If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them

One of the basic principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that there are commandments. God has given us instructions for how to return to Him. When I was younger, I wrote this story as a parable of sorts about what commandments are for me:

I had grown, and now there was a mountain. My days of innocence had gone, and now I needed to go home-- the top of the mountain.

I wasn't completely certain why this  mountain was mine; after all, there were countless others to choose from. As I scanned my surroundings, I noticed that though the mountains were different, they all ended in the clouds.

Behind the clouds was light.

I looked to my side, to my friend who was going to climb this mountain with me. Her mouth hung open as she stared up at it.

"How will we ever make it?" she asked me. I pointed to the trail, "We just need to follow The Way."

Before we knew it we were climbing. The Way was steep and hard. Rocks moved and turned under our feet, creating bruises. Occasionally, we found water and food left for us. There were also signs and notes of encouragement left on the trees and always counsel never to leave The Way.

In time, we came to an overlook: a place in the shade with a seat, where we could see how far we had come, and look up to our goal. 

Then we started moving again. For a while, my friend and I were both optimistic. We both felt energized after the overlook. But when we came to the next deposit of refreshments, my friend refused to join me.

"I can wait," she said, "I'm still pumped from the overlook."

"Okay," I said. Worried for her, I ate thoughtfully.

As we continued, the trail grew harder. My friend insisted on only taking sporadic meals, and soon her strength started to diminish.

I helped her through the tough spots and she said she'd eat and drink more, but every time we came to some, she'd just nibble and sip.

She began to be despondent, and frustrated.

"Why is the path so hard?" she'd ask me, "Why must we only go 'The Way'?"

"The Way takes us home," I'd answer, surprised at her questions. "It's the only  Way."

"Well, what about that  path, over there?" with the arm I wasn't supporting, she pointed off into the trees where the ground seemed more level and where a crooked path wound its way.

Just then, we came to another overlook.

"C'mon," I tugged her over to the bench, "Let's rest, and get our bearings."

Once again, we sat on a bench, and I enjoyed the view. But my friend was jittery and anxious to explore the crooked path. When we stood again, she went straight into the trees and onto the path. She gasped, "You've got  to come and see this!"

I hesitated as I reached the edge of The Way.

"What about food?" I asked. "We'll starve."

"There's food here, too!" my friend yelled, "And this path takes the easy way up the mountain."

I couldn't let her go off by herself. Maybe I could go to convince her to come back and climb The Way with me.

Just then, a breeze blew a letter up to my feet.

No matter how hard it gets, no matter how long it takes, follow The Way. I have gone off onto crooked paths, but they only lead to danger. There is  a road back to The Way, but it is hard. Trust me, The Way is the only Way.

Hailey.

I didn't know Hailey. All I knew was that my friend was in trouble. I had to save her.

"Wait up!" I called, but she was already out of earshot. Following, I left The Way.

As I ran through the trees, I tripped on unseen roots and stones. Soon, I came to a fork in the middle of the road. Which way had my friend gone?

I shouted her name, but she didn't answer. Fatigued, I looked around for the food she'd mentioned. Finding some, I ate it-- it disappeared in my mouth like a breath. What had I done?

Then I saw a fork in the path. By one of the entrances was another note.

You've made a mistake, friend. But I've prepared this path for you. You've made it harder than it could have been, but you can still get back home. This Way will lead you home.

Love, Your Brother.

I went. This Way was  hard, but there were real food and water here and hope! Looking at the thick foliage around me, I knew that this Way had been forged with a  great sacrifice.

At last, I reached The Way again-- right where I had left it. I still had scars from my time off the path, but the wounds were healed. I went out to the overlook where I'd last seen my friend. I looked up the Mountain to where Home was and felt a renewed vigor and dedication to get there.

I started climbing once more. Although it was still difficult, I had faith that I was heading Home.

Occasionally, I could see the crooked path; but I also saw pits, cliffs, ledges, and dead ends. I hoped and prayed that my friend would make it back.

As I was resting at another overlook, I heard someone running up behind me. I turned and cried for joy! There was my friend! Out of breath and scarred but happy and strong. I asked her what had happened.

