Chutes and Ladders

Thursday, Dakota asked if I could play Chutes and Ladders with her. I was busy, but decided I needed to spend time with her doing something of her choice. I must admit, this is NOT one of my favorite games. It's frustrating and can potentially be a very long, drawn out game. There are 9 ladders and 10 chutes. You spin the spinner, moving along the number of squares it stopped on, hoping to hit the ladders and miss the chutes. The longest ladder is my favorite. It catapults you from square number 28 to number 84, helping you bypass all the other falls in between. But, watch out for the chute that follows on square 87. If you are so unlucky to land on that one, you slide yourself all the way back to square number 24. The frustrating thing about this game is that just as you start to make ground toward the 100th box (where the big ribbon declares you a winner), you land on a chute that takes you backwards. Even with all the ladders along the way, theres always one more chute.

Dakota soon realized she was behind and she got disappointed. I told her that just because she was behind, it didn't mean she would lose. Sure enough, I hit chute after chute, including the nemesis. As I fought my way back with futile attempts at the bottom, Dakota and Oakley hit ladder after ladder. And after a few more good spins, Dakota became a winner and Oakley shortly followed. And there was was, still half way up on the board. I spun and I spun, and I climbed and I slid, determined to make it to the end. Finally, I was a winner (3rd place), but a winner in the end. Whew! Game Over!

As I put the game away, I thought more about the process of the play. Beyond the great Family Home Evenings we've had using Chutes and Ladders as the LESSON on consequences of good choices and bad choices, I had an epiphany of the valuable lesson it teaches about LIFE! We all go along in life, making our moves, dodging the pitfalls, while seeking the good. But no matter how hard we try, we can't avoid all the chutes that come at us - the loss of a job, housing situations, the death of a family member, serious illness - most often NOT brought on by poor choices. These are challenges that our Heavenly Father has set in our way for a reason and always something that makes us stronger. Some chutes can be resolved quickly by a miraculous ladder that shows up just in time, lifting our spirits. Other chutes take a little longer to recover from. Little ladders come to our aid occasionally raising us little by little. For other chutes, there are no resolves, no fixes. However, this doesn't mean we are stuck. Although, the challenge will never be taken away, the other ladders along the way can help to make our life better, offering a rest, a new perspective, a tiny miracle, an ounce of hope, a friend. And eventually they allow us to make it to the top where we are all winnners in the end.

We won't all make it to the end of "Chutes and Ladders" (a.k.a. Life) at the same time, or in the same way. It may take some of us longer to finish. And for some of us it will be harder. We may question the easiness that others have...all their lucky breaks and wonder why we have it so rough. But, if we can view the chutes as a "growing experience", hold on to those ladders as they come along, and endure to the end, we'll all make it!

P.S. I'd like to thank all the little "ladders" that have come along in my life. Thank you for your prayers and support!