The Woman on the Mountain - Top (a Writing Challenge)

This is my first writing challenge on Hubpages. I thought long and hard about taking billybucs (Bill Hollands) writing challenge. I just wasn't sure I'd be able to do justice to the lovely photo of The Woman On The Mountain Top (Bev, Bills wife.)

My own self-doubt and lack of confidence bubbled into a lather washing my last bit of courage away. Then as the day progressed I found myself mentally repeating Bill's words. "This is an exercise for writers." Okay. So this is an opportunity for me to grow as a writer. I've got to do this. I'm a teacher and I realize the value of exercises. For me they are the building blocks to knowledge.

So, with humility, I begin my story with thanks to Bill for being 'The Wind Beneath My Wings.'

She hikes to the top of the mountain. Here, she breathes in the magnificence of the incredible view before her. She can see forever. The glorious beauty before her is breath-taking. She inhales the earth song wanting to lock it's symphony inside, keeping it for another day and time.

She cries out to the mountain, "What is my purpose here on earth? Why am I here? I have no talents, no gifts to give. I'm not smart or rich. I have nothing to give. I have made a mess of my life and now I live with the choices I have made."

Her mind races back in time as a brief glance of her life plays out the variety of roles she has starred in. Like a three-act-play, Act 1 focuses on her childhood, and dealing with an unresolved need to feel loved.

Her mother was a genius with an astounding mind. And though this woman carried an endless well of compassion for others, there was little to give to the child who would walk to the ends of the earth for even a tiny speck of it. But her mother lived with the shame and guilt of being mistreated in her own childhood. The mental illness that she, herself, could not understand or recognize was a form of torture for her family.

And what about her father? Well, as sweet a man as he was, he more or less sat back and watched the whole show. Oh, there were times when he stepped up to the plate and stopped the abuse. These times were few and far between. Still, she loved him so much.

The young girl prayed for love from her mother. Where is love?

Her search for love continued through her teen years and into adulthood. With three marriages under her belt, she had had enough. There was nothing left to give. With her children by her side, she went on to begin her life, this time, on her own terms. And that did not include another husband. She never married again.

A voice came out of nowhere. Soft, yet powerful, echoing through the clouds and bouncing from mountain to mountain, tree to tree and valley to valley. "You have an important purpose here on earth. Your journey has been long and hard in order to build strength of character." The mountain speaks only truth and light. She trusted these words and felt the sting of truth within her very being.

But what has strength of character to do with my purpose here in this life she wondered?

She wanted to hear the voice of the mountain again. She ached for an answer to her question, "what is my purpose here and where do I find love?" Somehow she felt that her purpose and finding love was one-in-the-same.

As the brief glance of her life came to a close, tears of regret filled her aging eyes. A cold chill gripped her body. Just as she was wishing she had brought along a jacket, a warm gentle wind surrounded her entire being.

Then the mountain spoke. "Your purpose here in this life is to grow. Nothing in nature ever stops growing. Even in the winter, there's always a dawning nature in what appears to be the sunset of life for many living things."

Growth in your life, as in nature, comes from a process of maturing through the seasons of your life. Each day, as you grow older, you're in a constant state of personal growth from the personal changes you make, the risks you take, the challenges you face, the decisions you make, the setbacks you suffer, the illnesses and injuries you heal and grow stronger from, and the new experiences you have.

"Nature teaches you to grow through all the seasons of your life. I, too have grown through storms, and the natural progression of the years. I, too have suffered pain, abuse, and neglect from mankind.

Give up your growth, and your muscles, your mind and your spirit will atrophy and die. You must continue to grow. Spring is never very far away in your life, my dear. Live through each winter and let your spirit soar. Begin now to prepare for the new growth that awaits you."

Thinking that the mountain had finished, she began to make preparations to leave. "Wait...I'm not quite finished. You have spent your whole life searching for love. Oh, dearest lady. you've been looking in the wrong place. The love you seek is not found in other people, neither is it found in things.

The greatest love of all is right inside of you. YOU are love. Find that love, feel it, cherish it and become one with it. And when you have discovered this love, go, and share it with others."

And so it is.

We all, at one time or another, stand on our own mountain top. Maybe it's a time to reflect or perhaps to give thanks and gratitude for a specific blessing or experience. As we stand on our mountain top we can survey with a stronger sense of awareness our own weaknesses.

Like colors on an artist's canvas we are open to our own feelings and allow them to flow freely. We become closer to truth. Feelings must not be judged Feelings are not subject to interpretation or judgment. They just are.

Here, on our mountain, we can express who we are. We can connect with and feel our sense of purpose. It is here that we internalize self-love so that we can love others. We know that the true power in the universe is a totally peaceful power. It is the power of love, totally, freely and joyfully felt.

You Can Have It All - A simple guide to a joyful and abundant life. Arnold M. Patent