The Climb

For the last couple of years, I have had the overwhelmingly wonderful blessing of working with a TRiO program, Upward Bound. TRiO is a group of federally funded programs. Let's think of TRiO as the umbrella and all 8 programs underneath:

- EOC (Educational Opportunity Centers)

- SSS (Student Support Services)

- Talent Search

- Veterans Upward Bound

- Upward Bound

- Upward Bound Math & Science

- McNair

- Training Program

Each program is designed to work with students in a different area of education. GREAT programs! The program I work with, specifically, Upward Bound, works with high school students who will be first generation college students, first in their family to go to college and receive a degree. They have the opportunity to apply for our program (they have several criteria they are required to meet) when they enter 9th grade. If accepted, we work with them through high school to pass graduation exams, excel on ACT, improve high school GPA, improve overall character, life skills, college acceptance, entrance and financing, etc. to name a few. These kids become our life, so in a sense you could say they have multiple parents now, and we have many children :) I would have it no other way. When I receive a text in the middle of the night from a student who is concerned about scholarship deadlines or whether or not we have UB the next day, or maybe even because a boyfriend broke up with them, I truly consider it an honor that God has allowed me to work with this program. I have always told these kids that I will be one of their biggest cheerleaders, whatever life throws at them. This is a group of kids who have been dealt a not so great deck of cards in life, to say the least.

One of our summer program a couple years ago included a parent night so we wanted to put together a little presentation. I worked with another staff member to create a black light show. Really wishing I had the video to insert here, but I dont :( We choreographed it to Miley Cyrus "The Climb". The kids still give me grief over that song. Evidently its not their favorite, but the words are WONDERFUL! Whether you are a Miley fan or not, you cannot deny the lyrics are awesome! I've put some of the lyrics below, but you can watch the video to hear the rest. One thing I stress to my kids, over and over, is that we need to expect there to be obstacle, rough patches, mountains in life. They will happen. The key here is learning how to work through them, how to climb the mountain and not give up. It is such a joy when we have alum come into our office who previously graduated from our program and are now in college. They sit down and chat about life and whether they realize it or not, we hear how they are learning to work through life's obstacles on their own. We hear about the mountains they have successfully climbed and it makes me so happy. It makes me so proud of them. And some students come in and it seems to be a constant climb for them. Some have great endurance and others are panting for a breath so thirsty for a break...but they are still climbing.

There's always gonna be another mountain

I'm always gonna wanna make it move

Always gonna be a uphill battle

Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there

Ain't about what's waiting on the other side

It's the climb

The struggles I'm facing

The chances I'm taking

Sometimes might knock me down

But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it

But these are the moments that

I'm gonna remember most, yeah

Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong

Just keep pushing on

As a teacher, advisor, and mother of 2, it never cease to amaze me how God uses my children and my students to teach me something that I've been teaching them. I feel like the last year in my life has been filled with mountains. Perhaps a hilly run that I forgot to train for. Sometimes its in those moments when I am trying to explain to my 4 year old why someone used ugly words to him or when I'm consoling a 19 year old college student who has struggled with transitioning to college life, that I realize "these are the moments that you remember most, but you gotta keep on going". It's often times these mountains that make you stronger. And you never know who you will run into on the "climb" who will need you to encourage them on the way and perhaps to run alongside for a while. Do I wish that I could have avoided some of the mountains I've had this past year...YES! I wish I was holding Harrison in my arms right now as I'm typing this. But I chose to run the path God picked for me and my commitment to him was not just for the joyous parts of the run that were easy on me, the runs downhill, but it was a commitment to love him and give him my all the whole way, the good, the bad, the easy, and the hard. If you think about what all you might need if you are heading out for a trek through the mountains you may consider taking the following items shoes, clothing, water, food, sleeping gear, phone, flashlight, and maybe a first aid kit. Pretty heavy load right? I think sometimes we get wrapped up too much in the preparation for what's ahead. Do we not trust Deuteronomy 1:30 The" LORD your God, who is going before you, will fight for you, as he did for you in Egypt, before your very eyes"? If we did trust him then we would realize that his grace is sufficient, his grace is all we need "But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 His grace has everything we need:

- Shoes "Walk in all the way that the LORD your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess." Deuteronomy 5:33

- Clothing "Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes." Eph 6:11

- Water "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." Matthew 5:6 - Food "... to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD" Deuteronomy 8:3

- Sleeping Gear "Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him; Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes." Psalm 37:7

- Phone "I called on the LORD, who is worthy of praise, and he saved me from my enemies" 2 Samuel 22:4 - Flashlight "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path." Psalm 119:105

- First Aid Kit "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds." Psalm 147:3

As Christians, we are really good at saying to others "one day you'll look back and be thankful", "you'll get pregnant again and be thankful for this time", "it will make you stronger", "that happened to me one time", "when its all over you'll be so glad", "you'll forget it after it ever happened". And I'm going to be honest, those phrases gripe be so bad. You want to know why....because we call ourselves Christians and we are focusing on the end result. We are skipping over potentially some of the greatest joys of being a Christian. If we focus on the end we possibly miss all that God wants to show us, to teach us, along the way. Yes losing Harrison was by far the darkest, hardest, saddest time of my life EVER. But friends, it was simultaneously the greatest time of hope in my life when I was closest to the Lord. The process of adopting is not an easy journey, its not a short journey, its not all pretty. It is full of rejection, tears, paperwork, waiting, persecution, explaining, let down, financial stress, and fear. But it is also full of God's promises, opportunities to serve the Lord, opportunities to share God's love with others, opportunities to stand up for Christ, opportunities to grow your faith, opportunities to prove satan wrong. It's full of opportunities, but we have to choose those opportunities. We can choose to ignore all God has in store for us along the way, or we can fully embrace HIM. Enjoy the climb, the mountains, the rough patches. Seek Gods face and find out what he wants you to learn along the way. Its not always about the end of the journey....its about the climb!