Dia De Los Muertos

Today is a day of devotion to your ancestors.In Mexico,it is a day to honor your loved ones who have "passed on".It is a holy day of obligation in the Catholic church.
There is a little cemetery around the corner from my house. It is called Our Lady of Guadalupe Cemetery.When I first moved to my house I explored the neighborhood like you do. I went into the cemetery to walk around mainly because it was so beautiful. It is not a cemetery for wealthy people. Quite the contrary I would wager but it is well kept and the graves are obviously tended regularly.The interesting thing was that each grave site had it's own flair. There were big wreaths made of blue and pink plastic flowers brandishing Mi Amor! Or smaller clusters of many different colored flowers like if a child or children had picked and placed them on some sites that read My darling wife,mother,and daughter.The most poignant one was the grave of a little boy. His grave site was filled with his toys. Little matchbox cars and soldiers hiding in the berm.The dates on the marker said his birthday was the next week.It was sad.The very next weekend I was driving by and there in the cemetery next to the little boy's grave was a family,mom,dad,and 2 little girls. They were playing and barbecuing. It was a party for the little boy.
My friend Nancy is buried in San Antonio in a tony part of town which is funny because I tell her now that she lives in a much better neighborhood now. The place is called a Memorial Park. There are stately mausoleums and towering palm trees. There are statues of great beauty and magnitude. But if you leave something on the grave it will be removed and tossed away at the end of the month. There are no little toys on the graves of the Children here.There are no parties being held there.



Let's all take a minute to remember our loved ones who have gone before us.