Autumn, for me, has always been a reflective time of year.  Maybe it’s the leaves changing, or the heated hustle of Summer being left behind for the crisp new chill in air, knowing Winter isn’t long to follow.  It’s perfectly natural, I suppose, especially since October 31st was the New Year’s Eve of the Celts.  Or maybe it’s just me getting a little older.

It’s a combination of things that has led me to the more spiritual, the more traditional, side of Halloween.  I still like the decorations, the haunted houses, the trick or treating with the kids, and all that stuff, but I guess it’s like with Christmas:  I know there’s more to it.  I like the idea of this being a time to honor those we’ve lost, the loved ones and dear ones who have passed away, and of being thankful, too, for what the harvest has yielded.  Being thankful for all we’ve been blessed with this past year.

This has been, overall, a good year.  Since last October, I’ve experienced  highs and lows.  According to the Bible, tribulations brings patience, and it can be a difficult lesson.  As much a time of reflection, I think this season is also a time of renewal.  The old passing, the new to emerge.  I don’t want to make resolutions, I want to state desires.  The desire to be a better person, a better friend, a better man for the people I love.  Old habits die hard, and those habits can be fears, insecurities, and doubts just as well as smoking, biting your fingernails, or cracking your knuckles.  I quoted from the Good Book, so I’ll quote from the Beatles, too:  I get by with a little help from my friends.

Here’s to the New Year.  Blessed Be.

Peace.

John Jason

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