Happy Halloween

Halloween is a very special time of year for me, even though I don't dress up or hand out candy. It is a time when I reflect on those we've lost. My mother would have turned 65 today, and Halloween is forever associated with my mother in my mind. I think of her, and I think of ghosts, and All Souls Day coming up on November 2. The whole time of year is sort of surreal to me. I think about how my mother used to dress up as a witch and come to our classrooms when my siblings and I were in gradeschool. She used to decorate for halloween, and serve punch with dry ice out of a cauldron. I wonder about ghosts, whether they are real, and if so, how they are real. I think about the Bible and Jesus and ghosts and spirits to try to figure out how it all fits together. I like seeing Halloween decorations, and I love seeing people in cute and creative costumes. Now as I get a little older, I catch myself thinking about having children of my own and celebrating Halloween with them. I guess until that time comes, I have Halloween to myself to think and reflect. Special thanks to my brother for saying a Mass for Mom today. Happy Halloween, everybody!