The history of the area that I grew up in is recorded in a two-volume set entitled Hills of Hope. I always loved that name and reading the pages that recorded the past of our family. As I enjoyed an early morning seaside walk, surrounded by mountains to the east and south, I thought of high places in the context of our history and our lives.
From the standpoint all faiths, mountains and big hills hold significance. They are mentioned over 500 times in the Bible and repeatedly in Buddhist, Hindu, Judaist and Islamic text. They hold place in all the major and minor religions and in Indigenous history around the globe.
The reasons vary. For some they are ancestral, for others an anchor. They are used for meditation and for solitude and frequently considered sacred. They are often thought of as majestic and humbling. In all corners of the world, mountains are revered and believed to bring us closer to the Divine and to ourselves. They are places of both refuge and revelation. Big things have happened on mountains!
From my travels I recall the outcrops of Argentina – so old and weathered and different in energy from the brooding and unsettled feel of being deep in the Andes in Peru. Those mountains felt as though they were waiting to heal. Yielding a machete on the mountainsides of Fiji and Cuba was a tropical and very different world. The young snow dusted mountains of the Canadian Rockies and the historic Bavarian Alps beckoned both play and adventure. Whereas the ancient cliffs of Desolation Sound left me mute in the presence of the wisdom I felt pour out of their teary waterfalls. So often when looking at the shear force of a mountain I feel I am witness to old stories in every crease of their rocky face.
Every experience held me accountable in the next step and was inwardly challenging.
At times, it may seem a long way to the top and climbing a mountain can be tough. You’ve got to be in shape – and mentally prepared. And so it is with our lives – it can be all uphill sometimes and certainly never easy. We get tired, not because we are not capable, but because we may be ill equipped, out of shape or have lost our faith. Sometimes, we forget why we started climbing in the first place!
If we were to record and examine our lives, there would be more than one huge event that seemed insurmountable. And yet, here we are, sharing a story and looking to the next challenge – the next day. If we are equipped with common sense, support, faith, gratitude and curiosity – then we are in great shape. If we understand that it is the journey that matters and keep believing in ourselves – then we are unstoppable.
It is a good week for reflection and to consider the hills and mountains we have climbed and the barriers we have overcome in our lives. A time to be grateful for the chance and the choices we have every morning. A time for hope when standing in the shadows of a force seemingly larger than ourselves. Every step matters – and where ever that journey takes us – is exactly where we are meant to be.
Brenda Schoepp @Copyright 2026
