When we'll see our final sunrise
Or the sunset's evening glow
God has predetermined,
It is not for us to know.

But each of us leaves footprints
On the trail we leave behind
Of the mountains we've ascended
And how we made our climb.

The mountains we've all surely faced,
Paths crossed along the way,
And the markers we have left behind
In life from day to day.

You may have been a lifeline,
An answer to a prayer,
With thougtful words, a hand of hope
In a cup of kindness shared.

For we are all connected
By lifelines, if you will;
The lifeline someone needed
While traveling up their hill.

Perhaps you held the compass
To be another's guide
Who followed in your footsteps
On the trail you left behind.

Or shared a song of laughter
While dancing in the rain;
Knowing that the path you've crossed
You may never cross again.

But savored every moment
And shared the beauty of it all
Of the portrait God has painted
While scaling up your wall.

So let us all be mindful
Of the course we choose to take
In reaching our destination;
Our trail cannot be changed.

For when you reach the summit,
God's chosen day and time,
It matters not the mountains scaled
But how you made your climb.

08/23/2010

Author's Note: I wrote this in memory of my brother-in-law, Duane Buhrmester, and his wife, Linda (Fischer) Buhrmester, who were both killed in a mountain climbing accident at Crestone Needle, Colorado July 27, 2010. They had been passionate about mountain climbing for nearly 37 years and passed their love for the mountains and climbing on to their two sons over the past 20 years. They were highly respected not only in their private life, but their professional lives as well; Duane as a professor and associate dean at the University of Texas at Dallas and Linda in the in-home day care she ran. Their deaths have left a void in the hearts of the two families they have left behind and in the hearts of everyone who ever knew them.

Posted on 08/23/2010
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