Halloween

  • Halloween,  Holiday traditions

    Happy Halloween!

    “There is a child in every one of us who is still a trick-or-treater looking for a brightly-lit front porch.” ~Robert Brault The practice of trick-or-treating began a few hundred years ago in Europe as an All Souls’ Day (Nov. 2) tradition. The less fortunate visited the homes of wealthier families and received pastries known as “soul cakes.” This was done in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the homeowners’ deceased relatives. In Scotland and Ireland — where many of today’s Halloween traditions began — children and young adults disguised themselves in costumes and asked for small gifts from neighboring households. Wearing costumes was referred to as…

  • Aging well,  approval seeking,  Halloween,  Health & wellbeing

    Identity crisis?

    “The reward for conformity is that everyone likes you but yourself.” ~Rita Mae Brown High school kids typically work hard to fit in with their peer groups. Even the non-conformists dress like the other non-conformists. One of the gifts of aging is feeling comfortable with yourself. You develop your own style, making choices that reflect your taste and character in everything you do. You don’t have to follow trends because you trust your own creative ideas. Maturity is all about discovering yourself, not figuring out how to impress — or fit in with others. ~CL If you enjoy “Life Lines,” please share the site with your friends.

  • Halloween,  Halloween features and essays,  Holidays

    Halloween people

    “Some people are born for Halloween, and some are just counting the days until Christmas.” ~Stephen Graham Jones ** Note: Due to a system glitch, my recent Life Lines posts were sent to subscribers without photos. To view photos and posts you’ve missed this week, visit the Life Lines website here. Every year, I eagerly await the start of the spooky season, and usually start decorating on October 1st. For me, Halloween always stirs a cauldron of happy childhood memories — making costumes with my mom and trick-or-treating with my dad. Year later, I walked door-to-door with my own child and his friends on magical Halloween nights. In recent years, my…

  • Autumn,  Halloween,  Mental health

    What really scares us …

    “I’m not afraid of werewolves or vampires or haunted hotels. I’m afraid of what human beings do to other real human beings.” ~Walter Jon Williams Spooky season is here. Driving through our neighborhood this month, I’ve noticed block after block of homes decked out with creative Halloween decorations. I get a little thrill every time I spot a porch aglow with orange and purple lights or a family of skeletons gathered on someone’s front lawn. And in my email, I’m getting long lists of films to watch this season. From the witchy Practical Magic to classic Alfred Hitchcock thrillers and John Carpenter’s Halloween, there’s something for everyone. As today’s timely…

  • Halloween,  Mystery

    Unexplained mysteries

    “There are no coincidences. Every event we experience and every person we meet has intentionally been put in our path to help raise our level of consciousness.” ~Cheryl Richardson The closer we get to Halloween, the more attuned we are to all things mysterious and magical. If we’re paying attention, every day is full of unexpected events and near-magical “coincidences” that work to our advantage. Out of the blue, for instance, a card arrives in the mail from an old friend you’ve been missing and meaning to contact. Or you meet a stranger in a waiting room who gives you a tip that helps you solve a problem or leads…

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