The Feast of All Saints and All Souls

Today is the Feast of All Souls, which celebrates the lives of those lost in the last year.  Many churches will celebrate All Saints Sunday.  Some cultures will continue celebrating the Day of the Dead.

detail from "Finding Frida Kahlo" by Pam Ward-Reagan

Will we decorate graves?

Will we find a different way to converse with our ancestors?

Many churches use All Saints Sunday to celebrate the lives of our dearly departed loved ones. 

Perhaps we will have a table where people can bring photos of their loved ones.  Maybe there will be candles we can light.  Hopefully we will offer prayers of gratitude.  Maybe there will be other tributes.

In most Protestant churches, All Saints' and All Souls' have merged into one, and that makes sense to me.

Still, my inner English major will always have a sense of these alternative liturgical calendars. I like having more to celebrate, more ways to remind myself that there's more to life than what occupies most of my time (work--both on the job and at my house).

I like having holidays that remind me that we're only here for too brief a time. It helps me to treasure the fleeting moments that I have. It helps me to keep perspective.  All too soon, we too, will pass through these gates.