For this project, you have to make a sugar skull and mask that represents a loved one that passed. You then had to write a short reflection in English. After you did the reflection, you had to do a eulogy in Spanish about your loved one. I believe that this project was meaningful because I was able to think about good memories about my grandmother Arlene.

Reflection

The person who had passed away was a woman named Arlene “Apple” Seidle. The connection I had with her was special. I always loved going to visit her on weekdays and weekends and I would have probably visited her more than I visit my best friend now. But of course that is different now since she is gone.

This woman, Arlene “Apple” Seidle, is my grandmother, but I always called her my MomMom. She was my Father’s mother and she was seventy years old when she had passed. She had passed away on July 4th surprisingly and I was completely devastated when I had gotten the news from my father after his last visit with her. My MomMom was so special to me and she meant so much to me, especially after all the time we spent together. So the feelings that I had experienced that day were completely indescribable. For the first time in my life, I had felt true heartbreak and I knew that it was something that I can’t simply do over. It had taken me a few weeks to register that I will never be able to visit her no more and get to see her smile. She meant so much to me and it’s funny how fast happiness can be snatched away.

The reason why I had made my sugar skull in remembrance of my MomMom is unforgettable. Once she enters your life, it is so difficult to forget her wise words and kind smile. She had a lot of friends and had many family members who she cared for, even when they did stupid and hurtful things. Her door was always open for people in need and she always tried to help everyone the best she can. It’s funny how she called me her angel, but she more angelic than me. But now I wanna strive to become more like her and I always try think like her or do something just like her, so I can never forget. So making this sugar skull in remembrance of her is just another way for me to remember her and I’m thankful for that.

The mask and the sugar skull both symbolizes who my MomMom as a person. The red that I have on both the sugar skull and the mask represents her favorite color. Oh, how much she loved the color red. Her house was always filled with it, including her clothes and some of the makeup she wore. However, the color red fitted her so well and always believed that the color red was meant for her. An angel who loves the color red she was. The purple that you see on the mask and sugar skull symbolizes her creativity, her wisdom, her peace, and her independence. She tries to not be a “burden”, but she never was.  She also knew the right things to say to cheer us up and she always had such a creative mind and a creative taste for clothes the older she gotten, but we all loved her the same.  On the sugar skull and mask, I had colored the teeth gold because she had once in a lifetime golden smile. I’m completely serious when I say that her smile literally brighten up someone's day, making them have a better day than the one the begin with. Her  four children, including my father has her smile and that was passed down to me as well because every time I see a relative, they say that I have “ a smile the reminds them of Apples.” At first, I didn’t think my smile was special, but the older I get, the more of a resemblance I see. The brown that’s outlined around the mask is a certain shade of brown that I use only to represent her skin color. Last but not least, the gold that’s in certain places on the mask and that’s on majority of the sugar skull represents her overall aura, which I believe is golden.

Día de los Muertos had really opened of my mind even more than it already was for the loved ones that had passed away in my life. The reason why I said is because it just another helpful reminder that I should never forget my deceased loved one because sometimes that person is unforgettable and personally for me, if I ever forgotten who Arlene “Apple” Seidle, then I would never be able to forgive myself.

FIN