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Sunday was the annual Dia de Los Muertos parade here in Albuquerque.

I love everything about it.

""Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de los Muertos) is a holiday celebrated by many in Mexico and by some Mexican Americans living in the United States and Canada. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. The celebration occurs on November 2 in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day (November 1) and All Souls' Day (November 2), and has been practiced for 2500-3000 years. Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed and visiting graves with these as gifts. The Day of the Dead is a time of celebration when eating and partying are common. Due to occurring shortly after Halloween, the Day of the Dead is sometimes thought to be a similar holiday, although the two are celebrated differently. ""
--- wikipedia

*photos by Elaine A. Russell

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What can I say about today... It was a beautiful service for my dad... and tons of people came to wish us all well and to say nice things about him. It was a time of happy remembrances and visiting with family and friends. Internment was with military honors, and was just fabulous.

I have never heard "Taps" played more eloquently.

I had not planned on speaking at my father's service.... but my name was put on the program, and so I did, as well as "singing" the traditional Irish Blessing. I had sang it to my father when he was so sick, and he told me he loved it...

and so it was with great honor that I sang it again today...

*photos by Elaine A. Russell