Colorado to El Paso

After we woke up and bid adieu to Will and Francis, the morning began at 7:06am in a cave in downtown Denver, the cave of the Holy Ghost, and a little man read the Gospel immediately as we walked in. The disciples argued among them as to who was the greatest, and then the short deacon gave us his impression of the reading and its message for our lives. We did not realize just how short he was until the altar was set for the consecration, the priest rose from his chair, and it became readily apparent just how much this Franciscan friar shared with a dwarf. And yet, a small man with a great conviction for the Lord that challenged us to go forth and change our lives for Christ.

The burrito shop was not open when we arrived, and so Tim Danaher, Daniel and myself investigated the neighborhood – in our time finding a “Thinking Place,” “Miss Kitty’s,” and finally an Episcopalian Church that revealed no entrance. So we returned to the original destination and enjoyed three wonderfully authentic Mexican breakfast burritos. Their heat revealed the authenticity. After the burritos a treat called something like a “polvoriento” as it consisted of a cookie covered in powdered sugar that proceeded to get all over our hands and the floor where we decided to split it. The real significance of the moment lay in the fact that I communicated with him purely in Spanish, and that he treated it as a normal occurrence. This I have sought for a long time.

After a heartfelt goodbye to Tim Danaher, we hit the road. Not far along we made a stop at the Garden of the Gods. Here the red rocks shoot from the earth as if propelled by the force of angels fighting beneath the earth. Their appeal and beauty is indescribable, and one of the greatest things of all is that this, like many other natural parks in Colorado (including Red Rocks) is free to visitors. The sheer size of each individual formation brought a silence to my heart and soul, and I felt at peace there on the outskirts of Colorado Springs.



The drive continued until Santa Fe, New Mexico. The first time ever for us both in the city, we had few expectations and one goal: to see the miraculous staircase at the Loretto Chapel. Not having done any research, as usual, we pulled off the highway onto St. Francis Drive and into a little apartment complex searching for a café in which to get internet and find the place on Google Maps. As it turned out, the apartments had wireless and we were able to find the chapel and figure out how to get there almost immediately. So we followed our contrived directions and sure enough, amid a little village of adobe architecture, the chapel appeared. We were short on time and needed to make it to Albuquerque one hour away by 7pm, it was 5:30pm when we arrived, and the chapel was set to close at 6pm. Providence.



Once inside, tears literally came to my eyes as I viewed in person for the first time, the subject of a science report I had written in third grade. I do not recall how such a topic was chosen, or why, but that we recreated the structure out of Legos, and at the end saw it appropriate to spray paint it all gold. The chapel itself was constructed in 1878 by the Sisters of Loretto, and the small space was equipped with beautiful stained glass windows as well as a marble altar from Italy. The choir loft, high above and at the back of the small chapel, was perfect in every respect except that it was unreachable, and due to the architecture there was no room for a traditional staircase. So the sisters prayed a novena to the patron saint of carpentry Saint Joseph. Shortly after they finished their prayer, a man came to them and offered to build a staircase. The sisters accepted. For six months the man worked, using no tools other than a hammer, a saw, and hot water to shape the wood. Once the staircase was completed he vanished, without seeking any form of payment, never return. To this day it is believed that St. Joseph indeed appeared in answer to the women’s prayers and constructed the miraculous staircase. The miracle lies in that the 33 step staircase rises **** feet, makes two complete 360 degree turns, and was built with no center or any other form of support. The staircase stands purely on the perfection of its craftsmanship. It is truly an astonishing sight to see, and I would have liked more time to sit there and reflect, however as the site is no longer owned by the Church, and the Blessed Sacrament is no longer reserved there, we took a trip down the street to the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis. This place truly reflects the presence of the Lord set in adobe and surrounded by statues of St. Francis, a maze in the brick allegorically representing life, and a beautiful sanctuary housing a representation of Mary known as “La Conquistadora” in Spanish and “Our Lady of Peace” in English. An interesting irony as the first means “The Conqueror” in English and the second would be “Nuestra Señora de la Paz” in Spanish. As the children’s choir was practicing next to Our Lady, we decided to enter the adoration chapel to pray, and an indomitable peace overcame me. Over the altar the words *** were written in Spanish, and in the atrium, there were pamphlets available in both languages. Perhaps this was the world I had been seeking.
The sun was setting as we entered the Cathedral, but upon leaving we were washed in a light so pure and so warm, that I truly fell in love. The rays overcame me, and though I could feel in them the 100 degree plus days of summer, I knew that I had found something in this capital city of the “Holy Faith” in the “Land of Enchantment,” the state of Nuevo México. From the interstate down to Albuquerque the burning ball slowly eased itself behind the arid, rolling hills, captivating me on the passenger side. As night came on, the lights of the largest city in New Mexico drew nearer, and we were a glorious 15 minutes late. Glorious because that time had been spent contemplating a place and a feeling in Santa Fe, that I had not felt in a long time. The surge of passion, and ideas for the future!

Daniel King met us just off campus from the University of New Mexico, and after a brief greeting, we embarked upon the 45 minute drive into the wilderness and the house they were sitting. ‘Twas a magnificent reunion touching on all that had transpired in the two years that we had not seen each other. Rachel now teaches and Daniel has entered the Army ROTC soon to receive word as to whether he will go active duty or reserves. The night was also filled with the interaction of some very beloved pets, whose care was explicitly outlined and explained in writing, and rivals the quality of care that I give myself! ;) Keeping the fixings from Ian, the blind, but most friendly and yet most mischievous of the bunch, we laughed and reminisced over pizza and salad, and then the requisite post-meal cup of tea to which I have become so accustomed. We cleaned up, and Rachel and Daniel showed us the room where we were to sleep. The bed appeared to be well-made, and the room extremely clean and kept up, with an attached full bathroom separated into a room with two sinks and a shower, and a separate, small room for the toilet. Heaven had arrived for the night. I showered, and we settled down for a quick four and a half hours of dreamless sleep, and then arose for an authentic New Mexico breakfast. At Milly’s my Daniel ordered “huevos rancheros,” Rachel the breakfast burrito, Rachel’s Daniel the chicken steak, and I the “carne adovada burritos.”



Daniel’s dish included chiles, cheese,hash browns, beans, scrambled eggs, all on a flour tortilla. Mine consisted of “carne adovada” – pulled pork mixed with green chiles – in flour tortillas with a side of lettuce and hash browns. The food was amazing, coffee was a life-saver, and we talked of brothers and sisters, family and friends, and around 8am Rachel had to go. So we took a shot outside the restaurant, and Daniel and I followed Rachel’s Daniel to UNM, where we used the computer to catch up, before we departed for El Paso. Right now we are about a half hour out, and very much looking forward to seeing Cristina and Gaby for a couple of days. The Spanish and memories will be flowing, and Daniel will get to meet two very dear friends who I have not seen in a very long time!