Painting by Belynda Wilson Thomas
Look at everything as though you are seeing it for the first time, with eyes of a child, fresh with wonder. Joseph Cornell
Today is Halloween and at Toastmasters last Thursday I learned for some new immigrants that came to Canada as children, Halloween was the celebration they felt they could fit in with everyone else. They too could have a costume and trick or treat without differences being front and center.
One of the things we most want in life is to belong. We celebrate differently and have different celebrations but these sometimes divide us instead of bringing us together. When our sports teams are doing well we rally around them all hoping for victory and feeling oneness as we are joined in supporting our team.
On Friday, my husband and I attended a cross-cultural, cross-religion wedding/nikah. It was a wonderful celebration for a couple starting their journey as a married couple. One of the beautiful ceremonies was the bride’s father placed a green belt around the bride’s waist signifying she must prepare for her new life.
One of the reasons we have celebrations around life transitions is to help us prepare for the change in our life. Weddings, births, and deaths are significant transitions where life will never be the same again. We are happy to share our joy and need to share our sorrow to get through the transitions of life.
Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful, for beauty is God’s handwriting. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Tonight my daughter and I will take her son out for his first Halloween. We won’t get candy (what does a six-month-old need candy for), but we will be out in the hustle and bustle enjoying the fun. I was the one that took the kids out trick or treating and it was the end of a happy tradition when they were past trick-and-treating age. Often my daughter’s friends came with us; one year some of the friends thought it would be more fun on their own, so off they went, soon returning when they realized they had more fun in our little group.
Now it is time for new traditions as our grandson experiences each new celebration. We will take out our Cock-a-poo, Lulu, this evening. We used to be out trick or treating accompanied by our Scottie, Krypto. Life changes and we have to change with it. It won’t be long before our grandson won’t still be trick and treating, or he won’t live close enough to us to see him at Halloween, especially when it is on a weeknight. He’ll be dressed as a lion cub tonight, the first of many costumes he’ll wear over the years. This is the year of firsts, and we are enjoying each new thing as he experiences them. We can’t see things as he sees them, but watching him helps us to see things a little differently, and enjoy the small things in life we take for granted.
Having children obviously changes your priorities, but when you start to see life through these innocent eyes and seeing everything for the first time, you appreciate the small things. Nick Cannon
Things are revealed through the memories we have of them. Remembering a thing means seeing it only then for the first time. Cesare Pavese
Sometimes all it takes is a little hand reaching for yours to remind you that these are, without a doubt, the best years of your life. Unknown
Thank you for reading this post. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you will come back and read some more. Have a blessed day filled with gratitude, joy, and love
