All Saints Eve {Halloween}

The other day, I walked into the post office with a package to mail and was delighted to find no one in line. 

No line!

What a great day... I was first in line at the post office!

Wait... there was no one behind the counter, either.  

There stood a can of Lysol, front and center, in front of a cash drawer, left unattended on the counter.

Shortly, I heard an unfriendly, angry voice, "Don't come near my work station" and something along the lines of "you have no business coming to work sick."

As a meek rebuttal came from the sick person in the back, the angry worker approached the counter and made eye contact with me and retorted, "I'm with a customer," and then something to the effect of

stop talking to me and go home you sick person... 

Next, the voice of the sick person in the back mentioned something about 

prostate cancer and having compassion.

The angry worker offered some curt reply, and forced himself back into his work station,

putting the Lysol down under the counter.

 He weighed my package, as if he could just barely bring himself to touch the key pad on the register.

Package weighed, the angry worker grumbled, "The nerve of that guy! He has no business coming to work sick and claiming he can't stay home because he doesn't have any more sick days!"

Just a postal customer, happy to have my package in the mail by the deadline,

I asked if the Mother Theresa stamps were available.

"Yes."

And as the angry worker reached down to the shelf to pick up the panel of Mother Theresa stamps, he looked at her face on the stamp and said, 

"Speaking of compassion..."

Yes, speaking of compassion indeed!

Blessed Mother Theresa chose to live with and serve the poorest of the poor, the sickest of the sick.

It was as if just looking at her image caused the angry worker to reflect on the state of his own soul, and upon his reaction to his sick co-worker.

Nothing else was said, outside the usual closing of a postal transaction, 

but it felt like something had changed.

How often we push the sick away, whether they are sick in mind, body or or spirit.

How easy it is for us to just erase them from our minds and spray some 

Lysol to rid ourselves of their contagion.

In Blessed Mother Theresa we have a model of humility and service to the sick and the poor.

We remember her and all the saints in a special way on All Saints Day.

May their example lead us to holiness!

Timely Manner {Pumpkins}

Peter, Peter pumpkin eater!

Since our pumpkin patch only produced a few flowers this year, we purchased 

carving pumpkins and pie pumpkins.

Waiting until the day before Halloween to pick up the carvers, 

we found the selection was quite limited, but the sizes were enormous.

All the smaller pumpkins found homes first, I guess!

As a result of their monstrosity, the goo had to be removed prior to 

bringing the pumpkins inside for carving.

Afraid our dining room table would have collapsed under the weight of 120 pounds of pumpkin!

boldly go forth


























Look, Peter is defending the unborn...
Don't you love his pro-life pumpkin?
Hopefully it touched the hearts of many of the kids (and their accompanying adults) who visited our porch on Halloween.

Joseph mostly wanted to bash a pumpkin with his mace, but alas, he lacked the required adult permission! Maybe next year... or not. It really wouldn't be Halloween around here without weapons for props.

The boys put their trick or treating costumes together all by themselves this year. There were odds & ends to choose from~ our costume collection barely fits into a large rolling hockey gear bag. Peter's St. John Vianney costume for All Saints Day did require a last minute sewing marathon, so I didn't feel too left-out or out-grown as the costume designer (a role for which my mom set a pretty high standard!).

There were fun times trick or treating in the 'hood. Joseph and Peter were ever so polite to each and every person who gave them a treat.

I was holding out for Skittles or Starburst (collected as a tax), but their bags were full of chocolate varieties this year.... oh well. In years' past, we would buy back their candy and give it away at the shop(s). This year it's all stashed in their rooms, and they ask permission each time they want a piece (really!). Usually I answer with, "After you finish your math!" or "After the bathroom is cleaned!" So the candy actually works out quite nicely as a the carrot on the stick! It all gets confiscated if I find one wrapper on the floor instead of in the garbage can... so they're on the watch for litter, too!

ALL
SAINTS
DAY

Today we honor All Saints~ the holy men and women who have gone before us and have entered into God's Heavenly Kingdom.

Children came to Mass dressed as their favorite saints and were given the opportunity to teach the congregation about them. Peter chose to be Saint John Vianney who is the patron saint of priests. St. John Vianney said, "You either belong wholly to God, or wholly to the world."

We also heard from children representing Saint Luke, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta, Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Damien, and Saint Hildegard. At the 8:30 Mass, children presented Saint Louis, Saint Gabriel, Saint Bernadette, and Saint Isaac Jogues to name a few.

Yesterday we celebrate the vigil of All Saints Day, Halloween (All Hallows' Eve), with the fun of trick or treating in our neighborhood (more soon).

Happy All Saints Day...
Let's be like the saints today and everyday, serving God with our lives and giving up our will for His.