Did you ever have a week where everything culminates at the same time and it feels like the end of days. You aren't quite sure how everyone is going to survive or in what state each of you will emerge? That was last week for us. As can be witnessed by my posting here, we somehow managed to make it through. There were several nights of late bedtimes in a row followed by church in our jammies where we ate way too much candy. Needless to say I'm enjoying the quiet of being alone in my house for a few hours right now.
The world this week looks totally different than it did last week. Scott's play opened which means he gets to be home a little bit more. As I work for the same company, it also means that the flurry of last minute todo items turns into a more manageable do this sometime during the week list. Soccer is over. There are no more practices on top of piano lessons, activity days, or scout activities. We can finally settle into the more manageable schedule of the kids being busy but not all at the same time. And we get our Saturday's back to get some projects done around the house (I'm looking at you broken downstairs toilet). I volunteered in Katie's class and attended the 2nd grade school field trip, so I can guilt free turn down other opportunities for a week or two. And last, but certainly not least, my rough draft for my mom book is DONE. I stuffed all the ideas into a box and shoved it into the corner of my brain, so that I no longer will obsess about word counts and grammar for the next little bit.
For the first time since early Spring we don't have a new project to jump right into, I'm able to take a few days and just breathe. I can stand on the top of this mountain and bask in all I have accomplished. I'm finally able to take a look at what is going on around me. I've spent so long concentrating on one step at a time. Fix the broken foot. Learn to live with anxiety. Write the book. Survive summer vacation. Drive the carpool, pick up the kids, make dinner, do the laundry. Time the reading minutes, correct the homework, and don't forget to smile. I knew if I took my eyes off the path for one step, I would trip, fall, and tumble all the way back to the beginning of my journey.
We all of have mountains to climb. Sometimes we are able to have a long chat as we walk the path. Other times we huff and puff and cling to the side of the mountain in order to move just one small step forward. Some people have very visible mountains. Other people have "look at me and all that I've done" ones. Some quietly climb without any acknowledgement of the difficulty of their journey.
There have been many things floating around my brain about these mountains the last few days. Facebook posts, media coverage, and more than a few reminders during General Conference that our journeys are unique AND Heavenly Father loves us no matter where we are on that journey. So I take a few minutes this morning as I stand at the top of my current mountain to remind myself not to judge others as they climb theirs. To try to learn that my journey is different and things that are easy for me, might be hard for others. And to remember those days I was barely hanging on, and to give other people the benefit of the doubt, that when they don't respond the way I want...maybe they are just clinging to their own mountain. Maybe their journey is a little harder than I realize.
We all have to take our steps through the refiner's fire. Those steps make us better, though we might not see it yet. Hopefully I'll remember that a few days from now, when I turn around and realize this mountain that I sit at the top of is not the end of my journey. I'm going to enjoy to break, but be ready for the next peak when it comes.
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