Erecting a New Sign

Personalize a photo slideshow

A couple of months ago, I posted about the cleanup we did at Potter Field.  That's the prison cemetery.  We noticed that the sign to cemetery had rotted away.  We took it home with us.  Nyghia Nye made a new one.  This morning we took Nyghia's sign back to the cemetery and put it up.  This smilebox chronicles our endeavors.  Actually, Nyghia did all the work.  We offered encouragement. 

As we surveyed the cemetery, before we departed, we all saw a yellow butterfly flutter above the graves.  How's that for a sign from God blessing the cemetery?

The Prison Cemetery

It's called Shady Nook, and it's down a little used road, next to the town's sewage plant. Nothing much to look at except dead, dry grass, dead leaves and bare earth. Trash and broken bottles, discarded cups, used condoms, and such lie besides graves. There doesn't seem to be much order in the arrangements of the graves. Random crosses with no inscriptions. No names, just prison numbers mark the final resting place of a dead inmate. Who cares? Isn't this the final indignity?

Here is a wooden cross made from two pieces of wood just taped together with "RIP" written in marker. We have taken away a name and made this human being a number. Here lies the proof.

What does this say about us, our society, our civilization?

Lord, have mercy on us.