I am the daughter of Judy and Larry, the granddaughter of Lillian, Lawrence, Edith Juanita and Roy. All of them are not on this plane of the living now. I absolutely love my Samhain altar–it has more pictures than an actual table can hold now, as well as the beloved pets that we have lost. I love putting candles in between the photos, and when needed, I think of who else has died and add them to the altar, usually with some tears. This year, I have not lost any beloveds in my friends and family, but our congregation has lost so so so many. I am holding a very tender space in my heart for them.
This Sunday, we all get the chance to remember our ancestors. I encourage you to bring a picture of your beloved ancestors. If you are online, have your photos next to you on the Zoom. We will have a chance to remember them and share memories of them together in community.
You’ll notice that we are calling this year’s service “Remembering Our Ancestors,” where we’ve called it a Dia de los Muertos service the last few years. That is because we’ve been honored to have our Abuela Sylvia lead the service in past years from her indigenous Mexican tradition. We are so grateful for Sylvia for the richness of her tradition that she has brought to us. Without her leadership on this service, it would be appropriation to call it Dia de los Muertos; but we can still honor our ancestors in a way that is authentic.
I look forward to hearing about your ancestors and sharing mine. What a sacred opportunity we’ll have to do this together.