There are some things in life that most people usually take time for just once or twice a year. One of them is remembering the dead, and even when they do, sometimes they get confused about which is the appropriate day.

Do you know, for instance, the difference between the Catholic tradition of All Saints and All Souls Day?

"All Saints' Day," explains the Jesuit Resource site, "is celebrated on November 1st to remember all saints and martyrs during Christian history. It is followed by All Souls' Day on 2nd November to commemorate those who have passed within the faith."

Some confusion arises from the fact that in the Philippines, only 1 November is declared a holiday and 2 November is not. People then spend the free day visiting their dead. So they think All Saints Day is for the dead.

Then again, "saints and martyrs" may not just refer to those who had been canonized by the church but also people still with us who live their lives "selflessly serving others, following in Jesus' footsteps, and joyfully living and imparting the gospel of love, mercy, and compassion, even to the point of martyrdom," to tweak a friend's recent post.

In any case, this observance is not practiced by all religions, and others just have a different way of doing it.

"Some faiths have practices similar to Undas, while others do not commemorate it at all," says a 2017 article in Rappler.

In the Islam tradition, the article adds, "Visiting graves of loved ones is a commendable practice in Islam, although they do not have a fixed day to do it," quoting Dr. Manuel Sapitula, a sociologist of religion and associate professor at the University of the Philippines-Diliman.

Meanwhile, it says, Iglesia Ni Cristo "does not observe All Saints' Day nor All Souls' Day, because, for them, these are not supported by Bible teachings."

No matter what religion, however, we all remember our dead.

Perhaps some do not go to cemeteries or columbaria to place flowers and candles. Perhaps they keep photo frames on their side tables and think about them over morning coffee.

Perhaps the memory of the dead is simply embedded in every cell — a parent or loved one who was an anchor, strength, or inspiration.

Spending a day or two in our lives to visit loved ones who have passed on is not all the honoring we likely do as we go on with our lives without them.

We can pray for them every day, or continue talking about them with those who loved them, too.

We can try to keep living, moving forward, guided by the lives they lived or the words they used to say to us that we took for granted.

In our lives, they are our saints.

The famous Beatles song, "In My Life," comes to mind when I think of all the family and friends I have lost in the last few years alone, through illness and the pandemic and the passage of time:

"There are places I'll remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever, not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends, I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life, I've loved them all…"