Cleaning Up

 On Saturday, October 15, the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery Association (SISCA) held a cemetery cleanup day. We began at a little after nine in the morning. We honestly could not have asked for better weather. It was a cool, beautiful morning, and it stayed that way the whole time we were out there.

To be honest, that morning, I had overslept, so I was running a few minutes late. When I arrived, there were already three people there, and they were hard at work. Clarence Ward, the cemetery cleanup coordinator, was navigating a riding lawnmower. John Daniels was using a weed eater to trim around the graves, and James Pledger was using a push lawnmower to cut where the riding lawnmower couldn’t fit.

SISCA secretary Corina Torralba and her two sons had driven in from San Antonio, and they helped in numerous ways. They bought a weed eater and a lawnmower and immediately went to work, while SISCA vice-president Affie Brown and I picked up debris.

After all of the work that had been done, food was a welcomed sight. At the right moment, Diane Flowers and her brother Clarence arrived with refreshments in the form of sandwiches. Affie Brown also provided sandwiches, and Corina provided water.

We were out there for about four hours, and we accomplished a lot. After we had finished for the day, I took a moment to look around and see the work that had been done. It felt amazing to be a part of the process of keeping our ancestors’ resting place in good condition. Everyone commented on how peaceful it felt to be out there, right at that moment, after having accomplished what we’d set out to do. Like most of the people who were volunteering, I have several relatives buried at the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery. It is also an honor to be able to clean up their final resting places, and I know it is extremely important to honor them by maintaining the cemetery. And this is what the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery Association was formed to do — to maintain and preserve the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery.

I love the idea of setting a goal and accomplishing it. What I love even more is setting collective goals and accomplishing them with people who are all striving for the same conclusion. On Saturday, everyone who came out to the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery came to improve and beautify this sacred space that we all hold dear. Everyone came and did their part.

We plan on making this a monthly event. It will coincide with our monthly meetings. The next cleanup day is scheduled for Saturday, November 12. Following the cleanup, we will have our meeting. At this next meeting, we will celebrate Thanksgiving. More details will follow soon.

I would like to thank Clarence Ward, John Daniels, James Pledger, Corina Torralba and her sons Lee and Bryan, Affie Brown, Diane Flowers, and Clarence Flowers for all of their hard work.

Note: This blog was published as an article in the 10/20/2016 edition of the Kinney County Post.