Dia de los Muertos, Take 2

Last year our girls came home with a challenging assignment. (I wrote about it here.)
Their Spanish teacher asked each student to bring in a photograph of someone they knew who died for the Dia de los Muertos celebration. I emailed the teacher explaining that our girls hadn't yet experienced the death of a loved one they knew. The teacher encouraged Matt and I to share with our girls memories of a deceased family member. And so we did.

I shared my childhood memories of Papa and Matt shared his childhood memories of Grandma Glafcke. We found old pictures of them and had the girls bring them to school. On the days leading up to the Dia de los Muertos celebration, we prepped the girls. Asking them what they recalled Matt & I saying about Papa and Grandma Glafcke. And they dutifully parroted back the same words we had spoken.

Now its one year later. Over the past few weeks our girls attended the funerals for their two great-grandfathers. For their classroom's Dia de los Muertos altar, Jo and Coryn picked out photos of their great-grandpas. Jo drew a picture of yellow flowers and wrote: We miss you and care for you.

On Monday Grammy BB came to watch Mallory so I could go to school and help the Spanish teacher with the Dia de los Muertos celebration. As I passed out napkins and poured juice I listened in on the teacher reading aloud stories of the Hispanic holiday. In one story a small boy fell asleep and dreamed he was with his grandma. The teacher explained to the class how this was a special day to remember and celebrate the lives of people we loved. And that even though we can no longer see them, our loved ones remain with us always, in our head and in our heart.

My own heart swelled as my girls stood in front of their class and shared their own memories, in their own words.

Jo held up a photograph of herself as a baby with Grandma Jo and Grandpa1i. She told the class that the last time she saw her Great Grandpa he told her she could take as many Hershey Kisses as she'd like. Jo explained that he really liked those chocolate candies, but wanted to share them with her. She took five, ate one, and saved the rest.

Coryn held up a photograph of Great Grandpa Art. She told her class how she went to his funeral and saw him lying in a special bed. He was sleeping and wouldn't ever wake up. She said JoJo drew a picture for Great Grandpa and laid it next to him. Coryn said Uncle Andrew gave her one of Great Grandpa's special golf balls and she laid that next to him. Coryn explained that it was special because Great Grandpa liked to walk and pick up golf balls. He drew a smiley face on the ball with marker so he knew it was his.

This year we hadn't rehearsed anything.
My girls spoke from their hearts.