Watching them grow up before my eyes

This Halloween picture speaks to me. Silas is so excited about being a bear. Josie is wearing her Ballet outfit from her big performance. Anna and I didn't dress up. That ok, I guess. Halloween, as I look back on it, was a blessed time. Climbing up the hill in the baby carriage, two bags of candy in tow, 15 neighbors clamoring up to each house, and cars dropping of teens to do a bit of local treating. I keep coming back to the same theme every year. Halloween is about community. It wont stop churning around in my belly, like a good piece of cud inside a cow. I keep coming back to it. Halloween straightens its arms and propels our little family of 4 out into the wider world of craziness and shame. We are not left to our own devices, but, left with our neighbors, in community. Cedar Hills. It is a specific time, location, and place within a specific state and city. By God's grace we ended up in this neighborhood, and we are not leaving, at least for now.

Our neighborhood has been at the losing end of 14 break -ins within the last two months, and none of us would have really believed that, by the way we were acting on Halloween. We were all happy clappy and full of joy. Now that we are sober, and approaching Christmas, perhaps its time for the next round of burglaries. I sure hope not. But we never know. As I hold to life losely, I look to these two little kids on our hands, Josie and Silas, and I praise God every time I look at this picture, and remember that God does take residence in a particular place, with particular traditions like Halloween, for a small family like ours.