For All the Saints

Eternal Home and Remembering Those Who Shed Their Mortal Skins

When my aunt died many years ago, my cousin reportedly asked my brother if he still believed in heaven. Before he could answer, D continued, “It better be real cuz I’ll be angry if I’ve believed in it all these years and it isn’t.”

It’s possible I’ve bungled his words, but the sentiment is true. It comforts us to believe our loved ones go somewhere peaceful and lovely, where we will eventually see them again.

Personally, I like to imagine heaven not in the clouds but more like what C. S. Lewis describes in The Last Battle in The Chronicles of Narnia. Known as Aslan’s Country, it resembles life as we know it, yet without imperfections. It is paradise and can be entered from any world. Indeed, there are many, many, entrances. Even as a young child raised in a Christian home, I remember understanding this as a metaphor. Now, I’m not going to suggest that Lewis was an omnist, but I certainly am.

There is something more than this world.

I don’t know what that is, and at this point in my life, I think it is hubris to suggest that any of us do, but I do believe this world is not everything and this world is not the end thing.

Truth is, part of the human condition fears the unknown. And nature abhors a vacuum. This is where our beliefs come in. Since the beginning, humans have had stories to explain the great mysteries. These stories, and the rituals that accompany them, bring us comfort. And all of us, I believe, could use a little more comfort.

Days of the Dead, otherwise known as All Saints Day and All Souls Day, can be a profoundly comforting holiday. Dating back to as early as the 4^th and 8^th centuries CE and adopted by many cultures, these days offer a celebration to remember all who have died. Falling on the heels of the old Celtic tradition of Samhain, when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is believed to be most thin, it removes some of the sadness of our separation and can help reduce our fear of death.

While All Saints and All Souls Days were part of the religious tradition in which I was raised, it wasn’t until my early twenties when I became familiar with Days of the Dead and this, my friends, was a game changer for me. I had already lost way too many people in my life: my father, grandparents, and many dear friends. These holy days offered me a way to honor and celebrate those who were gone, without the burden of remembering every individual anniversary of death. Creating an ofrenda, or altar, with photos, candles, flowers, and special treats became an annual tradition.

all photos my own from ofrendas over the years

This year, I am privileged to be in Sicily. All Saints Day is, in fact, a national holiday, meaning an official day off. All Souls’ Day, however, is when folks go tothe cemeteries and bring flowers, and I’ve always loved cemeteries so I, too, went.

Here’s a short tribute. It is in honor of everyone I have loved and who is no longer here, and particularly my mother who was actively dying during these days in 2010 and made her transition on November 6.

Do YOU celebrate All Saints and All Souls Days or Days of the Dead? If so, how? Do you like to visit cemeteries?