BlogHer - Remembering The Dead - Comments

Although, not exactly....

Colormepink — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 14:16:58 -0600

the same, today is All Soul's Day and it's also the anniversary of the death of my Grandmother.

I posted about it today here
Christine

It's My World. Welcome To It.
Blog: http://www.colormepink.com
Homeschool Blog: http://web.mac.com/colormepink/
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I'll play too!

KristinT — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:32:49 -0500

I've been thinking so much about my grandmothers lately, (I think my thoughts were triggered, in part, by the death of your grandmother). Mine are both still alive, but they're in their 90s, which really makes me pause and consider the big and small ways these women have shaped me. I'll plan on writing a post about them in the next day or two.

Thanks for the great idea and the motivation.

Kristin T.
http://www.halfwaytonormal.com/

What a Lovely Idea

mfmakichen — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:18:46 -0500

Rachelle,
I think this is a lovely idea and a wonderful way to honor the dead. I like the idea of essentially having a ritual of remembrance.

Mary-Frances Makichen
www.makichenbooks.com
www.wordmedley.com

Honoring where we came from

bestlight — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:05:52 -0500

Great idea, Rachelle! Following you on Twitter, and emailing you a permalink.

Here is my post for my grandparents, and for their legacy.

Lori

Weebles Wobblog (http://weebleswobblog.blogspot.com)

Drama 2B Mama (http://drama2bmama.blogspot.com)

All Thumbs Reviews (http://allthumbsreviews.blogspot.com)

Remembering the Dead

celticbuffy — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:03:44 -0500

I have also never celebrated the Day of the Dead but I think this year is a good year to start. It would be a good way to pay tribute to my grandmothers and teach my children that although they are gone, they are not forgotten.

Remembering

silviam — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 13:00:34 -0500

I'll play!

A couple of years ago I wrote for a magazine about Amsterdam and did a piece on a restaurant that hosted a special evening for Día de los Muertos

Ever since I got to know more about Día de los Muertos (through the research i did for the article) I've been wanting to participate in this day. Now is as good a time as any :)

Thanks for reminding me about remembering. It is as important as treasuring the here and now.

Remembering our loved ones

christinajeanne — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 18:59:53 -0500

I think this is a great post. Thanks for sharing some of your family celebrations with us. I've never celebrated All-souls day but this year I will take time to remeber my loved ones who are gone. And I will take the time to blog about them and write about them. Maybe I'll send you the link and include some loved ones in your celebration.

Remembering The Dead

Rachelle Mee-Chapman — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 15:07:10 -0500

Last week while I was on vacation, my Grandmother passed away. She was frail, and ill and ready to be released from this mortal coil. And so it is with both sorrow and contentment that we greet her passing and honor her memory. This means, that for the first time this year, her icon will join Grandpa's on our mantelpiece as we celebrate Día de los Muertos, the Day of the Dead.

Día de los Muertos, also known as All Souls or All Saints, is an annual remembrance of those who have passed before us. Primarily celebrated in Mexico, and by people of Mexican heritage, Día de los Muertos is a gift from the Latino heritage dating back to the age of the Aztecs. During this holiday children and infants who have died are remembered on November 1st, while adults are remembered on November 2nd. (Although this is flexible, and varies in practice.) Colorful decorations adorn family burial plots where family members picnic and tell stories; and sugar skulls are bedecked with colored icing and sparkles in a celebration of both life and death.

In our family, we've been practicing Día de los Muertos and All Saint's for the past four years. We open up the living room and haul out the art supplies, inviting friends to create portable memorials to their loved ones and/or to saints both traditional and modern who have guided and inspired. Tracy Zollinger Turner of Tiny Mantras wrote a lovely post about celebrating All Saints in New Orleans. She says:

As I understand it, All Saints Day is about remembering the people no longer with us, who still live under our skin — the ones that we look to for guidance, even if we can only imagine what they might say to us now. I try to think of those people in my own life often, but work and trick or treaters and traffic and phone calls get in the way. Today, I will make a point to remember them, one by one.

Doesn't that sound nice? Wouldn't it be lovely to do that together? Hurrah! We still have time! Here's what I'm suggesting, let's remember the people who's wisdom and laughter have touched us by creating memorials to them for Día de los Muertos. It's easy. Show us a picture of the person you're remembering and post it on your Flickr account. Write a post about someone you love on your blog. Or, you could create your own crafty icon of the saint you adore. Get it online by November 1st, and I'll include it in my Monday morning post for BlogHer on November 3rd. Just email the permalink to moi@magpie-girl.com

Need some help? Kathy Cano-Murillo of the Crafty Chica certainly has the right vibe going over at her place. At Shutter Sisters, Jen Lemen gives us this remembrance of her father (who is still with us...but still, it's a good idea for an alternative portraiture of someone you love and want to recall, don't you think. Hmm...what photo of grandma could you crop?) And Kate at Sweet:Salty once again touches our hearts with her post on remembering the little ones who have left us too soon, too soon. Plus, I have to say my little group of celebrants has done a lovely job making memorials out what my children call "cut, color, and paste" you can find them listed below.

I do hope you'll join in the festivities! I'm looking forward to getting your email with your posts by November 1st. Happy Día de los Muertos!

A Memorial to Rosa Parks (by Paul Chapman)
A Modern Saint: Derrida (by Lindell Alderman)
Infant Loss: Remembering Simeon

Rachelle Mee-Chapman is an alt-minister, mom, and writer blogging at Magpie Girl, and now at contributing at Food Hero and Minti Parenting. She'll send you helpful links and updates if you follower her on Twitter. Thanks for reading!