Living life on the edge.

"Do one thing every day that scares you." --Eleanor Roosevelt
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"Jordan, slow down and...stay away from the edge!"

"Watch it, Nate. Stay to the inside."

My mind raced with unspoken mental warnings as we hiked single-file down into the Canyon, but I worked hard to keep them to myself.

I watched warily as Jorge (leading us by a good quarter mile much of the way) navigated the trail like a mountain goat. I even began calling him that. He thought nothing of venturing right up to the edge and peering over in awe.

I, on the other hand, was mentally freaking out.

I walked behind Mike and just in front of Nate and flinched every time I heard Nate slide behind me. It took everything in me not to spin around and check to make sure he was all right.

But the guys were seventeen and eighteen that year. If they didn't know by then not to hang precariously over the largest hole in the ground on Earth, then really...what was I to do?

So instead - on that day - I kept my thoughts to myself, silently praying that the four of us would finish this hike without sliding off the edge or being bonked on the head by falling rock.

I'm their mom. It's my job to imagine all of these "what-if" scenarios, right?

As I bit my tongue and forced myself to concentrate on my own progress, I couldn't help but compare this physical hike to the paths the boys will be taking very soon as they both move on to college and then to their life's calling.

I'm big on finding your passion in life and then following it. I encourage my boys all the time to never settle for less than that. Live life to the fullest, take calculated risks, experience the unknown.

So much goodness in life lies just beneath the surface. A little more exploring might very well uncover the richest jewels in our lives. But the desire to dig a bit deeper has to be there, or else these jewels will remain undiscovered, wasting away beneath our feet. Close enough to touch, yet never touching our lives.

I'm wondering if one day I'll have to bite my tongue again, staying quiet as the mental warnings scurry through my mind.

"Jorge, slow down. Take your time. Make sure this decision is a good one, one you can live with."

"Nate, I...I don't know. This seems too risky to me."

My boys might not be on the edge of a trail in the Grand Canyon, leaning over the edge of a precipice, scaring the daylights out of their mom.

But maybe they'll be doing something much scarier, navigating their way through Life's paths, taking chances instead of playing it safe. Digging deeper for hidden jewels instead of settling for status quo.

I pray I won't freak out.

I pray that every slip of the foot and every wrong turn and every bump in the road will lead them to the purpose and calling I know God has placed on their lives.

I pray they'll uncover jewels that have been left behind by others less willing to do the work involved, less willing to sacrifice the time required, and less willing to give of themselves for a cause or purpose deemed worthy.

I pray that they'll care enough to try the scary stuff.

And - if they can do that - they'll see beauty beyond anything they ever dreamed.

SUBMITTED BY: Staci Wilder