This has been a difficult Halloween. Let me rephrase that. This has been a very different Halloween. From the time we became a family of four, we have followed the same Halloween traditions. The girls always planned their costumes for weeks prior to the big night and began dressing for the festivities three hours before dark. Steven prepared his famous homemade chili with steamed hot dogs, corn bread and all the fixings. My in-laws and folks joined us at the house and simply enjoyed the evening...some staying behind to greet trick or treaters while the rest of us traipsed around the neighborhood accumulating bags and bags of goodies.
But, our former traditions have been set aside this year and I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it...a little sad, maybe, a little unsettled, definitely, but...like so many things these past few years...I have to recognize that the changes aren't necessarily bad, just different. So, when Alissa began preparing for Homecoming and dressing in her beautiful gown looking every bit a woman...ready to conquer the world...I surged with pride. And when my Kinsey set off for a Halloween party with her girlfriends without us..I was oddly at peace. I have all of these wonderful Halloween memories to look back on. So, as I notice the neighborhood kiddos dressed for the night with their parents following closely on their heels...I will remember and treasure those not so long ago traditions. And I will work hard to embrace the new traditions that now seem to be.
