LIZ DREIER True miracle was people, not the glowing eyes on statue

We hadn't planned on going to St. Joe's in Campbell, but when my 18-year-old daughter called from a friend's house to say she and her buddies were driving up to see the statue with the glowing eyes and heart, I packed my other two girls in the car and headed out.
It was 10 p.m., and any respectable mother would have had her kids in bed. But it was summer vacation, we didn't have to be anywhere the next day and I was curious. I'd read the newspaper articles, talked to people who'd been there and kicked around the idea of taking a look. It wasn't until my cynical, "I-have-to-see-this-for-myself" kid showed an interest that I decided to go.
After a couple of wrong turns (and a few choice words), we saw church lights in the distance. The line of cars wasn't too long, and I was able to park in the lot. There were hundreds of people milling around: teenagers, senior citizens, moms with babies and toddlers, middle-aged couples who looked worn out, the handicapped and healthy, and blacks, whites and Hispanics. I was struck by how quiet it was with all those people around.
True miracle
My two younger daughters and I stood in the midst of the crowd with our binoculars trained on the statue of Mary. She looked beautiful and serene. Someone behind me was videotaping with a spotlight. Others carried rosaries and prayed softly. I saw people there I knew but wouldn't have expected to meet at a gathering like this.
We walked around the other side of the church to see the statue of the Sacred Heart. That's where we met up with our college girl.
"Hey!" She gave us her usual greeting.
She borrowed the binoculars, and I watched as she and her friends assessed the statue of Mary. They looked serious and skeptical. But they didn't mock.
"What do you think?" I asked her at last.
"I'm disappointed," she said. But she stayed a while longer and took it all in.
The other two girls and I went into church and prayed.
I looked around. Teenagers and grandparents, rich and poor all knelt together. How many were regular churchgoers? How many were here for the first time in a long time?
I marveled that so many different people could come together peacefully, late at night, searching for miracles. I looked at the tabernacle containing the precious body and blood of Jesus and realized that the miracle at St. Joe's that night was closer than the statue on the bell tower.
XLiz Dreier is a teacher and writer.