The story begins...

If you have never driven through the Colorado Rocky Mountains on I-70 or ridden your bike up into the Boulder Canyon, you can never appreciate the awesomeness and the majesty of that experience.  It never grows old...never gets boring...there is never an opportunity to take it for granted or at the very least, to have it's raw beauty go unnoticed.

This story is a story not unlike many of yours.  It spans decades of experiences that include tragic loss, the ebb & flow of relationships, the excitement of all that is new and the eventual wisdom that comes from the ability to reflect on our lives.  I had committed to writing this story many times.  It seems that at every turn or pivotal moment of this journey I would promise that it was time to write it down.  My hope is that by sharing the nuances of my life experiences that someone would benefit - perhaps the mom of the child in the hospital would have permission to take a break from her 'task at hand' or maybe the working mother so focused on her career would stop just for a minute to really look at all she has already accomplished in her life.

Driving down 287 on my way to the office I was deliberately and fervently praying for the perfect name to this 'journal' in an effort to attract those that would not only follow my story - but would really be able to capture and appreciate the essence of how I live my life.  That is important as it is that spirit and essence that has always been there with me...providing a sense of peace and a sense of joy.

I have a few sayings that my children would recognize as my own.  'Life is a journey' immediately came to mind and I excitedly called my husband- as I was driving - to share with him that I had found the name for my blog.  As I shared the saying that I often default to - no matter what the circumstances, I was sure I had the answer...that this somehow defined the story.  But just as in all of my life experiences, the expected became the unexpected and in the time it took him to share one thought - my direction was redefined.

Through the years we have spent many hours driving through the Colorado Rockies.  Our children hiked the Alluvial Fan, they skied Breckenridge, Vail and many others, they biked in Keystone and they have walked the shops of many small mountain towns.  Simultaneously 'life' was happening around us - bringing the challenges and heartbreaks that seem to creep up out nowhere.  Many day trips through the mountains were in the shadow of an event spinning out of control, the memory of the loved one absent or the challenges of our extended and blended family.  But every drive into the mountains caused me to stop and take stock of the beauty and majesty around me.

As I shared my 'epiphany' with my husband and laughed with him as he confirmed that 'yes' I always say that - he laughed and responded with another saying of mine... 'Aren't the Mountains Beautiful'...and that was it.  That is the phrase that defines the message of my journey.  Because in reality our life is the sum of our total experiences - making us who we are - for better or for worse.  There is a spirit that allows us to rise above it all.  It allows us to smile when others think we should be crying, to let go when we fiercely want to hold on, and to escape our own circumstances and immerse ourselves in the beauty around us.

I found that my journey through the mountains allowed me to escape to what matters and rise above it all.  It was so powerful that I would passionately share it with those around me.  It is that spirit that I pull from and that you will find weaved throughout the tapestry of the story that I will tell.

I can't wait for my children to read this post as I know that each of them will be saying to themselves...we know mom...aren't the mountains beautiful!