Dear Friends in Christ,
Halloween has replaced Christmas as the favorite holiday for many Americans. I can understand why: it is perhaps the most sociable, most connecting of all of our shared celebrations.
364 days of the kids we give our kids the same rules we have given ourselves: Don’t talk to strangers. Don’t knock on the door of someone you don’t know. Stick close to home.
And then, on this one remarkable night, we all do the opposite. On my street, adults have taken to sitting out on the lawn, and I probably talk to more neighbors (including ones I’ve never before met) that night that the rest of the year combined.
Halloween delights us not (only) because it is a night for breaking the rules. More profoundly, it can be a night of connection. It builds community.
This weekend, we host a Trunk or Treat celebration. Trunk or Treat is one of those events that offers blessings all around:
• It’s a gift to the children of Grace Church. Kids in our parish certainly need some community after too much pandemic isolation.
• It’s a gift to our neighborhood. I am learning that in Chirilagua there is a shortage of safe, outdoor opportunities for children to have fun.
• It’s a gift to all of us grownups. Instead of sitting behind closed doors, we make our world larger and more joyful.
I encourage you to join us for this event in whatever capacity feeds your soul and fills your heart. Bring a car filled with lollipops and pretzels. Come dressed up as a banana. Invite your grandkids or invite the new family that moved in next door during the pandemic and doesn’t know anyone yet. Stick around to help clean up after parents of sleepy little kids have gone home.
Come connect. It is the best treat of all.
