Mount 10
Dear Jason,
And so here we are.
10 years up and off the ground.
Somewhere on this steep and slippery slope.
We are here.
At the beginning of our forever, we stood at the base of what we would soon come to realize was our mountain.
10 years back, at the base, we dreamed big.
Backpacking across Europe, owning our very own dessert truck, running a full marathon, raising our own full soccer team of children and eventually settling down somewhere we would never see snow ever again. Only snow cones.
We dreamed big. Maybe it hasn’t quite turned out how we pictured it to be, but a few steps up and a few slips down, we soon learned that someone had bigger dreams for us.
At the base, I pictured our hopes and dreams to be sitting way up at the peak, at the summit of our mountain.
I could only imagine that was where I wanted to be in 10 years.
And there was no other way to be happy than to reach the top, no matter how steep the slope.
10 years forward and by the Grace of God, we set foot on the glorious Summit. The Celebrity Summit Cruise Ship, that is.
We just came back from celebrating our 10 year anniversary on our dream vacation and I say dream because it was just you and me. (Sorry girls!)
Cruising for two, just me and you, felt like a dream come true.
From day one to day three, we went from cloud nine to cloud ten.
Then around day four, somewhere in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, somewhere in between endless buffets to endless waters, sun and relaxation, the clouds had started to part and it was as clear as the clearest, sunniest day that our summit was actually waiting for us back at home.
The summit is not a checkpoint.
It’s not a point or destination we should strive for, climb towards or only set our eyes on just to find our happier spot. It could be that dream home or dream job. That dream boat or that dream cruise vacation.
Or just that dream for something more.
Our happier spot doesn’t sit at the top of our mountain. It’s much closer than we think.
It doesn’t come from accomplishing this or acquiring that. It doesn’t come from departing or arriving at a certain destination.
It just simply comes from appreciating the view, where you are, as you are, hand in hand, heart to heart, with love and gratitude in every latitude, at any altitude.
We may have stepped off the cruise ship, but the summit was with us all along. It moves us, it moves with us and it will stay with us wherever we go.
10 years up and off the ground, the view up here leaves me in awe.
When I look down, I’m grateful for how far we’ve climbed.
When I look up, I’m grateful for the bigger dreams He has for us.
When I look where I am, the happier spot that used to reside at the top of our mountain now resides in my grateful heart.
Our journey hasn’t always been an easy, upward climb.
We’ve been through our share of landslides, rockslides and even avalanches.
There were seasons when we just couldn’t gain a good grip or foothold.
When we looked up and down, gratitude was nowhere in sight.
All we could see were falling rocks. We were hit hard, left, right and centre until we were left barely hanging on.
The climb is hard.
In the seasons when we found ourselves in the middle of a rockslide and we didn’t have the strength to look up or down in gratitude, all it took was one look to the left and one look to the right.
Like a huge boulder, it hit us. We’re not meant to climb alone.
Everyone is climbing their own mountain and we’ll realize our mountain doesn’t stand alone.
Left and right, we’ll see that our mountains are actually connected, side by side, as far as the eyes can see.
We are blessed to be surrounded and uplifted by the climbing buddies we are fortunate to meet along the way who help make the climb not so hard.
10 years up and off the ground. 10 years grateful. Happy Mount 10, Jason.
The view up here leaves me in awe and I just want to capture every moment from every angle.
Whether we were high up in the clouds or we hit rock bottom, our faith and gratitude has always without fail, determined our altitude.
Today at our 10 year checkpoint, we may have not reached the top of our mountain, but I know our love has not only reached its peak, it has surpassed it.
We may have never gotten our full soccer team of children, but our bigger Dreamer had bigger dreams for us and blessed us with our very own rock climbing dream team.
Above all, I’m just grateful to be sitting right here, right now on the summit with the best rock climbing buddies I could ever dream of.
Whether we’re crawling, walking, climbing or hanging on, driving, cruising, falling or flying, I love navigating this life with you, our loved ones and the One who loves us most.
Our summit is here.
J