The Day Of The Dead, November 1st

Today is known as The Day of the Dead in Mexico. It is a holiday when families gather to focus on those who have passed on and pray for their souls. I spent the morning reflecting on the many loved ones who have passed on. I then created a list of those who attended my wedding and have since passed on. Roger and I were married in 1993. My brother Buddy walked me down the isle, Roger's brother Richard was a groomsman, and my second cousin Juliann caught my bouquet, my Aunt Dot and Cousin Pete helped cook the food, and a life long friend Isabel helped in serving the food, all are dearly loved and missed. There are twenty-three in all who have passed on, listed here:

Charlotte Barnhill, my dear friend
Jack Barnhill, my dear friend
Juliann Dirisio, my second cousin
Mike Lonnee "Juliann's guest"
Walter Dunwell, my brother
Paul Jessamine, my cousin
Gordon "Boots" Haney, my dear friend
Sylvia Hoffman, my mother-in-law
Richard Hoffman, my brother-in-law
Robert Hoffman, my husband's uncle
Carol Hoffman, my husband's aunt
Myrtle Hoffman, my husband's aunt
Bertha Kline, my sister-in-law Joan's mother
Stanley Kline, my sister-in-law Joan's father
Mary Kolakosky, my dear friend
Isabel Maslonka, my dear friend
Anna Moyer was invited, but was too sick to come
Marie Rossetti, my dear friend
David "Pep"Rossetti, my dear friend
Charles Smith, my uncle
Dorothy Smith, my aunt
Drew Smith, wife of Roger's co-worker
Margaret Staples, my aunt

There are many more who have impacted my life who have passed on, including my parents Ruth and William Dunwell, my god parents Irene and Willard Lattig, my maternal grandfather Howard Eck, my paternal grandparents Carol and Carl Wahlers, my uncle Dick Dunwell, cousin Dick Dunwell Jr., cousin Helen Roseberry, second cousin Russell Pugliese, Paula Meeker, friend, and very dear friend Samuel Stewart Jones, Jr.

Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal. ~From a headstone in Ireland

Taken from Wikipedia:

The Day of the Dead (El Día de los Muertos or All Souls' Day) is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and by Latin Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 1st and 2nd in connection with the Catholic holiday of All Saints' Day which occurs on November 1st and All Souls' Day which occurs on November 2nd.

Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased, using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern holiday to indigenous observances dating back thousands of years, and to an Aztec festival dedicated to a goddess called Mictecacihuatl.

Similar holidays are celebrated in many parts of the world; for example, it's a public holiday (Dia de Finados) in Brazil, where many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain, there are festivals and parades, and at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their loved ones who have died. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe and in the Philippines, and similarly-themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.