"After I left The Way, I followed the crooked path to a river. I ate a lot of the food, but it was never enough. The crooked path led through a river, and there was no other way for me to go. I decided I could swim it. I never even got half-way. 

"The river pulled me farther and farther down; I struggled for breath! …" my friend shook her head as she stared at the ground. I put my arms around her and listened.

"I knew I would be taken all the way back down the Mountain. I didn't want that. I wanted to go Home again. I had forgotten that. But once I remembered and desired it again, the oddest thing happened. Someone gave me strength. I used it and swam as swiftly as I could for the bank. 

"When I finally got out, I was stained a muddy brown. I found another path, but it seemed different from the crooked paths. Following it, I came to a pond, with a sign that said "Malada." There was some strong soap next to it. I knew what to do. I took the soap, and washed up!"

I looked into my friend's eyes: sparkling, looking up at the Mountain.

"It felt so good to be clean again," she breathed softly.

"How did you catch up with me so quickly?" I asked her.

"I ran. I ran all The Way. I ate the food, drank the water, and stopped at every overlook I could," she stood, "And now I'm ready to begin again. Shall we go?"

So we did. We got up and climbed the Mountain.

 Through writing this story, I learned that commandments are instructions for the best path back to God and all His promises. Some of those promises are true joy, peace, being with your family forever, and in some cases "the windows of heaven will be opened." Who doesn't want happiness?

Nephi, a prophet in the Book of Mormon, was commanded to build a boat. When his brothers mocked him, Nephi responded: "If God had commanded me to do all things I could do them." He believed he could do anything, as long as it was the will of God. I was thinking about this phrase, and wondered, "If God had commanded me to do all things, would I do them?" If He told me to study calculus, would I? If He told me I couldn't have children, would I still trust Him? If He told me to sell everything and move to Africa, would I? If He told me to study my scriptures every day before studying, would I?
I have faith in God, I know He can do anything and that through His power I can too. But would I?

I hope that I would. I know I don't a lot. But thankfully, God doesn't ask us to be perfect. He doesn't ask us to jump from the foot of the mountain to the top of it. He just asks us to keep climbing, keep progressing.
"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me." "(He) is the way, the truth, and the life."

Why I Need God in My Life

Yesterday, in a regional church meeting (Stake Conference), someone who recently got baptized shared a bit of his "conversion story" (why he decided to join the Church). He talked about how he really didn't have any huge challenges in his life, so he didn't see why he needed God or religion. But he received an answer to his prayers and decided to be baptized. Since then, he said, only good things have come into his life.

So why do I feel like I need God in my life?
Life can be terrible. There's depression, failure, setbacks, death, illness. If I didn't have hope in a Power that was looking down on me and helping me through those trials, they could be unbearable.
Life can be beautiful. Peaceful sunrises, laughter with friends and family, inspiring music, adorable animals, warmth and comfort, baby's smiles. I have somebody that I can thank for all of those amazing things. And I can take them as a personal message of love meant just for me from my Heavenly Father.
Life can be stressful. College, rent, dreams just out of reach. But I know that I can kneel down and pray, take some quiet time in nature, or sit in the Lord's house to find peace and answers.
Life is full of promise. My belief in God tells me that He has a plan for me and for all of us. There is a way to live that brings us happiness. There is a path back to His realm-- our home.

This path is His Plan of Happiness.

I know that God lives and loves each of us personally. He created a plan and sent a Savior to help us become the best and happiest people that we can be.

"Thy will be done"... "Hagase tu voluntad"

Hello! This is my first blog post since I got back from my mission. Being able to serve in Argentina was one of the greatest experiences of my life!

So today I was reading in Moses 4 about the life before this life when we all lived with our Heavenly Father. In this life, we held a Great Council, where our Father told us that He had a plan, a plan that would give us the chance to be like Him. This plan is known as the Plan of Salvation, the Plan of Redemption, or the Great Plan of Happiness! As it says in Job-- "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy..." (Job 38:7)
But there must be opposition in all things. Lucifer (now called Satan) wanted to change the plan. He wanted to take away our freedom to choose.
He said, "Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor."
Once, someone pointed out the pronouns in this statement: ""Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." (Moses 4:1)

Thankfully, there was another son, and this is what He said: "Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever." (Moses 4:2)
The second Son, Jesus Christ, was chosen to be our Savior and Redeemer. We keep our freedom to choose but have a chance to repent from the wrong choices we make.
More on that later.

