El Dia de los Muertos: A Celebration of Family

A three-day festival:

October 31, November 1, and November 2.

A time for families to honor,

                                  to remember, and

                                  to celebrate

with memories and mementos

loved ones who have died.

Tidy the grave in the cemetery.

Place candles everywhere.

Decorate the path with marigold petals.

Wear skeleton costumes.

Feast on sugar candy skulls.

Picnic. Sing. Dance.

As night falls, fireworks dazzle with jeweled patterns.

Laughter echoes throughout the graveyard.

Most importantly, stories of ancestors are shared.

As stories are told and retold, family bonds strengthen.

The power of remembering.

The legacy of family, generation after generation.

In Memory of Larry Halek

Larry----

A blue-eyed, blonde man

Fiercely proud of his Polish heritage.

A man of many talents:

Mathematical wizard,

Almost-scratch golfer,

Writer of love songs to “Brownie,”

Dancing feet.

My dad.

Open windows to a fresh perspective.