As the years have gone by, I noticed that the cemetery during All Saints' Day and All Souls Day have become more peaceful and quiet, contrary to the festive vibes from prior years. Maybe people opted to visit their beloved a day earlier or later to avoid the crowds.
Growing up, I remember staying in the cemetery the whole day of Nov 1st playing board games with my cousins. But this year, we only had lunch in my mother side's Mausoleum, lit candles and incense, offered some prayers and went by. We then visited my uncle's Mausoleum nearby. Their "house" was quite too- only having a few visitors.
Around this time last year too, I shared my All Saints Day memories in this community. I was sharing a few Mausoleums in our neighborhood and I can vividly remember a concerned citizen commented that it is not good to compare Mausoleums. So for this year, I'm only sharing the top view where my ancestors were burried.
It gets really dark here during the night where lit candles are our only light. But at the same time, the calm of the place feels like that of a temple- so serene.
Going home wasn't that of a hassle either. The few years of All Saints Day always end up in a traffic going home. But this year, the roads were smooth sailing.
After our cemetery visit, we went home and had dinner, thinking that it's just another weekend passing by. The next day, normal work day starts again. Who would've thought that a super typhoon would eventually hit the Philippines leaving an additional 100 people dying.
Life is truly short and we can only endeavour to do our best to live a good life.
That's it for today's blog. See you in my next one!
Sending some love and light
With love, Jane