Beyond the Mountain

Ever since I can remember, I have been drawn to the beauty of the mountains. I have lived most of my life near the mountains and have found solace in the mountains. I remember as a child I both feared and loved the mountains.

You might ask how could I both fear and love the mountains? I loved the trees, bushes and the flowers; the rocks and caves, the meadows and the thickets. I loved to watch the animals like the deer, birds and bees. I love the strength that I feel from the mountains. Many times I would imagine myself as an explorer, adventurer and pioneer. The mountains were my home, my friends and I was one with the mountains.

But at times, the fear of the unknown seemed to lurk behind each bush and tree. Sometimes it seemed that fear was stalking me. I knew it watched me at those times and I would try to run from it. I wouldn't go very far before the beauty of the mountains would overcome my fear and I would find myself stopping to watch a bird feeding it's young or a deer moving cautiously into a meadow to feed.

Even though I feared the unknown, I had the desire to go beyond the mountain, I could presently see. When I would reach the top of that mountain and see the expanse of the valley below and the next mountain, I wanted to go beyond the next mountain.

I tried to imagine what it was like beyond what I could see. Many times I was sure I was the first human to see the beauty and the wonder that God had provided. Each time I crested the top of the mountain I was drawn on. One day I crossed four ridges only to be drawn onward. It was a beautifully exciting day. I went home tired but content.

Those times I have gone beyond, when I return home I try to explain what I saw, my need to continue on and the closeness I felt to the mountains and the beauty of God. But I cannot find the words to describe what has transpire for me that day.

As I have gotten older I still love and fear the mountains. I still live close to the mountains and draw solace from them. I still desire to go beyond the mountain but it seems that at times fear stalks me more closely and I can't run nearly as fast. It has become more difficult for me to remember the feelings I have had when I spent the day going beyond the mountain.

I hope that the day never comes when I can no longer remember what it is like to go beyond the mountain. If it should that will be the day that my stalking fear has caught me and that I will have lost my love for the mountains.

I hope you have been beyond your mountain and have felt the indescribable feeling when you have gone beyond your mountain. I love the beauty of the mountains and those beyond. Living Landscapes: World's Most Beautiful Mountains [Blu-ray]