Ash Wednesday Thoughts

The Mountain Climber

Without my say

I was born into

a family of people

who climb mountains.

Each generation struggled

up the mountain and some

made it and some did not.

Now it is my turn.

I begin slowly

placing baby steps

along the well-traveled path.

Then, I got older

and it became harder

to place my feet

where they should go.

Sometimes, as I neared

the top and felt as if

I might make it

to the crest,

I would decide to take a rest.

I lingered too long in a life

of sin and found myself slipping

and tumbling down the

mountain so high.

The fall landed me

near the bottom of the hill,

and I wondered if I should give up.

I had been taught to not stop

trying to reach my goal.

The climb now seemed harder.

There were many

temptations along the way

and many times I stopped to play.

That high peak seemed unobtainable

Yet, if I could climb to the top

I knew it would be beautiful,

a sight to behold,

a place of peace.

There would be no more struggles

No more falling into an abyss.

For I would have

gained what I yearned for

no longer would my life be a chore.

My life's goal is to reach the top

without making my life a big flop.

I will continue trying

and climbing until I

reach that paradise

that was promised to me

so long ago.

E. Moscoso

Ash Wednesday

February 10, 2015