On Mother's Day we all took a picnic to Tent Rocks National Monument near Cochiti Pueblo south of Santa Fe, NM. It was a beautiful trip and the weather was perfect when we arrived with patches of clouds creating light/shadow on the hills and rock formations in a very magical way. You could feel the history of this place and the ancientness of the rocks, the history of time passing slowly in front of you as you study the color and layers of sediment in the cliffs. I love how everything seems to reach upward here, like fingers trying to touch the clouds and sky. Even the old pinons and juniper have heavy branches aimed skyward, and pine trees growing out of rocky outlooks like lonely sentinels.
I hadn't visited Tent Rocks since I was a little girl, yet it must have made quite an impression on me because as soon as we hit the trail I had such a nostalgic feeling. It must be the magic of the place. I was so amazed by time, and being there with my children and sharing this with them when it only felt like yesterday that I had been running on the trail. I remembered collecting Apache Tears when I had been there before, which are buried in the sand all over the area. Apache Tears are small round pieces of obsidian, or volcanic black glass, that have been worn smooth by the wind and sand. The tale behind the Apache Tear is that in each stone is an embedded tear of a weeping Apache woman which you can see if you hold the translucent stone to the light. The women were not only mourning the death of the warriors after a great battle where many had fought and lost, but also for the death of the 'great fighting spirit' of the Pinal Apaches, which is quite sad. Now, they are said to be good luck and offer protection, that the weeping women shed all their tears so you don't have to.
~Apache Tears~
We took the back roads home and enjoyed vast views to the west and an amazing sunset. It was a perfect day.
