Looking In My Own Backyard: November

 We are almost done and I am a bit sad that we are. I will save the sappy for the end of the year, but we will be fist talking about the movie Coco.

The day of the dead may sound scary to those who don't know about it. In reality, it's a celebration of life. Family members who have passed away get to cross the bridge back to the land of the living for one night every year. However, their picture must be on the mantle of someone who cared for them. Never before has someone from the land of the living cross to the that of the dead, until now. When trying to prove to his family that music is not a bad that, Miguel, is someone able to go between both worlds. In doing so he finds the truth about his family, and what it family really means.

I enjoyed this movie the first time I saw it and I love it even more now. Disney has really done a good job in recent years to explore other cultures. They have always done with with legends and stuff like that but actually showing these celebrations and showing what they are really about has been great to see. I really did love this whole idea of Miguel going to visit those who know him but he now gets to understand what has happened in the past. We can't always fully know what lead to were we are now but we can have a better understanding of how things came to be if we know a little bit about the history. 

I think that this is why I have loved doing this so much. I have found out more about how my family has come to be and how I got here. Just like this next story from mom's side. We are going to talk about my Nine times great Grandfather Gabriel Moran. 

Gabriel was from Claire County, Ireland. The reason that they left is because Oliver Cromwell was conquering Ireland for England and they took the Mora's land and they had to come to America. They ended up living in Maryland and that is where Gabriel met his wife. They build a beautiful home there and lived a very successful life by all account. However, there is someone else in this family tree that was able to find exactly where they lived in Claire County, and were able to provide proof that the they lived there. With this information they Moran family can have a Coat of Arms.

We are down to one story left in this wonderful year.