Lighter impairment

Halloween is here, and Andy is at work. I wanted to light our jack-o-lantern (because I can't figure out if tonight is trick-or-treat or last night was supposed to be and we just didn't have any takers), but I have this problem... I have never been able to light a stupid lighter, or even strike a match with success.

I know. It's bizarre, and crazy, and weird! Unless it's one of those torchy kind of lighters, I'm just stuck. I tried, and tried, and tried to light our jack-o-lantern, and even got the lighter to light a few times, but couldn't get the candle lit.

So... I allowed my neighbor to see me in my patheticness. I knocked on the door and asked for help. Thank goodness, kind neighbor Dave cheerfully helped me out and didn't say anything about how crazy I am. So, the jack-o-lantern is lit. Still no trick-or-treaters....

I am still sick, but have some OTC medicines I'm going to try and hopefully that will help. Bless Andy's heart. He's been so patient with all my coughing and hacking and being grouchy because I can't sleep.

I'll get to go from Halloween to Christmas this week! One of my big tasks over the next few days will be to get our room ready for Sunday School and get things lined out for our Sunday School lessons for this next six weeks. We'll be telling the story of the Magi in several different ways. We were told to 'decorate, decorate, decorate,' and so I shall.

I know I'm supposed to be humbuggy about Christmas festivities coming so soon. But I have to be honest. I'm am very excited about this year's Christmas already. My husband will be home! Last year we started celebrating right after Halloween because Andy left for Basic Training in December. This year, I want the season to last and last and last because it's OURS together.

Our Christmas was still ours together last year. But it was very different. I learned in that short separation that somehow you are still with one another even if geographically you're not so much. I was grateful for the lesson.

But how delightful it will be to wake up beside my husband on Christmas morning, to walk in the snow with him... to read the Christmas account in Luke and have him sitting near me during the church services. He'll be able to help read "The Night Before Christmas" to my belly too!!! It will be fun to fall asleep to WHITE CHRISTMAS with him, bake coffee cake in the morning, and start forming our home traditions.

It's funny. I know we will have two separate kinds of traditions in our family. The 'with Daddy' traditions, and the 'missing Daddy' traditions. We'll work hard to make both sets very, very special.

Well, I have blathered on long enough. I can report with joy that we had our first trick-or-treater!!!! I'm so excited! He was a cute little chicken too! (Really, he was dressed up like a Chicken!)

Happy Halloween... and don't be so humbuggy about Christmas excitement so early. For some, it's a blessing! And for those that will be missing people this Christmas... my prayers are with you, and my heart hurts for you.