Chappy”s Blog Dec. 15, 2021
I met him for the first time just south of Santa Fe, on I-25. Not a formal introduction, but one of two strangers meeting for the first time. Danny was laying facedown alongside the railroad tracks that the New Mexico Rail Runner ran on several times a day. Transporting commuters and other passengers from Santa Fe to Albuquerque and back. The colorful passenger train ran on a schedule that riders could rely on for their various needs. This day, Tuesday, May 16, 2017, became the most significant day in Danny’s life, and a providential moment for me and my wife.
On this 16th day of May, at approximately 2:30 PM, my wife and I were traveling north on I-25. As we were nearing the 3 1/2 mile marker into Santa Fe, a small red car travelling at a high rate of speed passed us and made an abrupt stop to the side of the highway. The driver, a young man wearing a black tee shirt and khaki pants, dashed out of the driver’s side of the car, and ran across the highway towards the railroad tracks that separate the I-25 traffic going and coming into Santa Fe.
Peripherally, we caught sight of an incoming train, and instantaneously were aware of his intent. We pulled over just ahead of his red vehicle. I automatically reacted, jumped out of our vehicle, and crossed the highway towards the young man. I had no real plan in mind other than to assist at this point. The young man’s run at the front of the train was slightly off, but he did manage to hit the side of the locomotive. Running across, I remember a form on the ground, and thinking that maybe he was just unconscious! My wife stayed parked on the side of the roadway and called 911 to report the incident.
The trestle was on a 50′ grade, and the sides were covered with black ballast stones that are used to keep the tracks in position, and for other uses as well. I had a very difficult time making it up the side to get to the young man, so I literally slid up on my backside until I was alongside him. He was facedown, his black tee shirt was pulled up near his head, exposing his back. Approaching from his right, I did not observe any apparent injuries to him. Once near him I observed a severe injury to the left side of his head. I noted a small stream of blood and brain matter going down the side of the trestle, A part of his skull bone was hanging down. He was not moving. I remember thinking that this young life had come to end.
I took my cell phone out and proceeded to call 911 myself to report what I had found. The 911 operator answered, and as I spoke, the young man moved, as if to tell me that he was alive. I relayed this movement to the operator, asking her to stand by as I was going to check him out a little closer. I examined him and determined that he was responding to my voice. He continued to move as I spoke to the operator, and I knew what I should do next. I gave my name and said to him that he was dying, and that I was going to stay with him, and would not leave him alone. The reason that I was at this place, on this day, and at this hour, was to help him remove any barriers that would prevent him from seeing the beatific vision that could be his. I was just there as a guide. Erase me, the real presence of the Holy Spirit was there. Working through me, the Holy Spirit inspired me to pray with this young victim, and to help him realize the two lives that he had. The first had to be brought to perfection, allowing the second and never-ending life to emerge full of the hope and joy that only true love can bring. I prayed with him, I spoke to him, I bonded with him, I cared for him. After a time, he stopped moving. I was sure that he had heard me, felt me and prayed with me. He wasn’t with us any longer, but I knew that he was alive in the realm that is pure love and mercy. Emergency crews arrived to take over the scene. I relayed my actions and made my way across the road to my waiting wife. I had fulfilled my duty. Sad and joyful at the same time, I had just made a partial payment to the One that had shown me the joy of a perfect union whilst in the midst of my own predicament.
I walked across the highway and greeted a young couple that had pulled over to see if they could help out. They had been praying the whole time with my wife, staying on with her the entire time that I was across the road. A third person had joined them for a time. She left, but it turned out that she knew the young victim, having taught him a class at Capital High School a couple of years back. I know the power of prayer personally, so I am confident that our combined effort assisted the young man on his final journey.
We drove off, knowing that we had we had one other thing to do! The hardest part was yet to come. We wanted to locate his kin and relate to them the witnessing of their son’s final moments on earth. We also wanted to reassure his family that we stopped that day to render aid in all ways possible. I set about trying to locate his family. I contacted the local newspaper, made contact with a reporter, and after a couple of days, a meeting was arranged for the following Sunday. We also had his name, James, but he went by “Danny”. Really not knowing how we would be received by Danny’s family, we were a bit apprehensive about the meeting, but it was important that they know how he died, and more importantly that Danny was not alone, either here, or on the journey he was about to undertake. We called upon the Holy Spirit to assist us in the conveyance of words that can only come from God.
That Sunday afternoon, my wife and I sat with Danny’s family and recounted the witnessing of Danny’s suicide, and of our subsequent actions. The family was still in shock. They had seen signs that Danny was depressed, and/or indicators that he was not himself, but never thought that he would harm himself. It was important to give them precise details for a couple of reasons. Danny did not die alone, and we were meant to be to be with Danny as he transitioned from his earthly life to his supernatural eternal life. God was in charge. My wife and I were just servants obeying the will of the Almighty. I conveyed my experience with Danny to the family in complete detail. Leaving nothing out, the family was grateful that their son and brother did not die alone on a lonely railroad track. They were most grateful knowing that I was able to pray with Danny during his time of need. Danny’s family are devout Catholics, so the meaning and intent of my actions was well understood. I have six children, all healthy. I can’t know what losing a child can feel like, but I do know about death, and the opportunities that God gives us to perfect our souls during our lifetime. While some grab the opportunity and run with it, others will never give in to the Will of God. Someone was praying for Danny during his short life. Those prayers in my estimation saved his eternal life. My wife and I were just the instruments in fulfillment of those prayers. Our faith lies in the unseen! My wife and I are thankful for the grace bestowed on us that day.
The culture today rejects the Sixth Commandment, “Thou Shalt Not Kill”. Abortion runs rampant among the misguided, states and countries embrace assisted suicide, genocide around the globe goes on unabated, the murder rate has increased, and will continue to increase as certain crimes are allowed, kids are used as fodder to illegally enter our country, children and women are sold in the sex market, children have been neutered, biological men are competing in women’s sports, politicians live in their own lies, church leaders talk of social cause, all the while ignoring the spiritual needs of their flock, and exile the clergy that speak “Truth”. More importantly, we allow all of this to happen. We are a lost people! Chaos didn’t create the universe. Something we cannot understand put all of this order together. The perceived freedoms that people have today exclude God, as many conclude that they have all the answers, making them wiser than God. Look around, is the world in chaos? Do we know more than God! We’re not even close!
End: Danny died amongst friends. I sat with Danny as a friend, not as someone that had all the answers. We were there because Jesus sent us to assist Danny in his transition from here to another place. Why us? I don’t know why, all I know is that since my time, when I am called, I go. In great joy and gratitude, I sat by Danny and prayed with him in the Mercy that can only come from God. I left Danny that day safely in the hands of the Lord. My soul and that of my wife, rejoiced in the Substance that created us all! We pay it forward…..
Conclusion: Words have replaced relationships. Thinking and reasoning are out the door, as people circle around perceptions mired in self-righteous certainty, even if unfounded, and in morally superior indignation and complacency. Words kill today as never before. Can we reverse this course that we are on? Will we destroy each other sooner or later if we don’t! The way to accomplish a turnaround is to think. What is it that you want? Is it the chaos that is becoming the norm, or peace in your heart. You can’t have both! Which do you chose? My own choice is clear….I chose peace, and in doing so, I choose God!
Cancel Culture means to have us, even if means losing it all !
*The story of Danny is true. My own experiences are true. How you believe is up to you !