It is that time of year again Autumn the season of Halloween and Thanksgiving; two diabolically different occasions.

I am not a fan of Halloween.  As a kid I remember dressing up and going trick or treating wearing one of those hard plastic masks. I even let my kids go; although with my youngest we’d dress him up and go to the mall it was more a big costume party.

However, even when I was little I had an uneasiness about Halloween.  I grew up in a Southern Baptist church in a small town and I still remember how terrified I was at six years of age, when they converted the Sunday School classrooms into a “House of Horror”.  The lights were out and one of the older kids took me by the hand to lead me through.  I was made to put my hand into a bowl of brains and eyeballs and guts.  I panicked and began crying until they let me out to the room.  Later they showed me it was just spaghetti, grapes, jello; didn’t take much to terrify me.

I have never liked scary movies, horror movies, satanic movies and during October –  yep,  that’s pretty much all that is on TV. I’ve never seen the Exorcist, or a Freddie movie, no Chainsaw Massacre, no Shining, no Omen and no Vampires… you get the picture.  I remember when I was a young adolescent watching Alfred Hitchcock and Twilight Zone or Night Gallery with Rod Sterling with my mother.  We would huddle on the couch, lock the door and I’d stay awake half the night seeing shadows in the dark!

So pretty much for me that was the extent of it.  Since then I have been guided by the knowledge that once something is in my mind it is nearly impossible to erase.  I just choose not to fill it horror, evil or demonic visions.  I believe there is enough real horror in the world without having to deal with someone’s vivid imagined horror and terror.

Evil exists, I get that but I don’t think having the memory of it existing in my head is of any life changing or edifying benefit.  A personal choice.

So I take a deep breath.  Tomorrow is a new day, a new month and a new focus.  November –  Thanksgiving,  a season of gratitude and giving thanks.  I can grasp onto that.

Do you know the story; People come into your life for a REASON, a SEASON or a LIFETIME? I have found it to be true.

People that are in my life for a REASON come and go, usually in a short time and when they are gone, I am sometimes sad…sometimes glad. Afterwards, I think of them occasionally but usually do not make contact.

People who come for a SEASON, I have a deeper relationship with. They usually reveal a hidden truth in my life and always carry a special place in my heart. When the season is over whether a year or ten years, I always remember them fondly and when I see them occasionally, it always makes me happy.

People who come in to my life for a LIFETIME, well you now that is pretty self explanatory except to say they are the family that God gave me to replace the broken family that I had. They are always near and dear to my heart and even some I have not seen in 10 or 20 years. We call and write each and and stay in touch and when they need me or I need them they are always there. They are the family of my heart.