Halloween

 

Growing up in the Idaho Panhandle, Halloween frequently meant designing Halloween costumes that could be put over a snowsuit.

I remember one Halloween in particular when a whole crew of us headed through our neighborhood with a variety of bags for candy.  

We went from door to door smiling and saying "Trick-or-Treat" and then "Happy Halloween" as we had been taught before scampering on to the next house.  Down the street and then a sharp turn to the right as we hit the bottom houses, knowing every one of our neighbors.  

At the very bottom after the last house we decided to cut through some snow-covered lawns to get back home more quickly.  My parents would then load us up in the station wagon and take us around to visit our many adopted grandparents from church.  

At the time I thought that's just what people do on Halloween.  Now I can recognize the effort it would have taken my parents,  but also the joy it would bring those off the beaten path and unable to get out as easily.  And they always had special popcorn balls or other treats waiting for us. 

But back to the story, on this snowy night my younger sister arrived home for the candy counting and bargaining to begin, only to discover she had been dragging her paper sack through the snow.  

The bottom had become wet and ripped and her bag was empty.  She was of course devastated and burst into tears.  And the heavy snow falling outside meant a recovery mission would have unfavorable results.

So the rest of the siblings gave her some of ours.  And she got some from the trick or treat bowl at our house.

We definitely didn't always get it perfect.  

We fought, name-called, pushed and shoved like many sibling groups.  But I am thankful that my parents were intentional about trying to make service a part of our lives no matter what.  Whether that was to our siblings who had a rougher go of it trick-or-treating or to share love with others by visiting and reaching out.

Sister Cheryl A Esplin, wisely counseled "All of us can incorporate some service into our daily living. We live in a contentious world. We give service when we don’t criticize, when we refuse to gossip, when we don’t judge, when we smile, when we say thank you, and when we are patient and kind.

Other kinds of service take time, intentional planning, and extra energy."

Making service a part of even our holidays and special events,  is a way that we can intentionally teach our children and uplift others, and I'm pretty sure that's how Jesus would do it😊.  

Thanks, Mom and Dad.