Halloween Memories

It's hard to fathom that it's Halloween today. Where in the world did the month go? Certainly not as I expected. I had planned a house decorated with fall foliage, full of pumpkins and gourds, filling the house with colors and textures of the season. Something that could easily move from Halloween into Thanksgiving. Instead I'm making do with memories of Halloween past.

Growing up with Halloween as a fiber of Americana, I've never been a Christian horrified of the holiday. As a child, I met Halloween with excited innocence, looking forward to not just the reward of mass quantities of sugary treats, but the fulfillment of the perfect costume that set me apart from the rest of the crowd. I was blessed with a mom who sewed my costumes each year. As a voracious reader, my imagination often got away from me and being a prairie or puritan girl was always high on my list of things to be for Halloween. Of course, being a princess, too, didn't hurt.

Those memories were so special to me that I was determined to make my children's costumes each year just as my mom did. At the beginning of each October, we would head to the fabric store, combing through patterns to find the perfect alter-ego for the night. I miss the flurry of excitement those moments the costume came on in anticipation of the big night. It broke my heart when the children finally began to chose store bought costumes over my handmade efforts.

All the costumes I've made, all the costumes my mom made, are lovingly saved in a vintage suitcase in our garage. I was hoping that since I had a girl, she would wear the costumes my mom made for me, but Brie's dreams were different than mine so the only costume that she ever worn of mine, was the clown costume that mom made for me that, ironically, I hated so much as a child. Looking at it with adult eyes, it's the best costume that my mom ever made and I'm so thankful we still have it. I'm even more thankful that Brie willingly wore it one year. She looked so ridiculously cute in it.

Still I keep all the costumes we have in hopes that perhaps one day they will be worn by a grandchild…or two. If not for Halloween then just for dress up when they come to visit. After all, some of them would make great Tea Party attire.

Things for which I'm thankful:

1. Wonderful memories
2. Yummy leftovers for lunch
3. Making it through the radiation planning session
4. The kindness of the staff at Kaiser
5. A beautiful sunset on the drive home
6. The Lord's faithfulness
7. The strength that I'm feeling 
8. Pictures of my grand babies in their Halloween costumes
9. Weekend coming up
10. My feet hitting the ground when I woke up this morning