Snowbird, sad day for Antonio

Some shameless self-promotion here.

During the fall I wrote and recorded an essay that will be aired on the Sunday Edition (CBC Radio 1) this Sunday during the third hour (11-12).

A day of mixed events. First, I reconnected with a small writers group that I met and worked with last winter. Two full-time residents here in Guanajuato and one other seasonal resident. It’s good to begin to rekindle connections.

Then…We have just returned from a funeral mass for the sister of our good friend Antonio. She died suddenly yesterday. So the afternoon took on a sombre tone. The church was packed, and as always when we attend church-related things here I was impressed by the sense of belonging and comfort that the rituals provide. And no shortage of life in the midst of loss as a tiny girl in a purple t-shirt danced to the chants that emanated from the church loudspeakers.

Following the funeral mass, the family follows the hearse through the city streets to the cemetery. We didn’t go along this year, but a few years ago when Antonio’s mother died we did. It’s a procession that stops all traffic for a kilometre in this city of few streets and traffic congestion, and it ends with a graveside service that was, when we were there, very personal, informal, very tender.

Maybe tomorrow, more construction and Christmas as promised.

 

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