Día de los Difuntos/Day of the Dead
Last night, I dreamt of you, Daddy. I don’t remember the details but I remember that in it, you were very much alive. It felt so real, as if I had traveled back in time.
When I awoke, I remembered the truth. You are no longer alive and have not been for nearly 8 years. I also realized that today is Día de los Difuntos. This is a day to remember and celebrate our loved ones who are on the other side of the veil.
Often when I awake from dreams in which you have appeared, I feel a great sadness and heaviness. I feel the weight return to my chest at the knowledge that I am no longer able to engage with you as I did when you were alive.
Today, however, when I awoke and realized the date, rather than feel that sadness and heaviness, I felt calm and grateful. I felt calm because I have come to learn that when I see you in my dreams, you are spending time with me in the only way the universe now allows you to. And I felt grateful, because though I miss your physical form every day, in dreams, I have you once again.
Your having been in the world is what led to my very existence, and that of my son’s, your grandson’s. Your having left your wisdom, your light and your legacy in the physical realm is what convinces me that though I cannot see you in the same way, you are here.
You are in my mother’s love and embrace. You are in my brother’s gait. You are in my eyebrows and eyelashes. You are in my son’s eyes.
You are also in the pages of every book I devour. You are in my determination to speak truth to power and to never lose sight of who I am. You are in my open mindedness, my empathy and my generosity.
You are still here, Daddy. In my dreams, I remember the details of having shared this side of the veil with you and when I awake, I am thankful for your visit.
Día de los Difuntos is about remembering and celebrating our departed loved ones. It is about acknowledging that somehow, someway, they remain. And it is acknowledging that one day we too will be on other side of the veil, with our loved ones remembering us in the physical realm.
