Several years ago I penned a note to my grown children. I would like to quote pieces of it here: “I was walking to work tonight and noticed a lot of Halloween decorations..blow-up stuff, etc. and thought about how I liked them. They are ‘comfort’ things, like comfort foods: foods you eat because they trigger an emotional good feeling. Well, these decorations did that too. They made me feel happy and warm, and when I thought about why they did this, I realized that they open up memories that were good ones, like past Halloweens when you kids would dress up, and how excited you were. Carving pumpkins. Decorating the yard and house. Crispy fall leaves and cooler darker nights.
I suppose it’s not all that stuff that I really love. It’s the feelings that were associated with those activities. They were times when we were all happy and excited, and we were together and shared an experience that made us feel good, safe, and loved. Also, Halloween is the gateway for the holiday season: Thanksgiving and Christmas, which also have their own magic. I am warmed and softened as those memories fill up my mind. All these things make up what we really are…down to the core…stuff you can’t change…things that ‘override’ everything else. Things usually hidden away that only come into our conscious mind when we see something like a pumpkin, or a Christmas tree. Strange, isn’t it? That such simple stuff can be so powerful. I hope you have some good memories that pop up every now and again..the kind of memories that bring tears to your eyes, hope in your heart, and a love that fills you to overflowing. If you do, then all those things we did together were truly great and remarkable. Take the time to pause and drink in the season!”
This piece was especially appealing to me because I am tired to the bones of this long hot summer. Perhaps if I put out the fall decorations, summer will accept the fact that it’s days are numbered, and perhaps we will get those cool nights!
Wishing things were different is common to all of us, I suppose. Which brings me into thoughts of wanting to change the unpleasant, the sad, the terrible, and the painful. There is much of that in the world, and I am reminded of the Serenity Prayer: “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
I believe that a loving Heavenly Father sent us here to learn and grow, and that we cannot effectively do that without resistance, pain, perplexities, sorrow, etc. But He has given us a light. It’s true that comfort, peace, and guidance are available to all of us who learn to humbly come unto Christ. See lds.org and type “For God So Loved The World” in the search bar, and view the video.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
That’ s a lovely picture.
I too have those memories and powerful feelings during the holiday season the make my heart feel so full it’s going to burst. There is something special about the holiday season that is so easy to forget while we are stressing out about shopping and driving in the snow. But when we laugh with our loved ones, look out the window at the snow, or listen to some music while we look at the lights, it won’t be long before those memories come to us, and I yearn to feel that holiday spirit all year long.