I can do hard things!

After only two hours of sleep, I woke up at three in the morning and started an eight mile hike. My aunt, my good friend Leticia, and I hiked to the top of Squaw Peak. Because we left so early, we were able to go see the sun rise from the top. Its was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen! We hiked about 2/3 of the way there in the dark. It was starting to get a little lighter outside as we reached a huge meddow. By the time we got to the other end, it was light enough not to need our lights anymore.


I had brought my journal with me on this hike, and when we got to the top and after watching the sun rise i wrote in my journal for a while. Here is just a few thoughts that I had written after such a beautiful hike. "It is so amazingly beautiful and peaceful up here. Away from all the worldly trials and concern. I've spent most of my life thinking I can't do it. What ever "it" was at the time, I just couldnt do it. But today that thought went away. I, along with anyone, can do hard things if we set our minds to it. On our way up here I was thinking a lot about how hiking or climbing a moutain can relate to life in many ways. This trail in particular had a ton of rocks we had to hike on and over and around. There were also many really steep inclines. It was probably one of the hardest things I've done, but as I looked up from those rocks and steep hills I was climbing, I was suddenly surrounded by so much beauty. We all have our own personal hills to climb and rocks to get over, but if we look up from our problems for just a split second, at the least, then we realize there is so much more out there than what we are worried about. So much beauty. I'm very grateful for what the Lord has created for us and his willingness to share it all. Yeah the climb might be super hard and long, but what's waiting for us at the end is so worth it."

We must have spent at least two hours up there just looking around. Looking at the place we see every day of our lives, just in a new perspective. My favorite thing to see while I was up there was the temples. Just from that one place we saw I think three temples. It makes me really grateful that we have them so close. Even though I'm not old enough to go in besides Baptisms for the dead, the temple is still such a help to me. I go there somtimes with friends to just talk or think or read. It brings the spirit so strong to be so close to the Lord and His house. Over all, everything was just so amazing and I would highly recomend it. Its worth it!

"No one said it was going to be easy, they just promised it would be worth it"