My Unlmited Love To Dr. Goat

This is the exact kind of quality friend that has been with me a long time on this blog. Peter (Dr Goat) never has anything but words of support and encouragement for me and the things that are important to me. Check out the letter he sent me today. I was overwhelmed by his generousity of spirit and ashamed that I haven't returned a tenth of the love he has shown to me. This is the kind of gesture that I will remember long after I have left this stage of my life behind.

 

Hey Cal,

Saw your post of the dio de los muertos. Here in Tucson we have had a day of the dead parade for 16 yrs. First Sunday in November starting at around 7:00 at nite. Hundreds of people get dressed up and a giant urn is built and the couple of thousand people along the route put in prayers to lost loved ones, then the urn is hoisted high in the air (via a local large crane) where it is set on fire. It's like something out of a movie. I haven't missed it in over 10 yrs. It is quite a spectacle and a chance to remember lost people in your life. I have plenty including my parents, so it is really a poignant night.

I wanted to tell you about one thing they do. They set up a digital projection and giant screen in this lot along the parade route and show pics of all the people and pets that folks have lost. Everyone submits a pic a month before and they scan it and show it up on the giant screen for about 6 or 7 seconds all night. There are thousands. Last year we sat in the lot and watched for about an hour. Old pics of grandparents, parents, lots of cats and dogs, lots of WW2 pics of dads, like yours and mine. We always give a pic of both my parents and one of Dad in his uniform from '43. It's pretty emotional for us that are left. The night is about the people we have lost and not religion especially. It;s pretty cool and it did help me get a certain amount of , for lack of a better word, closure.