The most memorable and significant trips in my life have been those from which there were many takeaways, whether they were fond memories of warm times with loved ones, new experiences tried and shared, delicious meals savored, or striking photographs documenting interesting, beautiful or unusual places visited.
We had many, many of these moments on our recent trip to Colorado, including seeing my son Justin perform with the talented 2012 company of Rocky Mountain Repertory Theater, which was the initial impetus for our journey.
This visit was notable, though, not just for what we brought home with us from Colorado, but also, for something very special we left behind.
We will remember so much of what we took away from nearly a week in Grand Lake … the number of stars you can see on a summer night more than a mile and a half above sea level, the look of accomplishment on your niece’s face when she climbs a rock higher than she’s ever seen before, the thrill of spotting a moose and her calf in the forest, longhorn sheep staking their long-held claim to the land you have just discovered, and countless elk grazing happily at the bottom of a mountain.
We’ll remember the rain that chilled us while we were out on horseback, and the smiles that warmed us pretty much everywhere else we went. The beautiful voices we heard in a regional theater graced with superior talent and unparalleled hometown support. The locally brewed beer, pulled pork, tequila shots, and chili verde that makes your insides hum. The way your stomach lurches just a bit as you drive close to the edge of the twisting, narrow dirt road through the mountains.
The mountains.
The Rocky Mountains.
Our other reason for gathering as a family these past few days at the end of July.
For longer than any of us can remember, the Rocky Mountains are where my mother wanted her physical remains to spend eternity after she passed on. It was a desire she expressed over and over to pretty much anyone who was in a position to do anything about it. Although truth be told, she was slightly more partial to the Canadian side than the lower 48.
Still, with Justin spending the summer at Rocky Mountain Rep in Grand Lake, at the western entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, this was our best opportunity to gather the Appollo siblings, spouses and offspring, and carry out Mom’s final wish. Colorado it would be.
And Colorado it was.
On our last full day together this past Sunday morning, the family gathered for a caravan to the park. As Mom was in our car, she got serenaded with show tunes on the way up to Medicine Bow, an area my sister-in-law Karen suggested after their visit the day before.
We hiked to a spot rimmed with snow-touched peaks, overlooking a deep valley dotted with the sparse shrubbery and wildflowers that will grow above tree level. Only the scrappiest and most tenacious thrive here. If you knew my mom, you’d know just how appropriate it was.
We shared our thoughts about the moment, some profound, some profoundly funny, and each of us took a turn scattering Mom’s ashes in a place we know she would have loved and will be content forever. We cried. We hugged. We laughed. And most importantly, we were together. My brother, his wife and their children. Me, my husband, and mine. Also with us -- if not physically -- my mom’s friends and all of our extended family, so many of whom had shared their blessings on our journey. We felt your presence that day, and it made it that much more special to know you were with us in spirit.
We took so many wonderful things away with us from our time in Grand Lake. And yet we left something -- someone -- precious and irreplaceable behind.
Later that afternoon, we gathered once again, this time, to enjoy more wonderful entertainment from the singers, dancers and actors at RMRT. To be reminded of the magic that can happen when passion, talent and hard work collide. To cheer, applaud, smile, and be proud. To feel. To live. To celebrate life.
For while we left her physical remains behind on those mountains, we know that Mom is, and always will be, with us in our hearts and our souls. And it is the absolute and utter certainty of that which is, I’m sure, the BEST thing each of us has carried home from Grand Lake.
