Feliz Dia De los Santos y Dia de Los Muertos

Today (Wednesday) is All Saints's Day. We used to call tomorrow All Souls' Day. My personal relationship to and celebration of those days has evolved, including taking on some Mexican traditions.

(Welcome to another installment of Life Its Ownself. If you enjoy reading it, please let me know by 1) hitting the Like button at the bottom, 2) subscribing to this newsletter, and 3) recommending it to others. Also, feel free to comment below. I’d love to hear your thoughts.)

         But first, your moment of Zen … the superb photographer Mark Cunningham took this stunning image. As he describes it, “I shot it at 10:20 on October 10th on FM 170 between Terlingua and Lajitas. Took me 10 shots to get the lighting on the road right!” Thanks for hanging in there to create a masterpiece, Mark!

Wednesday, November 1, 2023, 10:00 p.m.

Dia de Todos Los Santos / Dia de Los Muertos

         I hope you had a terrific Halloween. Today is All Saints’ Day, and tomorrow is All Souls’ Day. Growing up Catholic, I learned of the importance of these days. The idea was that All Saints’ Day celebrated those that “fought the good fight and finished the race,” and now are in heaven. All Souls’ Day was our chance to pray for those who had died but not made it to heaven, stuck in purgatory or limbo for some part of eternity.

         Those categories don’t make much sense to me any more, and so I have evolved a different approach to celebrating both days. Today, on All Saints’ Day, or Dia de Todos Los Santos, I celebrate all the living saints in my life and in this world. If you think about it, it’s not hard to name a few. The friend whose unbounded love and generosity buoy your spirit and your life when you most need it. The hard-working parents who’ve raised three kids to adulthood, each of whom is more amazing that the next. The endlessly patient people who always have a smile and a kind word, no matter how badly their day is going. The political leaders who toil without appreciation and put country before party, and their humanity before all. I wish there were more of them, but without these people, the world would be worse off than it is.

         Tomorrow, I’ll celebrate Dia de Los Muertos by remembering all those who have passed on, especially my family members and others who enriched my life in countless ways. This year, for the first time, I created an ofrenda, a little altar to celebrate the members of my family who have gone before – my mother and father and my sister, Marion, who passed in 2019. I also included the dogs I’ve had as an adult, who played a big role in my life:

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A programming note

         I continue to be distracted by a big project in my life. Here’s the deal: I am purchasing a home. It should be easier than it is, but I am bedeviled by the minutiae and slog of securing my financing and getting everything else in order. I hope I will emerge soon from these distractions, and I apologize for late and/or truncated newsletters. Send me some good karma.