Friday: Día de los Muertos
The approach of All Souls Day or Día de los Muertos always brings to me a sense of sadness and joy about the bittersweet qualities of life, love, and death.
This story begins about 10 years ago at this time of the year. My husband, Mark, and I were at lunch with his father Antonio. As we sat around the table for some reason or another Tonio and I were discussing what songs we would like to be played at our funerals. We both agreed that Amazing Grace was really so emotionally packed with the concepts of redemption and being born again that it was the perfect music to accompany our souls from this world to the next.
Amazing Grace has been my companion since the year my father died when I was 11. I cannot hardly hear the song and not have tears well up in my eyes. I can still feel my utter sense of loss when my father left me and as I stood at his casket they played this song.
Over time, it seemed that every time I would hear this song on the radio or on television, there would soon be a death in the family. It could just be that I was sensitized to the music and when my spirit felt that someone was leaving I would hear the music. Sometimes it would just start to play in my head as a secret melody from my heart.
On November 1st I accompanied Tonio to a mass held at the University chapel which was celebrated every year and sponsored by Tonio in honor of his brother Jesus, a major Mexican artist. The rest of the family refused to go as they did not particularly like religious celebrations. As Tonio and I went to our seats the organ above us began to play Amazing Grace. I felt the cold chill of death come over me. As we stood for a certain part of the service, I could see Tonio blanch white. I urged him to sit down.
A few weeks later, Tonio was scheduled for open heart surgery. We had Thanksgiving dinner the Saturday before the Thursday planned holiday because he would be in surgery Monday morning. We drank wine and ate luscious food and played music and celebrated the many blessings in our life.
Tonio went through the surgery and it was considered successful. However, Wednesday night, as I lay in my bed alone since Mark was in the city and at the hospital with his father. I heard in my heart the strains of Amazing Grace. The phone rang. As I picked it up and heard Mark's voice as he asked me what I was doing, I said: I was just lying here waiting to hear from you to tell me of the passing of your father.
To see the symbology of the family altars to honor the dead click here: http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/altar/
This story begins about 10 years ago at this time of the year. My husband, Mark, and I were at lunch with his father Antonio. As we sat around the table for some reason or another Tonio and I were discussing what songs we would like to be played at our funerals. We both agreed that Amazing Grace was really so emotionally packed with the concepts of redemption and being born again that it was the perfect music to accompany our souls from this world to the next.
Amazing Grace has been my companion since the year my father died when I was 11. I cannot hardly hear the song and not have tears well up in my eyes. I can still feel my utter sense of loss when my father left me and as I stood at his casket they played this song.
Over time, it seemed that every time I would hear this song on the radio or on television, there would soon be a death in the family. It could just be that I was sensitized to the music and when my spirit felt that someone was leaving I would hear the music. Sometimes it would just start to play in my head as a secret melody from my heart.
On November 1st I accompanied Tonio to a mass held at the University chapel which was celebrated every year and sponsored by Tonio in honor of his brother Jesus, a major Mexican artist. The rest of the family refused to go as they did not particularly like religious celebrations. As Tonio and I went to our seats the organ above us began to play Amazing Grace. I felt the cold chill of death come over me. As we stood for a certain part of the service, I could see Tonio blanch white. I urged him to sit down.
A few weeks later, Tonio was scheduled for open heart surgery. We had Thanksgiving dinner the Saturday before the Thursday planned holiday because he would be in surgery Monday morning. We drank wine and ate luscious food and played music and celebrated the many blessings in our life.
Tonio went through the surgery and it was considered successful. However, Wednesday night, as I lay in my bed alone since Mark was in the city and at the hospital with his father. I heard in my heart the strains of Amazing Grace. The phone rang. As I picked it up and heard Mark's voice as he asked me what I was doing, I said: I was just lying here waiting to hear from you to tell me of the passing of your father.
To see the symbology of the family altars to honor the dead click here: http://www.azcentral.com/ent/dead/altar/
posted by Myriam Maytorena | 8:16 AM
1 Comments:
Oooooo...that gave me the chills! I don't know what I'd like playing at my funeral. Gave me fuel for thought this morning!
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