As I climb the mountain of understanding,

I realize anew that it is a tortuous path.

Craggy, near vertical cliffs,

The way is hard and seems slow,

I am tired often, bruised often, lonely often,

But, determined, I climb on,

I pause to rest, to heal, to reflect,

Then continue,

I will not go back down, I cannot now,

I’ve come too far to come back,

There is another path, an easier one,

It winds gently around the mountain side,

Slowly, easily ascending the same mountain,

It is well-traveled, thickly populated,

But I will get there first,

By choice, climbing this difficult, near-vertical face,

I am alone, yet not alone,

For one shares my spirit with me,

He sustains me, He knows why I climb,

I cannot see everything from this vantage point,

I can see much, but not all,

Only at the top will I see clearly in all directions,

Only at the top can I truly rest,

That prize, and the One who is in me that I shall see there, keeps me going.

– 2000?