There is one place in New Mexico that has a special place in my heart it's the Baptist Encampment at Glorieta. I can remember trips up there from age 10 on. I met my wife there on a church retreat. Penni was married there and her ashes are strewn there around her memorial bench in the prayer gardens.
When I was in high school in summers the place would be wall to wall kids all summer long. The chuck wagon had waits of thirty minutes or more. The huge dining hall was always full. The chapel was standing room only.
When we went to spread Penni's ashes in June we were the only ones in the chuck wagon at noon. The place was a ghost town. There was a wedding taking place in the prayer garden, but it was a Catholic wedding. I've seen more nuns at New Mexico hall the last few times I've been there than preachers. It's truly sad.
To me this is holy ground. There's something peculiar when humans get tied to land. They get rather proprietary. Look at all the fighting in a small sliver of land between Egypt and Turkey for thousands of years with everyone claiming it as holy ground.
This recalls a time where I thought Glorieta had been violated.
I was teaching in a middle school. APS set aside money for teacher collaborations from their training budget. The principle let those who wanted meet for a Friday night and all day Saturday meeting at Glorieta. When we got up there and in our rooms that evening everyone immediately decided to drive to Santa Fe for a drink. No problem. I had no illusions about them being good Baptists. It was the next day as we were in conference rooms and most of them started smoking.
There is no smoking at Glorieta period. Not even outdoors. This was in the early 80's and I wasn't tenured so I bit my tongue and didn't say anything, but it still rankles to this day that they would defile a building built, maintained and owned through the tithes of Baptists. You'd think teachers would have better respect than that.
I remember that every time I hear on the news Native Americans claiming certain mountains here as sacred grounds to keep development out. Even I have sacred ground that I feel touchy about even if the Southern Baptist Convention has all but abandoned it.
About Me
- P M Prescott
- Family and Friends is my everyday journal. Captain's Log is where I pontificate on religion and politics.
5 comments:
When Denver International Airport was built, many felt terrible about the fact that it was built on sacred Indian burial grounds. So, this post was very poignant,
P M.
Glad it meant something to you, Michael.
I've never been to Glorieta but I've heard a lot about it, almost all good. So what is the deal? Are Texans not sending their kids up for camp any more or what? (I never heard about it until I moved from New Mexico to Texas is why I made the Texas crack.)
The older I get the crankier I get about people not respecting other people's property. Its hard to keep smokers from smoking but the more respectful ones go off alone and take care of their butts. It can be done, I know people who do it.
Its kind of like going on a church men's outing and they ask you not to take alcohol and some do and want to know if I want to have a beer. I like a beer or a drink but you know I said that I wouldn't do it and I can live a night or two without it. Might even do me some good.
I'm glad to see you are publishing a few stories online. I'll be checking them out. I have a long TBR list but I'll get to them.
Thanks for your interest Yogi.
Oklahoma built a retreat center that is now drawing the kids for Texas. They used to come here between Christmas and New Years to ski, but they're not doing that anymore.
If you ever get by here by all means check it out. It's between Santa Fe and Las Vegas and is absolutely gorgeous.
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