Scenes from Samhain

Tis always the season for a cat nose and whiskers.

Samhain is a time for bringing out mementos from our ancestors: the hand-tatted tablecloth, the porcelain soup turin from Abuelita,  the cloth napkins beautifully embroidered by ancestors from both sides of my family, the elaborate silverware (we use everyday anyway but somehow i notice more at Samhain!). 

Samhain dinner starts at nightfall and the house is completely dark; which is FUN and a little unsettling. I noticed how much I like the lights to be turned on! And then as we sit in the dark at the dining table...one-by-one a beloved ancestor is named, stories told, and a candle lit for them until the whole room is bright. Hilarious stories, heroic stories, universal stories, even a story where reparations have yet to be made and hopefully we the descendants can make things better? With every story of human frailty, always a chance for redemption. I've always been optimistic that way. =) And having the ancestors around as we enter the cold and dark part of the year? Powerful.

Besos!