Doing the Right Thing

I do not handle chaos, confusion, or crowds well. So don't ask me why I organized the Charlotte home skiers group to bring each week to Sugar Mountain. It is all those C words mentioned above, and more. On top of that, in case I don't feel adequate stress to be sure a whole crew is safe and happy, I brought a group of 4 kids in my car yesterday. Only 1 was my own kid, so now I could quadruple my concerns over broken, mangled body parts.

Fortunately they are a great group of kids, and while it is not really easy being in charge, they are as good as they could be. Largely, once the first hour madness of getting everyone on the slope is over, I don't see them again till mealtime. Well, I see them, since we all are on the easy slope. On occasion, I go to the intermediate slope, but I like the beginner slope better since I suspect I would sustain fewer broken bones at 20 mph as opposed to 40 mph. The kids stay on the beginner slope. Anyway, everything was wonderful and without mishap, and every time I saw the kids, they were smiling and laughing, and snowboarding quite well.

I had told them to meet again in the lodge at 7:30 so we could return our rentals and be on the way home by 8. I told them not to get on a ski lift after 7:20. I was throughly enjoying the beautiful empty slopes of night skiing, but noticed after 7 pm, I hadn't seen the kids in a while. Usually I see them from the chair lift skiing down, or while I am skiing, I see them in the chairlift. It must just be because it is dark and I have missed them, I thought.

I returned to the lodge at 7:30. No kids yet. I wasn't worried because I was sure they had gotten on the ski lift at 7:21, thinking a minute wouldn't matter. At 7:40 they came tumbling into the lodge. They all had bright red cheeks, and Asherel had a tinge of green to her as well. Her eyes looked a little wild, and there was a look of perhaps terror lurking in her expression.

"We went to the top of the mountain!" they blurted out. Now I knew that the black diamond runs were at the top of the mountain- the trails that only people who have completely severed all neurons that travel to the section of the brain where rational thought occurs. Only Olympic skiers or serious lunatics go to the top of the mountain.
"You are kidding," I said, I hoped, I prayed.
Asherel shook her head weakly, "No we really did."
"By accident," cried Ben.
"You went to the top of the whole mountain?" I asked.
They all nodded.
"By accident," said Daniel.
"And we all skied down it, and none of us are dead," said one of them.
"By accident?" I asked.
"Well," explained Daniel, "Leo told us that if we went up the middle chair lift, there was an intermediate slope. We had already been on the bottom of the intermediate slope, so we knew we could do it. So we all got on the chair lift. Asherel and Alex were in the front, and then me and Ben, and then Leo was in the last chair. So we reached the middle of the slope where we were supposed to get off the chair lift at the first stop...but Asherel and Alex stayed on, so we thought they were being brave and wanted to get off at the second stop. But then they didn't get off, and the next stop was the top of the mountain."
"Why didn't you get off, Asherel?"
"We missed it. We just didn't notice till it was too late."
"And then we started freaking out," said Alex. She and Asherel exchanged glances.
"I told Daniel, we better get off at that first chairlift stop anyway, where we were supposed to," said Ben, "Cause I was already getting nervous."
"But," said Daniel, "I was terrified, but I told him, we can't let them go up there alone. We better stay with them."
"You're right...." said Ben, though he figured the older and wiser (and instigator of this dilemma) Leo, would probably stay with them, and frankly, he was not thrilled to be falling on the sword for the girls who were responsible for putting the boys in this sticky situation.

When the got off at the top of the mountain, I am told Asherel was repeating over and over again, "Why am I here? What am I doing here on top of this mountain?" All the kids told me they were all petrified. Ben noticed that while there were runs marked with the dreaded Black Diamond, there was one run marked with a blue diamond- for intermediate level skiers that would take them to the bottom.
"We just stay on the Blue trail," said Ben.

Asherel is actually a very good snowboarder, but at the top of the mountain,
she was not filled with her usual confidence.
"I braked the whole way down," she said.
Leo and Daniel stayed with her. They would careen down a little ways, and then turn back and wait, shouting encouragement. Ben and Alex went on ahead, as braking takes enormous energy and even skill, and they are newer to the sport than even Asherel.
"Were you scared?" I asked Daniel.
"We were petrified!" he said.
"But we did it," they said, "And we didn't even wipe out."

I thought of how the boys, with less experience than the girls in the lift in front of them had overcome rational thought, and immense fear to do the right thing.

"You should have seen it, Mom," said Asherel, "It was a really beautiful view from the top of the mountain."

Yes, I could imagine it was. The view of courage and righteousness is always beautiful.

As we drove home, the kids still high on adrenaline sang "100 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" all the way to the end. It took about a half an hour. As they finished, one kid shouted, "Again!"
"No," I said, "I think I have reached my limit."
(But Praise God for the limitless spirit of those kids singing in my car, I thought, and God's limitless mercy in protecting them and honoring their courage.)

Joshua 2:11-13, 22-24
11 When we heard the news we lost our courage and no one could even breathe for fear of you. For the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on earth below!
12 So now, promise me this with an oath sworn in the LORD's name. Because I have shown allegiance to you, show allegiance to my family. Give me a solemn pledge
13 that you will spare the lives of my father, mother, brothers, sisters, and all who belong to them, and rescue us from death."
22 They went to the hill country and stayed there for three days, long enough for those chasing them to return. Their pursuers looked all along the way but did not find them.
23 Then the two men returned - they came down from the hills, crossed the river, came to Joshua son of Nun, and reported to him all they had discovered.
24 They told Joshua, "Surely the LORD is handing over all the land to us!

-Everything is possible with God