When I was living in my old house, Halloween was a pretty busy night. I lived in a good neighborhood that was frequented by many trick-or-treaters. I used to make hot apple cider for the adults as I handed out the candy. Two years ago, a very good friend and I made our trek from the east coast to the wild, wild west as I moved to be with my parents. On Halloween that night, it was cold and incredibly windy. There was an accident on the highway that brought the lanes to a complete halt, so we consulted the GPS, went over the median to the other side of the highway (as did many others) and turned around. We had a hotel reservation and were confident that the GPS would get us there. At one point we drove down a road with fields, sporadic houses, and hardly any one else driving. The wind howled, the leaves pelted the car, and it was a bit freaky. We were glad when we arrived at the hotel even though there seemed to be many costumed people there. Last year on Halloween, my mother had a stroke. My parents often say that I didn’t know what I was getting into when I moved in with them. I laughingly agree and say it’s probably a good thing as I may not have come. She has been through a lot in the year, but is doing amazingly well. My parents live in a duplex community and do not get any kids on Halloween. This year I was determined to celebrate and have a little fun. Typically for me, that means food. We started this morning with pumpkin pancakes that we made faces out of using apple chunks, raisins, and berries. They were festive and delicious. I also made apple slices drizzled with melted caramel and chocolate, and chocolate candy corn bark. My dad and I stopped at the store and bought a bag of candy – just in case. Of course, we bought all our favorites. In the evening I went for a walk around the neighborhood of houses adjacent to the complex to see them decorated with blow-up figures, spider webs, and graveyards. There were several costumed kids playing outside. I came across one little band of very young children accompanied by an older one who was taking them trick-or-treating before it got too dark or late. It was a very cute scene. In all, I was happy it was a not so scary Halloween this year. Even though we didn’t get any kids at the door, it was rather enjoyable.

I Found God today enjoying a Halloween that was not so scary.