Happy Halloween?

I'm sorry if it bugs you, but I'm just not much of a fan of Halloween. I never have been. And each year, either because I am getting older, or because Halloween is really growing, this "holiday" seems to be celebrated more and more. It seems like it is becoming a lot like Christmas. This year I heard people talk about "the Halloween season" and the "spirit of Halloween" (I think they meant a lower case "s"). People are really decorating their yards these days, and their houses with Halloween paraphernalia. It just seems strange. What about Halloween is happy? Everyone always says it's the candy, but Halloween isn't really about candy. We get candy for a bunch of other reasons, but that's not why we enjoy Christmas or Easter...and not to make this totally a secular/sacred argument, we do say things like "Happy 4th of July" and that does seem happy enough. But Halloween celebrates dead things, morose things, macabre things. What's happy about that?

You probably think I'm being Ebenezer Scrooge, but please...reserve him for Christmas! Or maybe you think I'm legalistic and think Halloween is sinful. I'm not. Maybe, you'll argue, it's because I have no memory of trick-or-treating and that has scarred me for life. Maybe so. I don't remember ever trick-or-treating, but I do think there is a picture of me at the age of 3 in a Casper the Ghost costume. You'll have to ask the parents who deprived me of such festivities. But Halloween just doesn't seem "happy" to me.

Personally, I don't think I missed out. I don't think there is much to celebrate about Halloween. What good comes from celebrating a witch, a skeleton, or a monster? Am I missing something? I think Peggy Noonan makes a good point when she states, "What you applaud, you encourage. And: Watch out what you celebrate!" I think this is especially true of matters relating to Hollywood and the entertainment industry. Which is a nice segue, although not intended, to mention my frustration with the inbredness of the media and entertainment industry. Since Leslie has been sick, I've been upstairs more. Which means I've been around the TV more and have seen news and award shows. I guess having not seen these for a while, and then watching them now, it is painfully clear to me that Hollywood and the media do nothing more than get together and pat each other on the back. This global warming thing is a good example, with Al Gore being the chief example. Come on! This guy is the biggest hypocrite when it comes to personal responsibility for conservation and they pour on the awards??? More than that, at one award show it was as if they worshipped the man when he came on stage. No one got the applause and ovation that he did. And it is public knowledge that he owns a company that sells these carbon credits that are supposed to offset carbon emissions. That would be like the owner of a bullet-proof vest manufacturing company using the microphone and getting awards that promote the tragic, and frightfully growing trend of gun violence in America. But the circle is so inbred, they fail to see it. And America keeps clapping, and even celebrating, by watching the shows and movies they produce. And we wonder why their agenda gains the ground with the speed that it does! Frankly, Hollywood scares me more than the little ghouls running around the neighborhood tonight. By the way, if you're really mad at me now and think I'm totally cuckoo for saying anything negative about global warming let me clarify. I know that over the past 100 years the earth's average temperature has increased by 1 degree. That is not debated. The question is, "what caused it?" I'm just not convinced that it is completely man, and I'm especially not convinced that the end of the world is coming as a result of global warming. One of the people in the media who I do enjoy, John Stossel, has written a good editorial on this subject recently, and I commend it to you. I must also mention another article by him regarding a subject that I think points out another level of hypocrisy in Hollywood, and especially among rich liberals (which pretty much defines Hollywood).

Whew, that's some scary blogging there!

On a more important matter than my own banterings, Leslie is still not feeling well. The chemo continues to wear her down. She was in bed much of the day. Our friends, Ralph & Ann, came and saved her this afternoon by coming to get the kids and taking them to the park and Chick-fil-A for dinner. They then took them to First Baptist where the kids met up with Grandad, Mimi, and Poppie for "Trick-or-Trunk." The members of FBC parked cars around the loop at the church and handed out candy out of their trunks. Kind of a cute, and safe way to do it. And see, I'm not depriving my children!! They had a wonderful time, and made some good memories with Grandad, Mimi, and Poppie. Of course, I do have a mind to sneak into their candy bags tonight and throw out half of it. Hmmm, that might be a risky move worth making!

Pray that Leslie's body will rebound quickly, that the kids will feel secure (they continue to get up in the night), and that I won't be such an unbelievable wretch of a husband, father, and employee in the midst of all of this.

Before signing off, I want to include a video that Leslie has on her blog. It is extremely encouraging and powerful...and worth every bit of the 13:22 of your time. The authenticity with which this guy speaks given his condition is mind-boggling. I should be this confident in Christ in my situation, and it pales in comparison to his.