Monday's Musings: Mountaintop Memories can help in Valley Times

by Mary Denman     @MaryDenman

Mountaintop Memories by Mary Denman Photography

I don't know anyone who doesn't love a good mountaintop experience. A time where life if at it's fullest. Your work is going well. You get confirmation that you're on the right track. You know that God really does love you. 

We love being on the mountaintop. But we can't stay there forever. No matter how much we want. It always comes to an end.

And the only way to leave the mountaintop is by going down.

But this doesn't have to be a terrible thing.

Part of learning from a mountaintop experience is knowing how to leave and take it with us back down to the valley.
We can't take all of it. But we can take the memories. 

Ridgecrest by Mary Denman Photography

I'm learning memories can be very powerful. For the good. They can be hard, too. But mountaintop memories can help carry us in the valley times. 

I just left Blue Ridge Mountain Christian Writers Conference. I was the conference photographer and did head shots for authors. I love the conference. I love what I do. I meet amazing people. I make awesome new friends. Reconnect with people from last year. 

It's a mountaintop experience for sure. 

But now I'm back home. 

Reality hits. 

The house needs to be vacuumed. The dishes need to be done. Laundry. You know the drill. And I'm staring at a computer screen. Which I want to do. But being surrounded by like minded people is more fun. Now it's back to the solitude life of being a writer.

As bloggers and writers, we spend a lot of time alone. Doing our writing. Editing. Blogging. Then, we put it out there. Hoping it touches someone. 

That's formula for insecurity if I've ever heard one.

But this is where the mountaintop memories come in. 

Blue Ridge Mountains by Mary Denman Photography

I remember the encouragement. Someone telling me, "Mary, I read your blog and I love your photography tips on Friday." This was from someone I didn't even know who follows my blog! And she stopped me just to tell me that. That made my day!  

That helps give me the strength to decide to keep going when my well is a little dry. Or when I'm really tired. 

I remember the smiles of people I do head shots of. Someone telling me that they love the head shot I did last year for them. People saying thank you for the photography tips that they can understand. 

Mary Denman Photography

And I learned something else. Giving encouragement to others can also help bring the mountaintop experience home. It's a way to share the encouragement that I received with others who couldn't be at Blue Ridge. 

I'd really like to say thank you to you, my readers. Your comments mean a lot and they touch me. They keep me going. I love that my blog reaches to other countries. That I have friends in other countries. I'm humbled by that. I hope one day to meet some of you when I'm able to travel. 

But I know that it's time out of your day to read my blog. Thank you for doing that. I truly appreciate you. And I hope that it helps you. Inspires or teaches you something. 

So, what mountaintop memories do you have? Care to share? I, for one, would love to hear them! 

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