Happy Halloween!

                                                                       

While some of you will be either pimping for candy, or passing it out, come Halloween night, I'm going to be out there in the pumpkin patch with Linus. I love Linus, and the unshakeable faith Linus has in the impossible.

Our world today is war-torned and as savage as it has ever been. Political and social factions war against each other, and more than half of us no longer believe in a creator.

But, just as Linus sees what no one else sees, I see thousands of 4-H kids, raising hogs or cows in hopes of winning the Blue Ribbon at the county fair. Right here in my retirement community I see old folks who shrug off their aches and pains and go out and volunteer to mow and trim our common areas, empty bed pans in hospitals, tutor school children, serve as Teacher Assistants, and work in soup kitchens and food banks.

The Green Bay Packers have a tradition of joining together and reciting the Lord's Prayer before going out to play a game. Thousands of kids sleep in the warm security of a good marriage. Really, really good men are dying tonight in Afghanistan because they really love and believe in their country...and tens of thousands more are standing watch around the world because they believe deeply in democracy...for everyone.

In quiet bedrooms little girls are writing poems. At this very moment thousands of women are in labor with the fruit of a loving marriage. And good men have died today, and their families are sick with loss.

Somewhere in America a little girl went to an early morning gymnastics class, with the dream of winning an Olympic Gold Medal. A young man is on the 20th mile of a cross country run with the same dream.

So, come Saturday night, I'm out there with Linus in that pumpkin patch, waiting patiently, and "believing". And, if The Great Pumpkin does not deliver gifts, he delivers hope...and that's the greatest gift of all.

Happy Halloween to all my dear friends.