Today is special, Happy Birthday!

Today is the day that two beautiful women were born 24 years apart. I am sure many more were born this day, but these two are special to me and it has been a little over a year since they both died.

A month and a half apart.

I would like to take a moment to remember them.

My Mother-in-Love, Rosalie, Happy Birthday Mom, we all miss you very much.

We are all doing pretty well and Madi says "hi". She still remembers you.

Your son is doing very well. Look out for him please.

I miss you and I am learning.

Happy Birthday my dear blog friend Renee, I can not believe it has been a year already. Thank you for spending your precious time with me. Knowing you changed my whole life.

I miss you and I am learning.

I did not know until the end that these two ladies were born on the same day and when I found out it didn't surprise me at all.

They were both very honest, good mothers, unique, teachers, and extremely loving.

Both of their names start with R.

They both died from breast cancer.

I will miss you both for the rest of my life.

Love and Kisses MOM.

Renee, I love you my pretty.

Renee, rest in peace my pretty!

Renee

Rest my pretty, rest!

I am so glad you are not in pain in more.

I am.

I will be fine eventually.

You have touched my life so deeply and I will miss the moments we had together.

Thank you for everything you gave me.

Love

Kindness

Friendship

Friends

Truth

Confidence

Caring

Beauty

Real

Thought

Trust

BLD

Companionship

Insight

Experience

Knowledge

Bravery

Faith

Understanding

Awareness

etc

I owe you big time

See you on the flip side.

I love you!

xoxoxo

Day of the Dead

The festivities were dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl,[2] known as the "Lady of the Dead," corresponding to the modern Catrina.
In most regions of Mexico, November 1st honors deceased children and infants where as deceased adults are honored on November 2nd. This is indicated by generally referring to November 1st mainly as "Día de los Inocentes" (Day of the Innocents) but also as "Día de los Angelitos" (Day of the Little Angels) and November 2nd as "Día de los Muertos" or "Día de los Difuntos" (Day of the Dead).[3]
Beliefs

Many people believe that during the Day of the Dead, it is easier for the souls of the departed to visit the living. People will go to cemeteries to communicate with the souls of the departed, and will build private altars, containing the favorite foods and beverages, and photos and memorabilia, of the departed. The intent is to encourage visits by the souls, so that the souls will hear the prayers and the comments of the living directed to them. Celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.[3]
Plans for the festival are made throughout the year, including gathering the goods to be offered to the dead. During the period of November 1 and November 2, families usually clean and decorate graves;[2] most visit the cemeteries where their loved ones are buried and decorate their graves with ofrendas, or offerings, which often include orange marigolds called "cempasúchitl" (originally named cempoalxochitl, Nahuatl for "twenty (i.e., many) flowers"). In modern Mexico this name is often replaced with the term "Flor de Muerto" ("Flower of the Dead"). These flowers are thought to attract souls of the dead to the offerings.
Toys are brought for dead children (los angelitos, or little angels), and bottles of tequila, mezcal, pulque or atole for adults. Families will also offer trinkets or the deceased's favorite candies on the grave. Ofrendas are also put in homes, usually with foods such as candied pumpkin, pan de muerto ("bread of the dead") or sugar skulls and beverages such as atole. The ofrendas are left out in the homes as a welcoming gesture for the deceased.[2] Some people believe the spirits of the dead eat the "spiritual essence" of the ofrenda food, so even though the celebrators eat the food after the festivities, they believe it lacks nutritional value. Pillows and blankets are left out so that the deceased can rest after their long journey. In some parts of Mexico, such as the towns of Mixquic, Pátzcuaro and Janitzio, people spend all night beside the graves of their relatives.
More of this holiday...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_Dead

http://www.dayofthedead.com/
http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/daydeadindex.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/dayofthedead/

Fall is here...

Fall is here...The light has changed and at night, it is nice and cool, what I call excellent sleeping weather. But the air is hot and dry during the day and it still feels like summer. This is my favorite time of year, I love the light and the cooling of the air at night, it is a break from the long summers and a chance for me to get a great nights sleep, I do not have any air conditioning in my home. A time of pomegranates on my neighbors tree, I love them.

It is the holiday time of Halloween. I love the skulls and the oranges and purples and greens. I love the dark things, vampires and bats, spiders and witches, and the color black. The children with their costumes and the squeals of laughter coming from them on Halloween night.

It is harvest time, time to gather all I have planted physically and metaphorically. It is a time for me when I can see the wheel of life turning with the coming of winter and the slow down that takes place in my life. It is also an emotional time of year for me, I almost dread this time of year because of the time markers or monuments that I have in October. It is a time of fires and the scariness and dread of that. When every time I smell smoke, I run around the house with my nose in the air like a dog, searching for the source.

I lost both of my grandparents in Oct on the 21st, Jim in 1982 and his wife Mary in 1997, My husband was diagnosed with cancer last year after the fires, and His sister Jill died 4 years ago on the 25Th. There is a great missing that comes in my life now and a great joy, it is a bi-polar month for me. And I seem to find a balance in that, between the two extremes. I find it hard sometimes to understand why I still love this month and the holiday as much as I do. I was perusing the Internet and I find that I am right on time with this missing and now is a great time to honor those in my family that have gone and those that have suffered, I love you and miss you all and I am so grateful for those that have lived through the trials and tribulations of life so that I can hug you another day!