Grief Left On A Mountain

Please Note: I recorded this after hiking 3,400' to the top of Humphrey's Peak at 12, 633' and I was extremely fatigued and dealing with the effects of altitude. This was a hike in remembrance of my son Steve who climbed his final life mountain 0n 11-11-24. This is one way I deal with grief; I leave it on a mountain. The podcast is short (I was out of breath!)

Mission Accomplished! True, I was the slowest hiker on the mountain, but I prayed my way through the cramps to the top of Humphreys Peak Finishing the goal in honor of my son was great, but the people I prayed with along the way made it extra special. It was a year ago today that my son Steve climbed his final mountain.

Here is the Bible verse I read at the top: "Death, where is your victory? Death, where is your sting? Now the sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!" 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 HCSB

The sting of loss remains, but my gratitude to God for having been Steve's dad for 40 years brings relief. I shared my story with many hikers along the way and we prayed together. I asked them what they needed prayer for and recorded their responses in my phone so I can keep praying for them. There was even a marriage proposal on the saddle before the summit - and she said yes! Lot's of new beginnings happen on mountaintops!

At the top I recorded this podcast/video on grief.

G - Gratitude - be generous in giving to others.

R - Respond - to your emotions; take time to grieve.

I - Invest - in others, initiate intimacy - form meaningful relationships.

E - Extra Mile - don't settle for medioacrity. Love with everything in you.

F - Finish - what you start; don't let unfinished projects hold you back from your destiny.

Express gratitude for what you've been given by being generous with others. Respond to grief as it comes upon you. Cry when you need to. Climb a mountain when you need to. Invest in others. Serving other people will benefit you and them. Always go the extra mile in adding value to your relationships. Be a finisher.

Grief is not something that's finish-able, but keeping your word to finish what you say is a mountain worth climbing.

Thanks for your time. Go do something nice for somebody. Jesus loves you and so do we.