I Don’t See Dead People

I am not a huge fan of Halloween although admittedly I enjoy the candy. If I wish to be horrified I watch the news and would prefer that to a full-grown vampire, or blood dripping corpse at my door. Yet, what redeems the night every year for me is one kid.

She shows up in different costumes but through the course of the evening she always appears. She is the child who looks up in your eyes when you open the door. She gleefully sings trick-or-trick and then slides one small open hand out from underneath a costume she so proudly wears. You can see in her eyes that she is only expecting one treat, and smiles at the thought of what it might be. You can hand this child a Snickers bar or a bag of nuts and her response will be the same. “Thank you” she says with a smile on her face as she rocks back and forth on her toes. She then pauses before she turns away because something inside of this small child knows how to observe a moment of gratitude.

I wish her back each year. It is what redeems the night for me. A reminder that somewhere inside of all of us, we know how to appreciate what is given, and how to respond with gratitude.