, we just have to pick ourselves up and continue on our way. There will be heroes and angels and tender mercies to help us and we are never alone. When we lose our way, we back up and start again. There are no “short-cuts” to repentance, it only makes it harder. We do our best and keep going, having faith that we will make it to our journey’s end. These principles are basic and simple and I’ve known them for many years but I needed to be reminded of them once more…and I was, on the side of a beautiful mountain.