Although some people might consider the Rockies just big piles of rocks (preferring mountains like the Appalachians), it has always enthralled me to see how the view of the mountains changes: daily, by the hour, and even by the minute. It is like watching the ocean, except that the peaks climb into your view on the horizon, stabbing into the sky and rolling into the city at their feet.
As we made our way further south, my heart beat faster, feeling the pull of home. We have many “homes” around the world, and we are so thankful for all of them. But for me (Scott), this is where my heart skips a beat and I melt at the beauty. Memories fill my mind of so many drives along this route, from the beginning of middles school/high school to the beginning of university when I first left home and “coming home” first pulled those heart strings.
We spent the first half of our too short visit down in Colorado Springs with Scott’s brother and wife, John and Yumiko. We always have a place here, but it has been four years and the dogs have changed. We were greeted at the door by Cowboy and JoJo. Check out our pictures for more on them. They were a real treat. JoJo may be the little one, but it is she who sleeps in the big bed, Cowboy lying with just his head on the edge.
In the Springs we were able to do some visiting things, including Scott disc golfing nearby, Shirley looking through deals at the thrift store and taking walks in the area. We usually take a trip down to Old Colorado City where we have bought coffee at a place called La Baguette for VERY many years. Sometimes we would, in the past have visited a mystery book store down the street, but it was gone. So instead, Scott stopped at the barber and got a haircut. Since he always does his own hair, this was quite a treat.
Freed of long hair and bushy beard we spent the evening with John and Yumiko. The next evening was reserved for a meeting at Fargo’s Pizza. This is a special pizza place where Scott first spent time with young Christians who would later help bring him to faith in Christ. In the past years it has been a good place to plan family get-togethers on our home trips. This time it was also Scott’s sister, Barb’s, birthday. Good food, good sharing of memories, good conversations in a fun place.
On the Saturday we got up early so that we could drive up north of Denver where Ruby Mirror planned a special online concert in order to include Scott in the singing and playing. Ruby Mirror is a group made up of Scott’s brother, John, Bret Carter and Julie Oehlert (brother and sister) and Kenny and Jack Carter (brothers, cousins of Bret and Julie). Since they live (relatively) close to one another, they play together often and sing concerts at coffee places and elsewhere.
Scott and Bret are best friends, having met in junior high. Bret is Scott’s “brother from a different mother”, you could say. Or more clearly, they both have the same Heavenly Father. Bret’s dad had a singing group and they invited Scott and John to join. This was before Scott and John were Christians. The other members were all young Christians. This influence was crucial in Scott’s growth in faith. “Summer Breeze” sang in various places and even traveled to Alabama, and California as well as playing at York College in Nebraska. So to join voices again with parts of this group was a real thrill. Scott was less interested in how professional it might sound and was excited to simply be harmonizing again. The concert is online if you are interested. You can find it here.
After the concert we were also able to continue sharing memories. We saw Karsten Rog, who lives nearby, and spent a short time talking (everything on this visit has been too short). In this same time we were all praying fervently for a young woman we all knew (Julie’s daughter) who was having a pregnancy emergency. Fear, sorrow, trust, compassion. A full spectrum of every emotion possible in such a short time. How do you deal with the loss of one so young - without the loving embrace of a Mighty Father and brothers and sisters around you?
On Sunday we were able to worship with the Pikes Peak Avenue congregation in Colorado Springs, saying hello to people we have known since the beginning of our work with the church in Belgium and The Netherlands. We drove on after worship time to make it to the potluck of the Miller Street congregation in Denver. It was here back in 2019 that we held a song workshop and gained some wonderful new songs. (You can hear one of them here)
This is also where Bret Carter works with the congregation. The next few days saw us getting to know his wonderful family before we were to move on to our next stop. We shared a donut breakfast, a birthday party for the second eldest daughter, a day win the park, another day in another park where Scott and Bret were able to disc golf, and a visit to a German bakery with very special treats. We even finished up the visit on the last evening with a film night.
Colorado is indeed a colorful place. From the first moment of seeing the mountains off in the distance to the joy of seeing family again and celebrating birthdays, from windy, stormy weather making the dogs howl and frightening realities of losing loved ones to laughter and memories shared with longtime friends - every color of emotion was present in this visit. We are so thankful for the moments that God continues to give us as we travel.
Unfortunately, we are not able to see everyone we would love to be able to visit. Even in the places we stop, we do not seem to have enough time to see everyone. We were able to video call with Scott’s Dad, but in Colorado Springs, we missed seeing Scott’s younger brother Marc and his family. We are thankful for the time that we did have, however short. Check out our pictures here.
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