By Charlene Vigil

I am a 31-year-old woman with a husband and three young boys. My grandparents, Nelson & Arcelia “Archie” Abeyta, raised me. My grandparents passed on a while back, with cancer and leukemia as their life-threatening illness. With this being said, I inherited their home.

Looking back at pictures, and history that was put into building this “safe haven”, I have come to realize how fortunate my family is. My home not only has spirit, but as well, has LIFE. Sacred, to me means, encounters that will live forever as a memory and a special place in our heart. To the adobe that was made, and to the curtains hung in my home, and from the mirror hanging on the wall, it is still a little bit of presence of my grandparents.

A recent incident that I find so special is when we first started remodeling our roof. Our contractors began destroying the old, and began replacing with new wood. While, doing this, they encountered lumber, with my grandfather’s name and date of 1959. This piece of lumber was so Sacred to me, that I thanked them for saving it, to show me when grandpa, started his home.

Many loved ones have passed on in our ABEYTA & ROMERO family, however in our home, we all have a special, “Sacred” memory, which ties us back to this place. The meaning Sacred, does not always have to mean, a certain location, town, building, or recipe. Sacred can be described as something YOU, believe is treasured and special to oneself. May you, also find that Sacred place in your heart, as I have in mine.

Charlene Vigil is a resident of Ranchos de Taos.