"Our" rest stop - where Katy & I stop on the way to & from Trinidad.
Notice the storm clouds gathering - It rained so hard I could hardly see the hwy all the way back to LaVita!!

I went to church at St Mary's in Walsenburg this morning. I was a little bit late, and the church was pretty full, but there was one pew, about 5 rows from the back that only had one man in it. There was a post kind of blocking the way into it from the center aisle, but I squeezed thru and the man, after looking at me as if he was a little bit surprised to see me, moved over to share his pew. When it came time to kneel for communion, I discovered the reason no one else was sitting there - the kneeler was broken and the end of it was kind of jammed in behind the post/pillar. My "seat mate" - since he now had a female sitting in the faulty pew with him, got down on the floor and got the kneeler unjammed and into a more or less usuable position. I couldn't help smiling and by the time he got it set up, we were both trying to keep from laughing. Mass went on normally, the only distraction being when my knees started to hurt and I sat back in the pew and my new friend leaned over to ask if it was too far back and did I need the neeler moved forward. I assured him it was OK. Then when Mass was over - the priest asked all with anniversaries to stand, then birthdays, then visitors. I looked around and didn't see anyone else standing, so I didn't move (not wanting to attract anymore attention after being late and then causing the kneeler disturbance) - but - N.F. (new friend) leaned over and said (didn't even whisper) "You're a visitor, aren't you?". I nodded, so he said "You need to stand up!", I smiled & said "I thought I'd just sit here quietly", and he said (louder) "No, no - You need to stand up!. So I did and he stood up with me to show his support - his arm around my shoulders! The priest said something - a welcome speech I think - by that time N.F. had sat down, and I, thinking it was over, started to sit. "No, no!" NF said - "They will pray for you!" "You need to stand so they can pray for you!", as he took my arm and helped me to my feet again! And so they did. I'm pretty sure I was the only one standing, and the whole congregation sang a short prayer, their hands extended toward me. N.F. told me again - after I sat down - "You get prayed for!" he said, smiling. I smiled and after Mass was over I thanked him for fixing the kneeler. I thought later, I should have thanked him for making me feel welcome, because he certainly did!