To all my friends...

Happy All Hallows Eve!

Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate...

...getting ready to head out the door or opening your door to a parade of Saints who will be supping with you this evening and making merry: Hope you have a wonderful vigil celebration that continues on to tomorrow when we join with the angels and give thanks for the excellent example of these men and women who lived lives of heroic virtue and who now triumphantly petition for us in Heaven. If anyone calls you lame, ignore it. I stopped caring what the kid next door thought a long time ago and I encourage you to do the same.

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...getting ready to head out the door to delight the elderly, comfort the lonely, revel with friends and earn treats for your cuteness: Be safe! Have fun! Eat a Butterfinger for me! I will leave a bowl of candy outside for you. (If someone gets to it first and empties it out, I'll let him explain why his greediness was more important than your fun.)

Please don't think I'm a "ninny" or a "goody-goody" or on some kind of moral high horse for not participating any more than that. I don't think trick-or-treating is satanic and I have not been secretly influenced by Protestants.

Sigh.

My children take no delight in ghosties or ghoulies or creepy things in general and while I know you would not dream of gorifying this cultural tradition, sadly not everyone is as enlightened as you. Those who say we are "lame dorks", well, we are kind of used to being considered weird in all areas of our life by now and are pretty content with our dorkiness.

I don't mean to bring you down with my little quibbles, I am just feeling awfully pushed around right now by people of the same faith from whom I would expect a little more understanding. Not you, of course, I know you understand. What I don't understand is all the contortions fellow Catholics are going through to make Trick or Treating something it isn't? Nobody ever feels the need to infuse fireworks on the Fourth with some sort of sacredness. As someone who grew up running from house to house with my friends dressed in all kinds of fanciful garb I know that it's a fun custom, uniquely American and not typically an occasion for sin unless you try to eat the whole bag in one night, which I know you won't. :)

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... to all my friends who's festivities have already finished: Sit down, put your feet up and have a glass of wine! This weekend which has included a potluck, a funeral, and birthday party so far with more to come means I'm almost running on empty and would love to join you, in spirit, if not in flesh. Pray for me! :)


Peace, friends! Have a good night!