'no more hills' (#10)

Being honest, 2014 has not been one of my easier years.  There have been many blessings but there have also been many valleys.  I've had some great losses this year- including the lost of sweet grandmother.  I've had some other struggles and I find myself asking 'why me', 'why now', 'haven't I had enough already'.

This past weekend, Drew and I spent the weekend with his family at Rocky Knob in Virginia.  It was my first time camping with his family.  And it was wonderful (more on that to come).

We spent Saturday afternoon hiking.  We started around 12noon and finished at 4pm and hiked 5 miles.  It was beautiful, but being honest, I was ready to turn back after the first 3/4 of a mile.  If you know me, you know I'm not that big into the outdoors.  We had been up a steep hill and Tripp, Drew's oldest brother, announced we had 4 more miles to go.  I thought there was no way I could do it.  The boys asked if Bobbie (Drew's mother) and I wanted to turn back and I shocked myself when I replied with "I'm good- I want to keep going".  I think Drew was stunned too.

Noah and I pre-hike- after a delicious breakfast! Go Drew!

Later in the hike, Noah (Drew's youngest brother- keep count, there's 5 boys) and I had taken the lead of the hike.  We had just come off of climbing over boulders when we came upon a gorgeous creek.  We crossed over it and it was truly breathtaking.  As we crossed the creek, Noah quickly noticed the hill in front of us.  He looked at me and said 'no more hills, no more hills'.  And I quickly agreed- reassuring him that maybe this one would be one of the last in the hike.  We trekked on and finished the hike 2 hours later and yes, there were more hills.

The boulders we crossed over- a little blurry but gets the point across.

One of the many creeks.

The creek Noah and I crossed over when he
pleaded 'no more hills, no more hills'

I had an 'a ha' moment on that hike- and Noah's plea of 'no more hills' was what caused it.   I realized on that hike that we all have mountaintop experiences and we have our time in the valleys but we also have a lot of time in the in between.  I believe it is the 'in between' time that helps us treasure the peaks in our journey- it helps us to cherish the gifts that have been given to us.  Despite the fact that I often plea for the hills to stop, they are what make me understand the mountain top.

I'm thankful that God allowed me the 'a-ha' moment this weekend to understand the importance of the 'in between'.  The mountaintops are a gift but the 'in between' is as well.  Entering into this 30th year, I will focus more on the gift of the 'in between'.