We arrived in Canon and set up the house, then met with my sister-in-law, Beckie, to get the lay of the land. She drove me around town telling me about places to go and things to do. I soaked in the scenery enjoying the mountains on almost all sides. We had dinner and made plans to go to Colorado Springs the next day.
We drove into the city of my first memories and found the house I had lived in. I asked the owner if I could take a few pictures of the outside, and he actually said I could come in and see. It was so cool to walk into that space again, and so funny how small everything looked now. Next, we went to Garden of the Gods and let the kids hike around on some of the trails and rock formations. The Garden was even more beautiful than I remembered with its red stone sculptures jutting up into the clear blue sky.
Next, we made our way to Helen Hunt falls where my family used to picnic when I was a little boy. By now it had started to rain, which was welcomed for more than one reason. First, it cooled us off quite a bit, second, Colorado has had severe drought, which has spurned many wildfires, and lastly, I really summer rain. So, while others sought shelter, I strolled about in the rain and took in the beauty of the falls.
The next day, I went "up the hill," as they say here when indicating that you are going up into the mountains, to visit my niece, Anastasia, who I have never met before, and my two nephews, Billy and Edward, who I have not seen since they were babies. We had a good visit, and then I came back down the hill to visit with my brother, who is currently incararated in Fremont County. We had a good hour long visit, and I have hope that he is getting the help he needs in there.
The hits kept coming the next day, as my sister-in-law took me to see Parkdale, Colorado where my dad grew up. I have a picture of me standing in this same spot with my dad, but I was 3 or 4, so I don't really remember it. Standing there and trying to envison what it was like to grow up in rural Colorado during the great depression and World War 2, it was hard to imagine and yet came easily to mind as I recalled all of the stories my dad used to tell us about his childhood.
Due to the fires, we could not visit the Royal Gorge, but we did drive up Skyline Drive ( a very narrow road the crests a peak with a scenic overlook) to see the city from on high. We had some amazing pizza at a liitle place in downtown Canon called Pizza Madness, just awesome stuff. The next day, I took the boys to the Pueblo Zoo and to see my Uncle Tony, who I have not seen in almost 20 years. Seeing him brought back so many awesome memories of going on fishing and camping trips as a little boy, as we were often with my uncle on those trips.
Our last night in Canon, we went "up the hill" again to visit the kids and watch fireworks near Westcliffe at Dewiss reservoir. I have never seen fireworks from a mountain top, and let me tell you, they look just the same as fireworks anywhere else, but they do not sound the same. The echo of the shells exploding booms from the mountains like rolling thunder before a huge storm. Some of the bigger ones even have a strange whooshing vacuum sound when they explode, very cool.
Last, I have to mention a lesson I learned on this leg of the trip. I got a little "me" time as most of the time I have the boys when Martha is working. One afternoon, I set out with my dog, Charlie, for the river park where I could bring my devotion and study books down to the rocky waters edge and read quietly under the bridge while Charlie played in the water, which she loves being part retriever. I sat down and let her off the leash , something I know I am not supposed to do but trusted that she would be okay and stay close. Well it was all picturesque for a moment and then she decided she needed to run, fast. At first I could see her running up and down the bank and then she was gone. I was concerned as she was not coming when I called but I just waitied there knowing that she would come back looking for me soon, and she did but only to get very close to me and then run the other direction. I scolded her and called, tried to get her to play fetch so I could put her back on the leash, nothing worked she ran into traffic and my heart sank as I thought several times that she would get hit. Finally I went to the truck hoping that she would come to me there and she did so I was able to get her back on the leash. I tell this story to get to this point. As I am driving away, kind of frustrated that I did not get the peaceful time meditating on things of God I was looking for, the Holy Spirit spoke to me and said this. "Did you not see what I was trying to teach you? You are no different than that dog. I desire for you to sit and play with me by the water, but you so often want to run off and do your own thing, not listening to my voice or obeying my commands. I will wait for you and I will never leave you, but my desire is not far from what yours was today."
Some of you might take offense to this analogy and I am sorry if you do, but take this into consideration
one of the Greek translations for the word worship is Proskuneo, meaning like a dog licking his masters hand.
Next we are off to Denver to visit a dear friend and explore the Mile High City and Rocky Mountain National Park!
Let Go and Let God!
Peace be with you,
Daniel Sandoval
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