It's nice having traditions for the holidays. When we were first married, Robinson and I had our Halloween tradition: watch a bad "scary" movie, carve a jack o' lantern or can pumpkin, and eat candy. Now that Arthur has joined our family, we generally carve a jack o' lantern on Samhain and then can it the next day. As for our "scary" movie...well, we haven't really done that for the last few years.This Samhain was a little different than our usual celebrating. Oh, we did the traditional canning and candy eating, but because we were here and there (Fairbanks and Washington) it felt like Samhain lasted two weeks instead of a single day.
Robinson and I still managed to can 13 quarts of pumpkin (a rather fitting number considering the day). I canned 7 before I left and he canned 6 after I left. The pumpkin canning seemed easier than it did last year and I have yet to figure out why. We've been canning our pumpkins for a while now; maybe it's become automatic.
Arthur even got some trick or treating in while in Washington, though he didn't like the crowds. I think he was more than ready to go home after all that excitement.
Every Samhain I like to reflect on people I knew who've died. Halloween, after all, is the day of the dead. Remembering these people reminds me of the cyclical nature of life and that death is just another part of life. This year, my great-aunt Rosie passed away. On my grandmother's birthday, actually. I didn't really know her, and in fact, I'm not sure if I even met her. My grandmother often said that she was a drunk and didn't take care of herself, so it was inevitable, but sooner, rather than later. I almost wish I did know her so that I could say something about her here.
But, on this day I mostly remember the people who had such an impact on my life. People like my paternal grandfather, who always smelled like oil and machinery; my maternal grandmother, who I feel so much closer to in death than in life; my maternal grandfather, who I never really knew except for stories Mom tells me; my Uncle Tony, who had a quiet sweetness about him;
and my childhood friend Adeline, who my sisters and I would play outside with almost everyday after school.
It's hard to let go, but knowing how much these people have taught me makes it easier for me.
Blessed be.
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