Omayra Acevedo, Nederland. I love writing. I can’t pinpoint exactly what it is about it, but as cheesy as it sounds, it makes me feel complete. It is part of who I am and who I want to be. It is one of my proudest accomplishments. How so? Well, I was born on the tiny island of Puerto Rico. Though we had moved to the states while I was very young, I didn’t start learning English until I was almost twelve. I spent countless hours as a child attempting to learn a language, that to this day, still confuses me.  

C’est la vie. Let’s fast-forward a bit and visit the Mother Cabrini Shrine. Here, you can plan a wedding, a memorial, a sweet sixteen, go for a walk through their garden, bring a book to read or meditate. If you want to reach the highest point, you’re going to have to climb 373 steps to reach the top of the mountain, where lots to see awaits you. There are benches along the way should you choose to take a break. I’ll tell you that the views were pretty impressive. 

Last time I was there, I brought my camera and journal. I saw no one for three hours. I did see a runner utilizing the steps to get a workout. There were more people at the bottom than at the top, but no one bothered each other. Their mission is to provide a unique and peaceful environment for visitors and you can sense it from the moment you arrive. Whether you are religious or not, it’s easy to find harmony here. They welcome EVERYONE!

As I sat and worked on my next column, I found myself erasing and rewriting, erasing and rewriting. It was funny in my head because English and I have come a long way. Why was I so keen on mastering the impossible language? I grew up watching my mother struggle to get by, not knowing how to comfortably communicate with the people in her new home. I vowed that I would never have that struggle.

The library in our neighborhood was offering “English As A Second Language” courses. I didn’t even wait one second before telling my mother that I was signing up. What excuse did I have?! It was FREE! For many years, I spent two hours every day after school, and four hours every single Saturday morning, attending these courses. I struggled, sometimes I even cried, but I knew there was no giving up. 

Here I am at almost 40 years of age, sitting in front of my computer, earning part of my living as an American Journalist. I sure hope mom would have be proud. 

The Mother Cabrini Shrine is located at 20189 Cabrini Blvd | Golden, CO 80401 and can be reached at 303.526.0758. For more information check out https://www.mothercabrinishrine.org/ 

(Originally published in the November 14, 2019, print edition of The Mountain-Ear.)