For now, I want to focus on what Christ said, and when He said it. He said, "Father, thy will be done." And He said it during a time when another was seeking for power. Rather than combat Satan's idea with a "bigger" and "better" idea, Christ submitted Himself humbly before the Father.
Then I started thinking about the other times that Christ had spoken that phrase.

He said it again in the middle of His mortal ministry when He was surrounded by followers.
"And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth." (Luke 11:2, emphasis added)

Then, when He was alone, in the height of His suffering, He pleaded: "Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done."
Isn't it amazing that He used the same humble phrase when He was accepting His mission and when He was fulfilling it? He used it when He ascended above all God's children and when He descended below all things. He used it in good times and in bad.

How am I doing? Am I accepting the will of God? Even when it's hard?
In my hardest times, do I humbly recognize that I might be fulfilling my calling?

I love the Lord, and He loves us. As we submit ourselves to the Father, He will strengthen us for our callings and help us to become better.

The Importance of a Family

So a couple weeks ago, I experienced my most embarrassing moment (no, I'm not going to post it :)). It was pretty bad, but through it I was able to see how important my family was in this way: When I told my mom she was embarrassed with me; when I told my brother he laughed at me; and when I told my dad he shrugged it off because he said it was no big deal. 

While it may seem like my mom's response was the one that normal people hope for, when my brother laughed at me it made me able to laugh at myself. And when my dad shrugged it off it showed me that just because I was embarrassed doesn't mean that the people who witnessed me were embarrassed. But I did need my mom's empathy, because that helped me feel like I wasn't a fool to feel embarrassed. 

I don't think there is any way that just one person could have done all of that for me within the 15 minutes that it did with the three of them. Also, there is no way I would have told any one besides my family about what happened (not even my best friends). I may have been up all night with embarrassment without my family.

And that's just a small experience. What about when tragedy strikes? When a loved one dies, or when your future seems to fall apart? Who should you be able to fall back on? Your family.

So please appreciate your family today. Pres. Thomas S Monson shared an thought he had while in a cemetery: 

 ... I noticed ...a small stone in which was inscribed a name and this poignant verse: “A light from our household is gone; a voice we loved is stilled. A place is vacant in our hearts that never can be filled.”
Don’t wait until that light from your household is gone; don’t wait until that voice you know is stilled before you say, “I love you, Mother; I love you, Father.” Now is the time to think and the time to thank. I trust you will do both. You have a heritage; honor it.

Grace Part 1---Christ's Grace is Sufficient

To start off this post, here's a story told by Brad Wilcox:

A BYU student once came to me and asked if we could talk. I said, “Of course. How can I help you?”

She said, “I just don’t get grace.”

I responded, “What is it that you don’t understand?”

She said, “I know I need to do my best and then Jesus does the rest, but I can’t even do my best.”

She then went on to tell me all the things she should be doing because she’s a Mormon that she wasn’t doing.

She continued, “I know that I have to do my part and then Jesus makes up the difference and fills the gap that stands between my part and perfection. But who fills the gap that stands between where I am now and my part?”

She then went on to tell me all the things that she shouldn’t be doing because she’s a Mormon, but she was doing them anyway.

Finally I said, “Jesus doesn’t make up the difference. Jesus makesall the difference. Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us.”

Seeing that she was still confused, I took a piece of paper and drew two dots—one at the top representing God and one at the bottom representing us. I then said, “Go ahead. Draw the line. How much is our part? How much is Christ’s part?”

She went right to the center of the page and began to draw a line. Then, considering what we had been speaking about, she went to the bottom of the page and drew a line just above the bottom dot.

I said, “Wrong.”

She said, “I knew it was higher. I should have just drawn it, because I knew it.”

I said, “No. The truth is, there is no line. Jesus filled the whole space. He paid our debt in full. He didn’t pay it all except for a few coins. He paid it all. It is finished.”

She said, “Right! Like I don’t have to do anything?”

“Oh no,” I said, “you have plenty to do, but it is not to fill that gap. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God’s presence. What is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with and how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and how long we plan to stay there.”

Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see Matthew 5:48, 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His own set of requirements (see 2 Nephi 2:7; 3 Nephi 9:20).

“So what’s the difference?” the girl asked. “Whether our efforts are required by justice or by Jesus, they are still required.”

“True,” I said, “but they are required for a different purpose. Fulfilling Christ’s requirements is like paying a mortgage instead of rent or like making deposits in a savings account instead of paying off debt. You still have to hand it over every month, but it is for a totally different reason.”

("His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox)

I know that through Christ's grace, through His Atonement and His love, we can all be healed. We can feel His peace and the happiness that comes with it.

No Regrets-- How your Decisions Determine your Destiny

There was a beautiful lesson today in Young Women's. "Why do the Choices I make Matter?" Why do they matter? If there is no tomorrow-- no life after death-- they don't really matter, do they?
Well let's assume that there is life after death*. Now do your choices matter? Well, only if there is a rule for happiness in the next life.
There's a great scripture about people who think that way:
2 Nephi 28:7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

 8 And there shall also be many which shall say: Eat, drink, and be merry; nevertheless, fear God—he will justify in committing a little sin; yea, lie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a pit for thy neighbor; there is no harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

 9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, false and vain and foolish doctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark."

Now here's the response to that line of thinking:

"2 Nephi 2:13 And if ye shall say there is no law, ye shall also say there is no sin. If ye shall say there is no sin, ye shall also say there is no righteousness. And if there be no righteousness there be no happiness. And if there be no righteousness nor happiness there be no punishment nor misery. And if these things are not there is no God. And if there is no God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things, neither to act nor to be acted upon; wherefore, all things must have vanished away."

From these scriptures, I have obtained a testimony that YES, there is life after death; YES, there is a judgement; and YES, we do need to meet up to the Lord's standards through our choices.
These are some boys who followed their standards, and were blessed exceedingly for their choice:

A big danger in today's society is this philosophy: "There is no right or wrong. What's wrong for you can be right for me, and I don't think it's wrong to get drunk every weekend." Relative morality is dangerous, and it is a false philosophy.
In the Screwtape Letters by C.S.Lewis, Screwtape tells Wormwood (the devil he is training) that one of the greatest tools the devil has is to tell people that there is no devil. Once they get someone to accept that idea, they can whisper whatever they want to that person, and the person will act on it; never choosing to believe that they are following an evil influence. However, even if they choose to believe it (or rather, to not believe it), that doesn't mean that they don't feel the negative effects in their heart. That is, unless they've numbed themselves.
My dad describes your conscience in this way: it's like a triangle. When you do something wrong, it will give a little turn, and prick you, to tell you that it's wrong. But if you keep on turning that triangle, the edges will wear, until you end up with a circle. It continues to whirl around, trying to warn you of the danger you've stumbled into, but you can't feel it anymore. 

As you make decisions, try to make them so that you can live life with no regrets.

When you watch this video, try to think of ways that the Devil is trying to "lead you carefully down to hell." (For me, it's watching action movies that have swearing and immoral references. That is a standard I have set for myself.)

I know that our decisions really will determine where we go. Where we go in this life, and where we'll go after. It is completely worth it to live with "no regrets." It truly will be easier in the long run to set standards for themselves. We can make it, we can stand up for ourselves!

*https://www.lds.org/manual/preparing-for-exaltation-teachers-manual/lesson-7-what-happens-after-death?lang=eng
http://www.mormon.org/faq/life-after-death

My Journey to... FAMILY HISTORY! (stop groaning!)

When the phrase "Family History" crops up, there are usually four responses:
     "(HUGE GROAN!) Not family history AGAIN! That's what grandparents are for!"
     "Family History... yeah, I look through scrapbooks occasionally."
     "What's family history?"
or, if you're in the 5% of the population:
     "FAMILY HISTORY! That's, like, my LIFE!"

I used to be in the first category. I was so tired of hearing people tell me about how fun Family History was.
That is, until I started doing it :).

It all started with indexing. Indexing is the manual transcribing of images of names to a digital record, making it possible to search them.
(If you'd like to try it for yourself, here's a link to help you get started)

I'd do these about once a week (more if there was a Census... especially a typed Census. You'll know what I mean when you do it). Then I kind of trickled off, and stopped doing it.

