Beauty for Ashes
by Tamara Ellsworth Francis
A few weekends ago, we were in Colorado Springs for a two-night business trip. As soon as we arrived at our hotel, we stopped by the concierge desk and booked the Cog Railway tour to the top of Pike’s Peak for Saturday morning. The woman behind the desk ended up printing out tickets for Sunday, not Saturday as we had requested. We noticed that they were for the wrong day and asked the ticket agent to change the reservation for Saturday, which she did. We placed the corrected Saturday tickets in our travel folder.
We then hopped into an Uber and spent the afternoon hiking at Seven Falls. We climbed the 224 steps and hiked to Inspiration Point and Midnight Falls. We witnessed the silhouette of George Washington, the Eagles Nest, the Alligator’s head, and the Pillars of Hercules formed in the majestic granite rock. The sound of the wind blowing through the Aspen and Douglas Fir trees was a welcome respite for the soul. Just as the afternoon was starting to warm up, a brief rain shower cooled us down and washed all the foliage surrounding us. On our way back down the falls, a group of children was running by, and one kiddo exclaimed, “I hope I see a mother bear,” at which point I said to my husband, “But you really don’t.”
The next morning, Saturday, we entered the Cog Railway station and scanned our tickets before boarding; however, the electronic reader would not accept them. Apparently, our reservation was still for Sunday, which was more than a little frustrating after we had requested at least three times to make it Saturday. The Cog train was about to depart, with 180 people trying to board. The ticket agent told us to exchange them quickly at the ticket office, where only two seats were left. They were 17 rows apart. We decided to take the separate seats and meet at the top because we had appointments later in the day and needed to stick to our plan. My assigned seat, 2B, turned out to be next to a gentleman sitting by himself; he reminded me of one of my own boys. He was wearing a faded green T-shirt and jeans, with a camouflage backpack tucked under his seat. Couples and families sat in groups all around us, and we listened to their conversations. As we ascended the cog track, the conductor pointed out the terrain with lots of facts. We learned that Katharine Lee Bates was inspired to write "America the Beautiful" as she traveled by prairie wagon to our same destination in 1893, and that other dialogue put everyone at ease.
My husband was far enough away that I could not see him, and I thought how, just like that, our plan to spend the morning together was suddenly changed. The gentleman next to me pointed out, in the distance, a Yellow-Bellied marmot sunning itself on a boulder, and the majesty of the purple mountains was evident as we looked out the window. I noticed that he had a distinct accent and pronounced the word ‘about’ as ‘aboat’. I asked him if he was from Minnesota, which was a pretty good guess, since he was from Wisconsin. In an hour and ten minutes, we were at the top of Pike’s Peak. I was happy to meet up with my husband, and we spent 40 minutes walking on icy paths and snowy berms. We took a photo together at the summit, at an elevation of 14,115 feet, then headed back to our seats on the same Cog train.
Back in my seat, I removed my jacket and waited for all the passengers to board. The same gentleman came back to his seat. Now that we were more familiar with each other, he remarked that when he originally made his reservation, it was for two, but the person he had shared it with was no longer with him. I was now sitting in that seat. Not knowing exactly what his personal situation was, I shared that we had originally booked our seats together in row 37, but due to unforeseen circumstances, we were separated on this trip. He was quiet. I introduced myself; I told him about my husband of 47 years sitting 17 rows forward. He then shared his story.
Nine months earlier, he woke up at 4:30 in the morning and noticed that his wife of just three years seemed to be struggling. He ended up performing CPR, called emergency services, and they tried in vain to save her, but she had a heart attack at the age of 47 and didn’t make it. He showed me a photo of them; she was absolutely beautiful. They worked together, fell in love, and he proposed to her in Durango. He had driven all the way to Colorado Springs, was camping, and planning to spread her ashes in her favorite places. He said his mom was so worried about him. We spoke of grief. We spoke of souls. We spoke of God. I quietly felt tears roll from the sides of my eyes. An hour and ten minutes passed extremely quickly, and we were back at the station. Everyone got up to leave, and I turned to this gentleman whom I had sat next to for two hours and 20 minutes and said, “Nick, it has been so lovely spending this time with you; I don’t think it was random. God be with you”.
I felt so blessed for the unplanned moments with this grieving soul who placed his backpack on and exited the train. I was reminded of the covenant of mourning with those who mourn. (Mosiah 18:9). I waited as people left the train. I saw my husband walking toward the exit, and my heart filled with gratitude for the years that we have been blessed to be together. I truly felt so blessed. I was reminded that when the little things in life happen, we don’t need to make them bigger than they are. I thought of the kid hoping to see a mother bear and was reminded that life is precious and that we should never take our time together for granted. More than anything, I was grateful to our Savior who takes all our grief, suffering, and pain upon Himself so He can heal us.
“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me,
Because the LORD has anointed Me
To preach good tidings to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives,
And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD,
And the day of vengeance of our God;
To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion,
To give them beauty for ashes,
The oil of joy for mourning,
The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;
That they may be called trees of righteousness,
The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified.”
Isaiah 61:1-3
Works Cited
Moran, Thomas. Children of the Mountain. 1866. American Museum of Western Art, Denver. (Tamara Francis, personal photo from a postcard at the Broadmoor hotel, June 6, 2026).
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Translated by Joseph Smith Jr., The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981.
The Holy Bible, New King James Version. Thomas Nelson, 1982.
Tamara Ellsworth Francis grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is the oldest of ten children. She has fond memories of raising her family, two daughters and three sons. She obtained a Bachelor's in Nursing from Brigham Young University-Idaho, and has studied family history at BYUI and evidence-based nutrition at E-Cornell. She has spent the last 14 years working for Mesa Public Schools as a tracheostomy specialist and managing health offices throughout the district.
She resides in Mesa, Arizona, with her husband Bruce and enjoys being outdoors, gardening, and traveling together. Tamara is passionate about her continual studies of mental, physical, and spiritual well-being. She has 18 grandchildren and cherishes each moment with them.