So many things have happened this summer that have made me think about life and what is truly important. And unfortunately, I still don't always live the life I strive to, and I don't always place my priorities in the right order, and I don't always end the day with a smile on my face. But that place is the peak of the mountain that I climb every day.

And one of the things I've realized most is that its not so much about reaching the top of the mountain, but rather about the process of actually climbing it. And its not so much the people I leave at the bottom or the people that call to me from the top that are so important; its those that are actually climbing beside me. Those that are sweating the burden of the moments with me, and crying through the ravaging pain with me. Those that are resting next to me as we gather more courage and energy and those that are laughing with me as we revel in the beauty of the journey.

My life is not about those that are too busy to listen or too self-absorbed to care. It is not about those that refuse to see the beauty or value or hope inherent in this world. And it is certainly not about those that fail to truly know me. Those people can either sit in fear at the bottom of the mountain or keep believing their place at the top is preferential.

But I choose the hard road; I choose the climbing; I choose the journey.

It is only through that journey that beauty can be seen.
It is only through that journey that strength can be gained.
It is only through that journey that life can be lived.