Buckets of marigolds surround street vendor stalls in New York City at this time of the year. Marigolds adorn the ofrendas, or personal altars of remembrance, that families display in their homes. I brought some home on my way back from my own family Halloween celebration of trick-or-treating with my grandchildren.

Marigolds are a new tradition to my “octave of All Hallows” observances. Their vibrant orange fits in with jack-o-lanterns and pumpkin spice everything. The beautiful color is only one reason why Mexicans include so many marigolds on their ofrendas; just as important is their pungent aroma.

“An altar just isn’t complete without them,” I heard a Los Angeles woman tell a reporter.

All Hallows, the Day of the Dead, All Saints, All Souls—these are all layered holidays, rich and ever-new blends of meaning and memory. The woman in Los Angeles traced the use of marigolds back to its pre-Christian origins as a time spirits (in what we Companions would call the Paradise Chapter) return to earth to commune with those they love.

“If you believe what the Aztecs believed,” she said, “then your ancestors need the scent to find their way back to you.”

We connect with our home bases in the fall; the cooler weather brings all of us back inside—to school, to dinnertimes, to meetings and busy tasks. Companions gather in our own home bases—our chapters. Face-to-face across a parish hall table, side-by-side on a living room sofa, or smiling square by smiling square on a zoom screen. These are our blessed places and times where we find refreshment, solace and renewal.

We need all that we can muster to face the challenging times in which we live. God is calling us to walk this particular Way of the Cross, and every day I thank Jesus that I do not have to do it alone.

May all the richness of this blessed season be with you and all you love.