Día de los Muertos

We celebrate the Day of the Dead where I work by bringing in photos and momentos to celebrate and honor our ancestors and the deceased. So today I thought I'd write a little something about my grandma Jane Emerson who this blog is in honor of and who died in 2002. She had 12 children, which is remarkable, but at the same time I remember her once saying when she was in her 70's that two things that annoyed her were old people that talked about their medicines and people who thought that the greatest thing that they had accomplished was having children. She believed in feeding the hungry, defending the poor, and providing shelter for the homeless. In her efforts to provide meals to the homeless in San Diego, she once said "America's finest city is not America's most loving city". (Here are a few articles about her work - 1, 2, 3.) She was resolute and stubborn too. She loved to read, drink wine, give parties, and talk politics. She was a feminist. She was a recycler and a pack rat. She was a righteoous babe. She was an excellent Scrabble and Anagrams player, although I think there were times when she may have cheated at these games. She was a great gardener. She was loving and supportive, a great listener and giver of advice. She is my inspiration.