The trip was marked for miracles from the start. The reason for the trip in the first place was to welcome a little miracle into the world. My daughter, Brooke, was due to have her baby in just a week, and I was determined to be there for the event. I was delighted when Jeanette, my life-long friend, announced that she would make the trek with me from California to Colorado.

My life had been on hold for this event. I had a temporary job and a temporary home, both of which I was willing to give up to move to Colorado. An enormous act of kindness from my employer intercepted my intentions: This massive firm, long-embedded in profit-making and disregard for little else...assisted me in packing up my office and personal belongings. I was to telecommute from my daughter's home for the ensuing 4 months despite my temporary employee status. Astounding generosity, unheard of in any corporation.

The only possible disappointment in leaving California was missing Smokey Joe's Cafe, a popular professional performance that I had been waiting for; it would be coming to a near-by theater-in-the-round while I was away. But missing the show paled in comparison to the wonder at hand, and I dismissed the thought as soon as it came up.

Everything had been shipped except the belongings I'd need with me -- my computer, some clothing and my cat, Mickey. I stopped to pick up Jeanette in the early morning dark, and we began giggling our way across California, from the sea to Las Vegas, where we would spend the first night. We had no hotel reservations, but expected to be able to find a room without problem in late October.

One can see the glitter of Las Vegas from miles away through a haze. It was just nightfall as we arrived, and the city was coming to life. Jeanette drove as I searched for a suitable hotel -- something as nice as possible without costing a fortune. We drove around and through the city lights, finally deciding on a hotel that looked very good.

Now, the deciding question: "Hi. Can we rent a room, and pay a deposit for our cat?"

No problem, and no deposit. Great. After registering, we rounded the hotel as directed and parked the car directly across from the hotel's enormous billboard in lights: Now showing nightly: SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE. Half-price for hotel guests. Sometimes, we are just graced! The show was fantastic, as was our room. Mickey settled in without so much as a whimper, and we arose early for the next leg of the trip.

We arrived at my daughter's house, welcomed by a roaring fire in the wood-burning stove, hot chocolate and coffee, and the warmth of laughter. Jeanette would be flying back to California after one fun day in Durango, so we went to bed early to be rested for the next demanding day -- shopping!

Durango is a beautiful little western town, precisely as the name suggests. The leather shops and the cow-people, the fantastic Indian artistry and the woo-oo from the narrow-guage railroad echoing among the brick and wooden buildings all add to the ambiance, making the experience of merely taking a seat outdoors along Main Street a sensual delight. Jeanette fell in love with Durango too.

After everything having gone so beautifully and with so much fun, how is it that we missed Jeanette's plane? I had suddenly gone brain-dead, and couldn't recall how to get to the airport. We booked her for the next flight, and had lunch at the airport. We shopped in the wonderfully appointed gift shop, had a cappacino or two and then she boarded her plane. I returned to Brooke's, sad to be away from my life-long friend even though I was thrilled to be with Brooke and moved to tears to be able to be with our baby.

That evening, Jeanette called. She explained the excitement in her voice. On her return trip, during the plane's scheduled layover in Phoenix, she ran into her sister who was returning from an unexpected trip to Kansas! She and her sister's layover time matched precisely, and they had a couple of hours together for lunch and laughter and confirming their relationship. Had we been on time for Jeanette's flight from Colorado, she never would have seen her sister and would have spent a rather boring time on her return to California. Jeanette's missed flight pointed the way for me to see that there is a plan to every circumstance. Her communication of that miracle opened my eyes to one greater.

The last miracle of our trip came to us the next day, just 2 days after my arrival. Tierzah Rochelle Heller-Nelson. My little Ti-Rose (pronounced Tee-Rose). Any guilt thoughts I'd had about Brooke having a baby so young, or me not living in the same town, my not having purchased a home for Brooke, and a million other regrets melted away in loving forgiveness with the birth of this baby. Every event in my life led to Ti-Rose's birth, and in one instant it was all realized, all forgiven, all at once.

---© Glenna Heller