On a recent trip to New Mexico to visit my parents, who, in spite of precarious health, are still well, happy and together, I took long walks down an avenue that is near their house: to one side, past the university, down a long hill toward the Rio Grande, almost to the town of Tortuga; another night, the other direction, out into the desert, toward a large mountain, Tortuga Mountain, which now has a large “A” on it. Though I didn’t make it to my destination either night, I got a sense of the high mountain desert with its sagebrush and dry bushes, and was later surprised to learn of a religious group who walk the entire distance, from their town of Tortuga to the top of the mountain, annually, to do penance as part of the feast of the Virgen de Guadalupe. Some even do it barefoot, they say. Back in Illinois, I tried to find a parallel in my own life, but I’ve done nothing similar in years. Still my luck seems to be holding out pretty well. Three granddaughters were born in the family (see below), two just yesterday, all healthy and happy; a big faculty strike at the university wreaked havoc on our sense of “business as usual;” we took a long-needed family vacation to northern Minnesota; and, both of us got to see parents and at the same time keep up with professional conferences. Keeping up with kids & grandkids is getting steadily more complicated:
Josie and Derek I think are really loving being parents, and Layla Rose (now 1 ½
is showing signs of being very well-loved. They are in Seattle but we were lucky to be able to see them over Thanksgiving.
Natalie and Ethan Zeman just had twin girls, Kenna Jenae and Maya Leona, born yesterday (Dec. 14) in Peoria; their lives have just changed overnight!
Eric and Jenn are happy in Santa Rosa where Eric earned a BFA and a Class A truck driving license (you know, that day job thing).
Kylie and Josh Brewer had a baby Aug. 1; this would be Bayleigh, who is now four months old and who we see quite often since they are near Carbondale.
Justin is pondering graduate school while dishwashing at the local Thai restaurant, and we and especially his brothers consider ourselves lucky to have him around.
Noah is studying to become a court reporter at John A. Logan College and working at the same restaurant, also living in Carbondale.
Elias, 10, plays tennis and has a variety of other extracurricular interests.
Corey, 6, is doing well in school and has a very active social life outside of it.
Jen is now chair of Sociology, which brings an enormous load of stress (especially during the strike) with its salary, but she both likes the challenge and continues her research. She now believes that padded running shoes have been the curse of the runner, and is beginning to take her shoes off as she builds up her soles (and soul).
This brings me back to the people who climb Tortuga Mountain (or “A” mountain) every year, since the image of that mountain in the night stays with me even now, even with all else that has happened. Their religion seems to be a mixture of Catholicism and a local indigenous set of customs; but, it has caught on and thrived over the years, and people come from far and wide to fulfill their promise and climb the mountain. Second, the “A”, put on the mountain by the “Aggies” at the university, shines through the night even when it’s not lit up, leaving me to wonder if we’ve replaced respect for a large natural wonder like a mountain with worship of a lit up letter or, worse, a concept that is so familiar to university culture. Jen says that 40% of all university grades today are “A.” Is this the devaluation of the sacred?
