Image credits to: Catherine Kay Greenup @springwellion

Life involves a series of challenges and choices, victories and let downs. It seems that I consistently forget this. Over and over again…

I once thought that the answer to victory was becoming an adult and successfully ascending the mountain of each goal or requirement put before me. Many times, I have reached the peak only to find an opportunity for an abrupt slide down the other side as my eyes have taken in and surmised what seemed to be another insurmountable summit to reach on the other side. 

 There are pivotal moments in everyone's life where the bottom seems to fall out on what we thought would hold our weight, our lives, our dreams, our plans...As we face off with each unplanned demand in life and win each match, we treasure the normal, the comfortable.  At last we think, all has stabilized, we catch our breath and breathe a breath of relief trusting all that is right in our world will now remain the same.  Now it's safe to move forward, we tell ourselves.

 We embrace the tangible in our lives, those things we believe we can count on as a good foundation to resume building upon.  The sameness of those things we can reach out and touch make us feel protected. Ah, at last I am control again.  We forge ahead with our vision, mission and plan believing that in this protected place we can conquer the next step in our plan. Sometimes before we can move on to that next thing, the box we desire to check eludes us.

God's divine providence and the place where I am planted today, seem to be the only constants that I can truly trust. I find peace as I remind myself of Psalm 23:

 I continue to remind myself of God's provision by reading the words in the book of Matthew where Jesus speaks of God feeding the birds of the air and clothing the lilies of the field in splendor. I need not worry about my future.

As we continue to traverse down the road of life, let us never forget to look back at the mountain range behind us for inspiration as an aid to endure that narrow path forward.

Over the mountain and through the woods,

 Rita Ann