Last weekend, I had the opportunity to fulfill two dreams at once: attending an in-person retreat of the Eucharistic Communicators of the Heavenly Father (CEPC) in Chandler, Arizona, and flying on an airplane for the first time in my life.
The Communicators are a religious community whose mission is to share the love of the Heavenly Father in and through the media. As I mentioned in another post, several years ago I began listening to their radio program, called Conectados en Familia, and this small habit of tuning in every day became an important part of my daily life. It has helped me greatly in strengthening my faith.
Over the past year, the sisters and the community increasingly included me in their activities, and I had the opportunity to attend many virtual retreats and other gatherings for prayer and adoration through Zoom, WhatsApp, and YouTube. I had never really thought much about attending one of their events in person because I live very far from the cities where they have a presence. But, through the providence of God, I had the opportunity to attend a retreat they held on August 29 in Chandler, Arizona. Despite the hustle and bustle of the trip, it was a beautiful day for prayer and interior recollection.
It was my first time traveling by airplane, and I hope to write more about the experience at another time. For now, though, it is enough to say that I am deeply grateful to all those people with spinal muscular atrophy who gave me advice, whether directly or through their own blogs, such as Cory Lee's. I was afraid that they might not allow me to check my wheelchair or that transferring into the airplane seat would be too difficult. But everything went well for both me and my friend Derrilynn, who cared for me during the trip, although I did learn a few things that I will do differently the next time I travel by air.
I also want to thank my mom and my brother, who helped me prepare for the trip, as well as another friend, Kirk, who helped pick us up from the airport. Last but not least, I am grateful to my girlfriend, July, whom I met this year, for always encouraging me in my crazy ideas. She had given me a scapular, the first one I have ever had, and during the trip I had the opportunity to ask a priest to bless it, bringing my time in Arizona to a beautiful close.
