Supernatural Goings On

Hello, November! We took time this ghostly weekend to acknowledge the Numinous, in our several small ways.

Here Miles is, ready to go to school for his "Fall Party." The party was distinctly not a Halloween party, I suppose to avoid denominational partisanship.

Conditions on October 31st were perfect- at least in the morning. Slanting sunlight, cool, and a bit of ghostly mist on the mountains.

I borrowed a Hogwarts shirt, wore my black skirt & cardigan and bushed up my hair as well as I could to assume the aspect of Hermione Granger:

Oh, and I brought our family wand.

Downtown Trick or Treating, which is a 5 year tradition with us now, was this year the most focused, fast and goal-oriented version to date. It was raining the moment we set foot out of the car.

On the positive side, we had two kids old enough to: be excited about what we were doing, to do it in a fairly independent fashion, and not to require a stroller. Good news all around. And we met up with a friend of mine (one of my most beloved twitter buddies!) and got to have her and her sweet daughter's company as we marched up Main Street.

Because of the rain, I snapped only one picture of the actual trick-or-treating. I thought this kid was Hagrid, at first, until he clarified that he was Kili from The Hobbit! Obviously, there had to be a commemorative photo:


After we'd had enough of the rain, we retreated to the University City Mall, where their Halloween carnival was just ending. A few more candy additions later, we got Chinese food and posed for a waterlogged, but happy, picture:

The rain continued and kept us from putting the jack-o-lanterns outside. So we lit them inside and, by their light, watched It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for the last time of the year.

That cozy and quiet portion of the evening was probably my favorite.

November 1 dawned equally rainy. I made sure to light candles in the evening and we prayed the Collect for All Saints Day.

I love All Saints Day. 

We got a babysitter on Saturday night for a much needed night out with friends. I am still tired, but you know what? I probably would have been tired today anyway, and at least I have the memory of a really really wicked fun night as my reason. Revelry. Laughter. I am shaking my own hand for going to bed after that, and getting up promptly in the morning and just Doing Sunday courageously (I was really tired then!). Worth it. Thank God for babysitters.

I read the reading from Revelation in Church about "every tribe, nation, language" etc. I am honored by lector service, I really really am. The line from "For All the Saints" that always catches in my throat is:
"We feebly struggle; they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine."

It says to me, we can access the gifts and the help of our friends who have gone before, because God, being the God of the living, for whom all are alive, does not differentiate between us. So we must all have access to the same gifts.

It comforted me, anyway.

On a different note, November 1 began DiNovember!

This is our nightly prank on the kids, which we prefer to "Elf on a Shelf." Every night in DiNovember, we told them, all the dinosaurs in the house come to life, and have adventures until morning.

So far, they've gotten into the candy:

...And enjoyed a lively game night:

The kids have been delighted. We have even managed to avoid answering all Miles' direct questions about whether or not they are *really* coming to life. I wonder how long we'll last...

We have a whole other season on the horizon, even beyond the preparations for Jon's trip to Chicago, and Adele's upcoming 3rd birthday party.

Kroger thinks it started yesterday:

Here we go!