Recently, my grandparents (how are Family HIstory gurus, my Oma majored in Genealogy),  returned from Germany where they'd been serving a Senior Mission. While there, they started to help a woman do Family History. This woman (we'll call her Sis. Schmidt) had been forced out of her home during the French occupation of Germany, and had lost almost all of her records.
When they started doing her family history, they were able to search for names of people she did remember (ie, parents, grandparents) and because of the indexing people had done, they were able to find many more of her ancestors and distant cousins.

After I graudally stopped indexing, I went for a year or so without doing anything besides listening to the talks and grumbling. But then, a friend showed me how to use the "Descendancy Chart" on familysearch.org . HOLY COW! It was amazing!
It's easy, fast, and a contribution. What more could you want?

Basically, using Descendancy Chart takes one of your ancestors, and shows you their descendants (no, duh :)). Next to the list of names are little icons telling you that this person needs more research, or that their *temple work* has already been done, or that you can request their ordinances.
Here's a video with a more coherent explanation. 

If you'd like to learn more about family history, here's a lesson outline that gives you all sorts of resources: https://www.lds.org/youth/learn/ss/marriage-and-family/history?lang=eng

I know that through my work, I'm continuing the work of salvation. I challenge you to do it to.

** Don't know about temple work? Read at one (or both!) of these sites:
https://www.lds.org/topics/baptisms-for-the-dead?lang=eng
http://www.mormon.org/faq/baptism-for-the-dead

Come Unto Christ!

Each year, the Church comes up with a theme for the youth based on a scripture.
A few years ago, it was D&C 115:5 "Arise and shine forth!"
Last year it was D&C 87:8 "Stand ye in holy places"
This year, it's Moroni 10:32 "Come unto Christ"

This is a video, introducing the entire scripture.
https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-with-us?lang=eng#d

There is a song to go with it, too!!
https://www.lds.org/youth/video/come-unto-christ-2014-theme-song?lang=eng

I love that it shows such different and real struggles: self-worth, death/illness, parental/family relationships, and addiction. 
He really can help us with ANYTHING!! No matter how unique your trial is, He knows what you feel! Because of the Atonement, He can relate with us. 

7 And if thou shouldst be cast into the ^apit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the ^bdeep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to ^chedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of ^dhell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee ^eexperience, and shall be for thy good.

 8 The ^aSon of Man hath ^bdescended below them all. Art thou greater than he? (D&C 122)

The Young Men General Presidency said "Because of His Atonement, we can gain the power to serve, to deny ourselves of ungodly things in our lives, and to feel His infinite love. As we do so, we will find true peace and happiness."

I know that Coming Unto Christ is what we have to do in this life (or at least TRY to do :)). The more we try to become like Him, the better we'll be, the more peace and happiness we'll have, and the better our lives will be (but not neccessarily in a worldy sense ;))

Moroni 10:32 Yea, ^acome unto Christ, and be ^bperfected in him, and ^cdeny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and ^dlove God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be ^eperfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

THE MOUNTAIN-- a journey to salvation

(btw, I'm taking a writing class, which is why many of my recent posts are stories :))

I had grown, and now there was a mountain. My days of innocence had gone, and now I needed to go Home-- the top of the Mountain. 

I wasn't completely certain why this  mountain was mine; after all, there were countless others to choose from. As I scanned the range, I noticed that thought the mountains were different, they all ended in the clouds. 

Behind the clouds was light. 

I looked to my side, to my friend who was to climb this mountain with me. Her mouth hang open as she stared up at it. 

"How will we ever make it?" she asked me. I pointed to the trail, "We just need for follow The Way." 

Before we knew it, we were climbing. The Way was steep and heard. Rocks moved and turned under our feet, creating bruises. Occasionally, we found water and food left for us. There were also signs and notes of encouragement left on the trees; and always counsel never to leave The Way. 

In time, we came to an overlook: a place in the shade with a seat, where we could see how far we'd come, and look up to our goal.  

Then we started moving again. For a while, my friend and I were both optimistic. We both felt energized after the overlook. But when we came to the next deposit of refreshments, my friend refused to join me. 

"I can wait," she said, "I'm still pumped from the overlook." 

