Day of the Dead

November 1 is a special day, Dia de los Muertos, in Latin American Catholic culture. The departed are honored with singing, dancing and flowered altars. As a nice Jewish Atheist girl from NY, it’s my favorite holiday, hard to explain but it feels right. Two years ago I placed pictures of my mother and my favorite cat on an altar in Seattle to honor their impact. Today I placed a photo of Sam, who died 6 months ago, on the community altar in Encinitas. Those who knew and loved Sam will agree that he would enjoy a good party in a beach town (thank you Caron, for supplying the picture.)

I brought Dad to the celebration and explained the holiday; he was delighted by the mariachi bands and costumed children. He liked the idea of embracing death with humor and entertainment. I didn’t share what I did at the altar, or why I made a sugar skull with an orange beard. We were at the event for 3 hours and Dad didn’t fall asleep once. He’s still chuckling about how the hosts of the organic chicken farm/AirBnB hideaway showed up at happy hour last week (I invited them). My buddies thoroughly enjoyed the geriatric scene and free booze. While they absolutely stood out with their blond ponytails and surfer outfits, they were warmly received by the little old ladies. I played ukulele for the crowd, badly, however it didn’t matter.

Cada día es un regalo (every day is a gift).