The comfort of knowing He is there

This was put on Facebook as a first hand story, by this granddaughter, who said:

"About 45 years ago my grandma told me a story, it meant something to me, as I remember the meaning but not the story other than this:

A boy, seeking a great gift, goes to the wise man for the answer.

The wise man tells the boy to climb a mountain and he must stay there at the top of this mountain for three days, then he will give the boy what he seeks. But the boy is instructed that he can not have a fire and must do it alone.

The boy climbs the mountain, night sets in, and he starts to feel very lonely and cold. He goes on for the first two days, and on the third day, as the cloak of darkness comes upon him. The loneliness and bitter cold set in. 

The boy is just about to give up, when across the valley, on another peek, he can make out an old man sitting by a brilliant fire.

He focuses on the remote spire, his eyes drilled into the darkness, till all he could see was the old man and the fire. He began to feel the warmth of the fire, the loneliness that once consumed him, faded away as he shared the vacuum of space where only the two of them existed, he found what he searched for.

The greatest gift came to this young man, as he sat miles away from the fire, the warmth settled upon his heart. The old man who instructed him, was the very man who, from a distance, provided the companionship and warmth that kept this young man going through the last night.

This story, although scattered and incomplete, still weighs on me. I can see the young boy in me and many others.

"The old man" who I asked for blessings, has always been watching over me and though his companionship and truth, I was able to gain the strength I needed to get through those young years.

Today, many years later, I feel the companionship of the "old wise man", who in the darkest hours stands illuminated by the glow of the fire he shares, not just with me, but with all who will take a moment to look up, across the sea of emptiness, and witness the warmth of the fire He wants to share with us all."