"Okay," I said. Worried for her, I ate thoughtfully. 

As we continued, the trail grew harder. My friend insisted on only taking sporadic meals, and soon her strength started to diminish. 

I helped her through the tough spots, and she said she'd eat and drink more, but every time we came to some, she'd just nibble and sip. 

She began to be despondent, and frustrated. 

"Why is the path so hard?" she'd ask me, "Why must we only go 'The Way'?" 

"The Way takes us home," I'd answer, surprised at her questions. "It's the only  Way." 

"Well, what about that  path, over there?" with the arm I wasn't supporting, she pointed off into the trees, where the ground seemed more level, and where a crooked path wound it's way. 

Just then, we came to another overlook. 

"C'mon," I tugged her over to the bench, "Let's rest, and get our bearings." 

Once again, we sat on a bench, and I enjoyed the view. But my friend was jittery, and anxious to explore the crooked path. When we stood again, she went straight into the trees, and onto the path. She gasped, "You've got  to come see this!" 

I hesitated as I reached the edge of The Way. 

"What about food?" I asked. "We'll starve." 

"There's food here, too!" my friend yelled, "And this path take the easy way up he mountain." 

I couldn't let her go off by herself. Maybe I could go convince her to come back, and climb The Way with me. 

Just then, a breeze blew a letter up to my feet. 

No matter how hard it gets, no matter how long it takes, follow The Way. I have gone off onto crooked paths, but they only lead to danger. There is  a Way back to The Way, but it is hard. Trust me, The Way is the only Way. 

(heart) Jen. 

I didn't know Jen, but I knew my friend was in trouble. I had to save her. 

"Wait up!" I called. Already, she'd gone far away. Following, I left The Way. 

As I ran through the trees, I tripped on unseen roots and stones. Soon, I came to a fork in the middle of the road. Which way had my friend gone? 

I shouted her name, but she didn't answer. Fatigued, I looked around for the food she'd mentioned. Finding some, I ate it-- it disappeared in my mouth like a breath. What had I done? 

Then I saw the Way to The Way. By the entrance was another note. 

You've made a mistake, ______. But I've prepared this path for you. You've made it harder than it could've been, but you can still get back home. This Way will lead you home. 

(heart), Your Brother. 

I went. This Way was  hard, but there was real food and water here, and hope! Looking at the thick foliage around me, I knew that this Way had been forged with a  great sacrifice. 

At last, I reached The Way again-- right where I'd left it. I still had scars from my time off the path, but they had healed. I went over to the overlook where I'd last seen my friend. I looked up the Mountain to where Home was, and felt a renewed vigor and dedication to get there. 

I started climbing once more. Although it was still difficult, I had faith that I was heading Home. 

Occasionally, I could see the crooked path; but I also saw pits, cliffs, ledges, and dead ends. I hoped and prayed that my friend would make it back. 

As I was resting at another overlook, I heard someone running up behind me. I turned, and cried for joy! There was my friend! Out of breath and scarred, but happy and strong. I asked her what had happened. 

"After I left The Way, I followed the crooked path to a river. I ate a lot of the food, but it was never enough. The crooked path led through a river, and there was no other way for me to go. I decided I could swim it. I never even got half-way.

"The river pulled me farther and farther down; I struggled for breath! …" my friend shook her head as she stared at the ground. I put my arms around her, and listened. 

"I knew I would be taken down the Mountain, all the way. I didn't want that. I wanted to go Home again. I'd forgotten my goal, and my purpose. But once I remembered and desired it again, the oddest thing happened. Someone gave me strength. I used it, and swam as swiftly as I could for the bank.  

"When I finally got out, I was stained a muddy brown. I found another path, but it seemed different from the crooked paths. Following it, I came to a pond, with a sign that said "Malada," and some hard soap. I knew what to do. I took the soap, and washed up!" 

I looked into my friends eyes: sparkling, looking up at the Mountain. 

"It felt so good to be clean again," she breathed softly. 

"How did you catch up with me so quickly?" I asked her. 

"I ran. I ran all The Way. I ate the food, drank the water, and stopped at every overlook I could," she stood, "And now I'm ready to begin again. Shall we go?" 

So we did. We got up, and climbed the Mountain.