When we moved here 9 years ago, I didn’t know much about Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead). I have come to learn what a special way it is to remember loved ones who have died. My mother passed at 103 on March 20, 2019, so this is my first altar for her. I can’t visit the Ft. Rosecrans Cemetery as it is in San Diego, but I can see it in my mind; so beautiful, overlooking the harbor.

Mom ate cottage cheese, yogurt, and fruit every day. Yes! EVERY DAY! And she made the best chocolate cookies, and she drank tea, so I put these things on her altar for her. Each item I placed on the altar has special meaning, and of course all the photos are necessary to honor and remember her. Many of the photos show her with family, and they were happy times.

She loved Perry Como, and all the music of her youth, but she came to appreciate a lot of what the family introduced her to: IZ (Hawaiian singer), Eddie Vedder playing the ukulele, Willie Nelson, Kenny Rogers, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand, and more. Music playing here today will make her smile.

Check out this link if you want to know more about Dia de los Muertos. http://dayofthedeadnyc.org/meaning-of-the-day-of-the-dead/