Photostory Friday: The Peak

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Sometimes we tend to think of life as a series of high points and low points. The truth is, the vast majority of life is lived somewhere on the road, between those peaks and valleys, and if you don't learn to find contentment on that path -- in everyday life -- then you're in for a long and miserable life.

I have a good life. I don't love every aspect of it, but in the areas that really matter, I am happy.

About seven months ago, I was in the darkest valley of my life. My wife had been diagnosed with a rare form of stomach cancer, and I felt completely hopeless and helpless. I WAS helpless, there was nothing I could do. Even going back and reading my posts from that time brings those feelings back to the surface.

So much has happened since then. Sharon is cancer free, she is healthier than she has been, almost since I've known her. That dark valley seems like a lifetime ago.

This past Tuesday night -- Sharon's birthday, incidentally -- I reached a peak.

I didn't graduate from college, or get a book published, or win some photography ribbon. I just stood on the shore of a small lake, and watched the sun go down.

It was one of those sunsets that gets better every minute. Every new phase was more beautiful than the one before. In fact, the most stunning colors came after the sun was long gone. It was hypnotizing and breathtaking and overwhelming. There were times that I couldn't tell where the water ended and the sky began. It lasted forever. The moment lingered, as though my desire alone held it bound.

The thing about a peak is, that as long as you continue moving upward, all the roads you travel will lead you to that place. And, when you arrive, you think about all that led you to that point, and as I stood on that shore, watching God paint the far western horizon, I thought of all that was good in my life -- my wife, my children, my family and friends -- all that lifts me up, and I was filled with a sublime peace and a quiet joy. The beauty of the moment surrounded me and penetrated to the core.

The sun set, and the night came on, and the path of life stretched in front of me once again.

But the memory of my moment at the peak is still glowing.