Hard things

I never thought we would get into Canada.

I know that sounds…. Idk, rude? Hopeless? Condescending? I can’t think of the right word but I know that sounds wrong to say.

But I legit could not imagine crossing that border!

I grew up ten minutes from Mexico. We crossed that border many times for mission trips and to go visit, maybe go visit a market or something. I always wondered what Canada looked like. I grew up hearing fantastical stories of mountains that touch the sky, tons of wild untouched land, small towns full of the nicest people you’ve ever met. I understood that it was so cold that I expected not a lot of people to live here, I expected it to be more wild and free. In fact when we first started talking about driving to Alaska I was so worried about having to drive on gravel roads and possibly getting lost or stuck with no one around to help.

But also, Canada seemed way too far away!

I think that’s another factor of stepping out in faith.

We just hiked a strenuous trail in Glacier National Park in Montana. The drive up stole my breath away, absolutely stunning! I saw a trail on the map that I had remembered hearing about on social media (can’t remember which one but probably TikTok). It was to the Hidden Lake Overlook and it was only 1.5 miles one way (3 miles round trip). The kids and I have been hiking quite a bit in the last year and I knew the distance was no problem for us. Josh always complains about how much he has to walk for work, telling me it’s at least ten miles a day so I figured this would be a piece of cake for him as well.

Good grief!! That was a rough trail! It went straight up a mountain. The first part seemed easy because it was a flat wooden trail and I was thinking, “See, this is beautiful!” We could even see a mountain goat out in the distance over looking the mountain ranges, we stopped and listened to prairie dogs chirping to each other, a marmot crossed the trail up ahead. Wildflowers danced in the mild breeze and Alera excitedly pointed out the different rocks and boulders with proof of the glaciers that once stood upon this mountain.

Then the steps started… and they were steep! The trees parted to reveal steps going straight up a mountain. It didn’t seem that far though so we figured, we got this!

But then the higher we got the more steps there were. The wind started whipping and howling around us. Josh and I are solid beings, and even we were struggling to push against the wind and keep our footing! The kids started being pushed around the trail like plastic bags. Our eyes were tearing up and though we’d dressed more warm in the mountain air, that wind seemed to cut into our bones with its glacier air!

I quickly started second guessing myself. Why did I pick this trail? Can we even accomplish the peak?

The kids and I are reading about the Stamp Act and the American Revolutionary War time period for history right now. We are reading through a book by Rush Limbaugh called “Rush Revere and the first Patriots.” We had stopped to talk about how technology has changed people’s expectations of how life is supposed to be: easy and convenient and fun. And when it’s not they expect help because life isn’t fair for them. But back then people knew life was hard and required a ton of work! We talked about rewards that aren’t materialistic and how they sometimes require the most effort to obtain.

When I was second guessing myself, Weston who was straining against the wind by my side commented, “This is hard! But I guess that means the view will be that much sweeter!”

Yes! Yes it will be. And I watched in awe as my children fought against that summit and wind! At times they would remind me that even God took breaks and so shall they and they would hide beneath the boulders or cliff edges as they caught their breath. At other times we would have to turn our backs to the wind and trail or else the breath would be literally blown right out of us.

The view from on top was just as bittersweet as we expected. We saw mountains that went on into the fading daylight, seeming to vanish along the horizon. We saw mountain goats lazily grazing along the steep incline. We saw glaciers at the top of the surrounding peaks. It felt like we were on top of the world. But it was even colder and windier at the peak and that dampened the view. However the knowledge that we did that… wow.

Then on the way back down Weston commented, “Look, from here you can actually see how long the trail is! We couldn’t see that going up.”

That boy is wise beyond his years! I don’t know that he even knows it. 😆

It’s easy to go somewhere you’ve been before. It’s much harder to blaze a trail when you can’t see the finish line.

But don’t ever diminish the value of effort!

Canada was my peak. Ironically it now feels like we are racing downhill. I’ve been to Alaska so in my mind I can surely get there again.

We are halfway to our destination.

“We’re halfway there! Whoa, living on a prayer! Take my hand, we’ll make it I swear. Whoa, living on a prayer!” (Bon Jovi, 1986)

Sorry couldn’t help it. 🫣 😆

I think the hard things in life remind us we’re still living, we still have purpose. We can’t fear the climb, we can’t fear the wind, we just have to tuck our heads and keep straining! We will get to the top!

Canada is nothing like I expected fyi. So far it’s been very flat. And our first stop was in Calgary, a huge city whose city line (yes they have skyscrapers) looks very similar to the city line of the city home we left behind, San Antonio. People are even less considerate of our driving an RV, I hope it’s ignorance but sometimes it’s terrifying how little room they give us. I don’t know that they realize how heavy our load is! They just see a truck towing an RV. They don’t hear the strain of our brakes as we now have to slow down on a downhill slope for someone who just cut us off.

Some people have been worrying about Josh struggling with road rage, I can guarantee you he is becoming one of the most patient drivers I know. Now if only other people can learn how to give big tow drivers more room. 🤦‍♀️ I gleam when I consider how I insisted on buying a license plate frame that reads, “Do you follow Jesus this closely?” 😈

Sometimes the peak isn’t what you expected, sometimes the journey was longer and harder than you had hoped, sometimes it feels like there are obstacles in your way. Perhaps that why God doesn’t give us a blueprint of our life. Would we honestly walk our journey if we knew how hard and long it was? But perhaps that is what our purpose is… to strain.

Perhaps our hope is knowing we don’t strain alone, God is on our side. And with God, all things are possible.