Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Gen X Saved Halloween!

I know I had my say on Halloween a few years back, but I just felt the urge to chime in again today. Central Iowa Trick-or-Treats on "Beggar's Night," which precedes Halloween by one day, so this morning my newsfeed was a scroll of adorable kids dressed like dragons and ninjas and Jedi.  Some of the boys had cool costumes, too! *wink* Seeing all these joyfully smiling faces (despite a miserably windy, 38 degree evening), I was just a little overwhelmed by the way we took Halloween back for this generation.

Do you remember when we were kids, and they were bringing X-ray machines to McDonald's so kids could get their candy checked? Do you remember how our parents were so afraid of neighborhood terrorism that they went through every single piece of our candy to make sure the wrapper was intact (and stole half our peanut butter cups while they were at it)? Do remember when home-baked goodies and apples quit showing up in our loot?

The mailbox-smashing, and the fire-setting, and the fear of the occult, coupled with some bizarre claims about razor-blades and pins - which I've since read were never substantiated - cloaked Halloween in a mantle of fear.

But last night, the porch lights were lit. The kids were bundled. We collectively went out into the neighborhood and we took candy from strangers.

All you good people did that. You who taught your kid a joke and reminded them to say "thank you." You who bundled up and braved the cold to keep them from crossing the street in front of cars. You who lit your porch light and laughed at terrible jokes. You who trusted your neighbors enough to put an entire bin of candy on your porch with a sign that said, "Please take 2." You, delightful soul, who gave out peanut butter cups.

My kids don't even realize Trick-or-Treat was once on the media-frenzied, fear-driven, safety-first chopping block. They don't even realize that the reason malls and churches started offering Trunk-or-Treat type events is because parents were once so afraid that their neighbors were trying to poison the children.

Well done, Generation X. There's not a whole lot we get credit for. But I think we can claim this victory. We took Halloween back. May we continue to be careful what we decide we need to be afraid of.

Then your face will brighten with innocence. You will be strong and free of fear. Job 11:15

Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Good grief?

I don't want to rehash details or re-traumatize anyone about the events of this week, but this is a convergence of bad news that I just cannot quite comprehend. And it is such an odd combination of broad, distant trauma and very immediate trauma.

Monday: Vegas. I won't say more. You already know.

Then on Monday night I witnessed a motorcycle/bus accident that, although things turned out OK for the motorcyclist, left me with mental images I won't recount to you, but which cannot be erased for me. I've always feared being the first car behind a motorcycle accident.

Tuesday, school was called off for a local suburb due to texted threats, spreading rumors and fear around the entire city.

Now today, an elementary school in my community has an unplanned day off due to a suicide on the playground that apparently happened overnight.

And I just grieve. I just. Grieve.

These calamities are poised to happen across our country on a daily basis. Every day, I live in a world of angry men with automatic weapons, un-helmeted motorcyclists, mean-spirited hackers, and (how can we be surprised?) despondent young people.

In a sense, today is really no different than any other day. These events didn't fall from the sky this week. And yet they've converged in a way that makes this grief so heavy I carry it like ankle weights, making every move a little harder and a little more draining.

And I am asking God, "what are you showing me?" This is the world I live in every day and I know it, but it didn't make me sad like this last week. Today it does. Instead of stuffing it, or wallowing in it, I'm trying to ask God right now, "why do I have to feel so much all at once?"

I'm starting to see a crack of light in the darkness; a calling being born from this burden of grief. I'm hopeful that this sorrow will reveal something I couldn't have discovered from just knowing these issues were out there; something I had to feel my way to understanding.

I'm hopeful that if that is true for me, it might be true for others this week. What is God showing us? How will we respond?

Lord, hear my prayer! Listen to my plea! Don’t turn away from me in my time of distress. Bend down to listen, and answer me quickly when I call to you. Psalm 102:1-2