Steeping Like a Teabag in the Joy of Life

A few days ago, my computer displayed a photograph of me at age three, in my dad’s baseball shirt, hat and glove and one of my son at the same age as a baseball player ready to trick or treat. A third photo documented my fairy princess outfit at age seven with my younger sister as a belly dancer, and the last photo of my granddaughter at age five in her fairy princess attire with my grandson, as a giraffe. I marveled at the number of decades separating these photographs. Stepping away from the computer, I returned to my task of decorating for Halloween and the preparations necessary for the arrival of 200 children who come from more rural areas to go door to door.  

I wonder if my grandkids, now fourteen and twelve, still think about Halloween in wonder, or are their thoughts centered on the quantity of candy to be harvested? Have they considered Halloween as time to honor the change of seasons, or a way to pay tribute to those who came before? Do they know it is a Celtic tradition that comes from Ireland and Scotland? I didn’t at their age. I looked forward to going out with friends without my parents as chaperones.

Today, Halloween marks cooler weather, amber leaves, and shorter days. There is a slowing down of outward events, and an inward journey to stoke the fires of introspection. My desire to have time with family and friends intensifies as time seems more precious. Halloween moves me to thoughts of Thanksgiving, a time to be grateful for family and friends. Savoring the moments captured in these photographs finds me steeping like a teabag in the joy of life.