Sometimes... That Mountain Doesn't Move

Newspaper Article: October 12, 2014

Five years ago, several iconic Utah musicians sat in a Salt Lake City hospital room with another iconic Utah musician, pianist Paul Cardall, who was waiting/hoping for a heart transplant.

Ryan Shupe was there, and Peter Breinholt, and Mindy Gledhill, and Charley Jenkins, among others. They sat around and played songs and offered hope and encouragement, which was sorely needed. If Cardall didn’t get a heart transplant very soon, he would die.

But prospects were good. His name had risen to the top of the list waiting for a donor heart. The next one that became available would be his.

As he lay in his bed, the thought struck Cardall that for him to get a new heart, someone else was going to have to die.

“I kind of feel guilty praying for a brand new heart,” he confided to his friends, “knowing someone else’s prayers won’t get answered.”

After the concert/party/hospital visit was over and the nurses were shooing everyone out of the room, one of the musicians leaned over and said to Cardall, “OK, when you get better we’re going to write that song.”

It was Charley Jenkins. The country singer, of course.

That song would be about the prayers God answers, and doesn’t.

He had the idea — Cardall had given them that in the hospital room — but getting it down on paper was proving as complicated as the concept.

He recruited some songwriters he knew in Nashville for help and they “started to tighten the nuts on it.” One verse talked about a bride praying that it wouldn’t rain on her wedding day while a farmer in the midst of a drought is praying that it will. Another verse replicates the Paul Cardall heart transplant scene in a hospital room.

But it wasn’t until Jenkins was having a conversation about religion one day with a writer friend that he had what songwriters call “the hook.”

The friend discussed a talk he’d heard by a Mormon bishop who spoke about the concept of faith being able to move mountains, but who also observed, “Sometimes the mountains don’t move.”

That’s it! thought Charley. He completed the song with this chorus:

Sometimes all we see is our slice of reality

But things are not as simple as they seem to be

There’s times hard as we pray heaven has another way

And even though there’s nothing faith can’t do

Sometimes that mountain doesn’t move

THAT MOUNTAIN

PERFORMED CHARLEY JENKINS

A young bride on her knees 
Asking God, “please, 
don’t let it rain.” 
With the groom and family 
outside waiting 
on her special day. 
“Please let the clouds blow by, 
O give us clear blue skies,” 
she prays. 
Down the road a few miles out of town 
A farmer’s on his knees. 
His crops are dying in his fields, 
Won’t last another week. 
“Don’t let the clouds go blow by, 
Let rain drops fill the skies,” he prays. 

Chorus 
Sometimes all we see 

Is our slice of reality 
But things are not as simple 
as they seem to be 
There’s times hard as we pray 
Heaven has another way 
And even though there’s nothing faith can't do 
sometimes that mountain doesn’t move. 

Gathered in a waiting room a family hopes 
that the doctors wrong 
when he says the machines have kept her 
But she’s already gone 
“Our daughter’s way to young 
Don’t let her days be done,” they pray. 
Three flours up and just down the hall 
A little one’s shutting down 
He’s been the first name on the list 
Going on six months now 
“Pease let this be the day, 
A new heart’s on it’s way,” he prays. 

Chorus 

Hope one day I can see 
All the strokes in the master piece 
Then finally understand how they fit 
In the master plan. 

Chorus 

Down the road a few miles 
out of town 
A farmer’s on his knees. 
His crops are dying in his fields, 
Won’t last another week. 
“Don’t let the clouds blow by, 
Let rain drops fill the skies,” 
he prays. 

Sometimes all we see 
is our slice of reality, 
But things are not as simple 
as they seem to be. 
There’s times hard as we pray 
Heaven has another way 
and even though 
there’s nothing faith can't do 
sometimes that mountain 
doesn’t move. 

Gathered in a waiting room a family hopes that 
the doctors wrong 
when he says, 
“The machines have kept her here 
but she’s already gone.” 
“Our daughter’s way to young 
Don’t let her days be done,” they pray. 
Three flours up 
and just down the hall 
A little one’s shutting down 
He’s been the first name on the list 
Going on six months now 
“Pease let this be the day, 
A new heart’s on it’s way,” he prays. 

Hope one day I can see 
All the strokes in the master piece 
Then finally understand how they fit in the master plan.

I know I've been needing to post, but just got final word on my biopsy yesterday and was waiting to post until then. I was going to post something last night but honestly, just didn't want to do it. My results are back and it's the Triple Negative Breast Cancer that's metastasized to my brain and bones. That is the aggressive cancer from before. We figured this was probably the case but was hoping and praying for a little light in the darkness. I have an appointment with my doctor on Monday to discuss what treatment options are available to me through Chemo on his end. I will also be meeting with another Integrative Oncologist on Wednesday to see what options he thinks I have aside from Chemo. I'm also currently still a patient at Seattle Cancer Care Alliance and am setting up an appointment to meet with someone to see if there's anything new out there.  Honestly, I know the prognosis is not good but I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for me. I know that it is very different then the one I had planned. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought, even fighting cancer before, that I may never see my kids get married, or even all graduate, or hold my grandkids. But Heavenly Father has blessed me with time right now.  I have 4 weeks left of summer with my kiddos. We're going to fill that time together, taking pictures, making videos and putting these all together so they can always "Remember."

I started to read the Book of Mormon over again this week and with each chapter answer this question, "Why was this chapter written for Rebecca Price?" I believe that Heavenly Father had prophets of old, write and keep records of their day (the scriptures), so that we could read from them and learn and grow. That we might always "Remember" where we came from. If we don't take the time to learn from our past, then why are we here? I've just been thinking about this and the importance of remembering. I believe that we have a purpose here in this life. I believe that I lived with God before I came here and that He is the father of my spirit. He sent me here to learn and grow and prepare myself to live with Him eternally one day. With free agency (choice), I can choose which path I follow. As a parent it's hard to see our children make choices you wish they hadn't, but isn't that when we learn the most? That is why were here. If I gave everything I wanted to my kids and made life easy so that they never felt pain, they'd never understand happiness or joy. I love my Heavenly Father and am grateful for his guiding hand in my life. This mountain may not move but there will be others and I'm up for the challenge. Just today, I need a little rest.