Climb the Mountain
About two years ago, my husband gifted me a book called Leading Women: 20 Influential Women Share Their Secrets to Leadership, Business & Life by Nancy D. O'Reilly, PsyD. Unfortunately, I never got the chance to read it when I was home. One day, I went to the library and there the book was, on the shelf, untouched; it had never been checked out. Over the past couple of days, I haven’t been able to take my eyes off the book. Reading the stories of these successful women has really inspired me and has me thinking even more about my plan once I leave this place and return home. Twenty women, twenty amazing stories. All impactful, all inspiring. BUT…there was this one story that really captured my attention, and it just so happened to be the last story.
The author grew up very privileged. But, in an instant her life completely changed when she was a teenager and her father was brutally murdered. The author and her family eventually rebuilt their lives, but not without challenges. She went on to build a successful business and married a minister. Eventually, that marriage failed. Shortly afterward, she lost her mother, and she was diagnosed with cancer. But again, she rebuilt, remarried, and went on to do even more remarkable things. Many of these things I desire to do in the near future.
This story stood out for me for two reasons. One, this story is a lesson that life is not linear. It is actually more cyclical. We go through a series or cycles of ups and downs. I can certainly relate as this is not my first time "losing it all." And just when I thought I had it all together (PhD, nice job, marriage, successful business), BOOM! My ass gets thrown in federal prison. Sheesh. Talk about rock bottom. But here is the thing about the bottom, there is nowhere else to go but up.
The second reason this story stood out to me is because the writer, Aurea McGarry, made this statement, "When you encounter an obstacle, go over it, under it, around it, or through it. Being rolled over by it is not an option, so just turn it into a stepping stone." (p.191) I was so shocked reading those words, I had to re-read the entire chapter to make sure I was reading it correctly. At my grandfather's funeral, over twenty years ago, I remember the pastor said that my grandfather once told him that when you reach an obstacle that you can't go over, or under, you PLOW RIGHT THROUGH IT! Today, when I read those words on that paper, I felt like my grandfather was speaking to me, reminding me that I will be okay and to plow through this situation.
Then, to confirm it even more, when I conducted my morning email check, I had received a message from my daughter. In the message she said, "momma you just have to climb this last mountain." This brought tears to my eyes because whenever I was down while I was fighting my case, my husband would say, "You got this. You have just one more mountain to climb. It is a big one, but you can do it. Soon this will all be over." I never shared what he would say until today.
I love how God speaks and I love it even more when I am able to hear. I am going to do this. I am going to plow through this. I am going to climb this mountain. Meet me at the top.
