On Thursday, I took the day off and went into LA to Olvera Street to see the Day of the Dead festivities. I was going to post these on Friday but I decided not to move Spike. :)
My family has never celebrated the Day of the Dead. It's more something that we do all year. Since I was a little girl, I've been going to the cemetary with my grandmother to take flowers to the graves of the family. It was never morbid or a scary thing. Just a part of life. My sister and I would wander around and look at the names and the dates and ask questions about the family.
Now, I go to the cemetary with my mom and grandpa to visit my grandma's grave. It isn't that we have to go to the cemetary to talk to her or think of her. But leaving flowers for her, which she loved, is a way of making her part of special days like holidays and her birthday. The cemetary is always filled with flowers and decorations and families. There's talking and praying and laughing and sometimes music. I've thought of taking my camera with me sometimes to capture what it's like but it never felt right.
Anyway, I left a note for my grandma in an offering basket while I was there. Her birthday was on Tuesday. I said that I hoped that she could see the munchkins and how funny and cute they were. I'm sure she does. I just wish she were still with us to see them so Max could have met her too. And for me, to be honest. I still miss her so...