Žale cemetary in Ljubljana
Žale cemetary, Ljubljana

Here’s some more of that Slavic schmaltz especially for alcessa 😉
I’m not one to go light candles on my relatives’ graves very often, much less at times when this is expected to be done en masse by generally accepted standards and conventions, but I still cannot dismiss this time of the year. If it hadn’t been for this darned cold, I’d have gone to Urh. In Slovenia the All Saints Day is called, rather eerily, “Dan mrtvih” or the “Day of the Dead”. I prefer to think of it as the remembrance day.

A time when we pause from the hectic daily lives most of us lead and ponder over issues of a slightly more spiritual nature than job/money problems, the latest politician-induced blood pressure surge, the everimportant colour of the couch to match the wall if not feng shui rules.

When it comes to those who’ve been here before us, I somehow cannot believe that once they are gone, they are gone completely. Call it spirit, energy, whatever you like, but I feel my loved ones are with me. They were such a big part of my life that they left a print in my heart that cannot be erased by simple breakdown of their ‘shells’.

Remembrance to me had little to do with actually going to graves, preferably dressing up according to the latest fashion trends and decorating the grave once a year. It is about keeping my loved ones in my thoughts year-round and remembering the times we spent together and what I’ve learned from them. Undoubtedly, one of the lessons that stuck is to enjoy the company of those who are very much alive. Here and now.

In the words of the old bard…

Receive what joy you may
The Night is long
That never finds the day