On this Halloween weekend I remember years past, and I am grateful. I am
grateful because I am no longer forced to be a creature of the night;
instead I can dress up with my children and take them trick-or-treating,
choosing to celebrate the holiday in the traditional sense. I am grateful
because the scary face I wear is only a mask, not a permament dead-eye
stare that was due to my lack of sleep and nourishment. The "monsters" I
will hang with tomorrow night are frightful in costume only. The candy
we will collect will be treats and not the only meal I will have eaten in
days. And when the evening comes to a close, I will retire to my own bed
in my own home saying a prayer of gratitude to a God of my own
nderstanding. Amen!