The Recording of a Cemetery

                                                       Mount Calvary, Albuquerque, NM

I found this poem that expresses so well what we all feel when we write, transcribe and walk a cemetery.  The poem is by Thelma C. Reagan.  Enjoy it!

Today we walked where others walked
On a lonely, windswept hill;
Today we talked where others cried
For loved ones whose lives are stilled.
Today our hearts were touched
By graves of tiny babies;
Snatched from the arms of loving kin,
In the heartbreak of the ages.
Today we saw where the grandparents lay
In the last sleep of their time;
Lying under the trees and clouds,
Their beds kissed by the sun and wind.

Today we wondered about an unmarked spot;
Who lies beneath this hallowed ground?
Was it a baby, child, young or old?
No indication can be found.

Today we saw where Mom and Dad lay,
We had been here once before
On a day we'd all like to forget,
But will remember forever more.

Today we recorded for kith and kin
The graves of ancestors past,
To be preserved for generations hence,
A record we hope will last.
Cherish it, my friend; preserve it, my friend,
For stones sometimes crumble to dust
And generations of folks yet to come
Will be grateful for your trust.

Thank you to everyone in this group that works very hard to preserve our future by honoring our past.

                                                 Encino Cemetery, Encino, New Mexico

Why are we NOT working in a cemetery!

Ah, beautiful February when we all look forward to getting out onto the cemetery grounds again.  We've made it through the cold months of December and January, now warming temperatures.  WAIT!!  What was I thinking!  Just as we were getting ready to rewalk Gate of Heaven this week, God had other plans for us. 

It started Monday when it was a bit too chilly to go outside - about 37 degrees at 10 a.m.  Oh well, we just enjoyed the warmth of the library.  After all, we could go on Wednesday.  But those plans were very quickly dashed when it started to SNOW on Tuesday.  It is very difficult to walk a cemetery and read tombstones when they are covered with snow! 

To add insult to injury, or something like that, the temperatures in Albuquerque dropped right into the Artic range.  Tuesday night the low was 4 degrees; the high on Wednesday was 6 degrees, the low on Wednesday night was MINUS 11 degrees, and Thursday night it was minus 10. 

The state of New Mexico broke 32 weather records that have stood since 1931.  Five cities recorded their coldest temps ever (Moriarty at -34, Pecos at -31, Ruidoso at -27, Capitan at -22 and Socorro at -14.  It is so cold that water freezes in 10 seconds outside.  Pipes are breaking all over the city and the plumbers cannot keep up.  Even my mother is without hot water since a pipe froze in the hot water closet.

And to make matters worse, PNM is having difficulty providing natural gas to everyone so they have heat.  Several cities (Alamogordo, Espanola and others) are without any heat.  Albuquerque is shutting down to conserve and all are asked to turn heaters down and not run gas-consuming appliances.

As of Friday, February 4, the following is noted in the Albuquerque Journal:
**APS has closed for a record fourth day (mothers are crying all over the city!)
**Cracks in the train tracks are forcing trains to run at half speed
**UNM and CNM colleges are closed until Monday
**Albuquerque zoo, museums, aquarium and botanical gardens are closed
**Sandia Labs and Kirtland AFB closed

The tombstone groupies will be back outside when temperatures return above 40 degrees.

This is a picture of our road in Corrales three days after it snowed.  It is so cold the snow won't melt for quite awhile.  It is an ice rink.