Halloween–Halos and Wings?
By Angela Posey-Arnold
Halloween, 1966, I was an angel and it rained. Now, I seriously ask, how can an angel spread her wings and fly wearing a rain coat? She can’t so the 6 year old angel improvises in a, southern belle in training, sort of way. She gracefully picks up her long gossamer gown and runs to each door, even with corrective shoes on her feet. Getting back into the car I begged my Momma, “Please don’t make me wear a raincoat, pleaseeeeeeeeee. It will mess up my wings”.
“Well, we can’t have that. I will pull the car up close and yall run to the door. We will have to cut trick or treating short, but go ahead, spread your wings and fly.”Momma said mumbling under her breathe, “I sure hope she doesn’t catch the flu.”
I didn’t catch the flu in 1966. Getting wet is not how people catch the flu anyway. So in 2009 let those little angels fly, even in the rain. They won’t melt. Take your children to the hay rides, marshmallow roast or trunk or treat. It is exciting to see all the things Christian families get to do this time of year through their church homes. As parents the things you allow your children to participate in will make a huge impact on their future and yours.
It is amazing how much October 31st has changed over the last forty years. Or possibly I changed. Possibly I learned how the world was. I grew up in a small town in rural North Alabama, I thank God for growing up in a small southern town with Christian American values.
The festive nature of October 31st was different in Haleyville than in the rest of the world. I have many fond memories of Halloween and none of them involve anything evil or sinister. Halloween was fun. It was all about costumes, candy, pumpkins, family and friends. There were spook houses, apple bobbing, pie throwing, festivals and parties all in fun. We did not have to be afraid, it never crossed our minds. Our parents did not have to be afraid to allow us to be free and have fun in our town.
I think I have lived long enough now to remember my own generation’s “good old days”. It is a blessing to see young Christian families raising children in 2009, creating their own generation’s “good old days.” I see the love of Jesus overshadowing the evil of the world and it is a joy.
Back in 1966 my brother did have to come back into the spook house to get me out one time though. The ‘ghost’ made me put my hand in a bowl of ‘eyeballs’. I just stood there, frozen, crying for my brother, refusing to move. Everyone knew me, even the ghost. The workers in the spook house tried to comfort me but I wanted my brother and I wanted him right now! Someone went out to get him, he was standing outside waiting on me. He walked in, took me by the hand and together we got out of there. He said, “What’s wrong, Angela?” “That ‘ghost’ made me put my hand in somebody’s ‘eye-balls’”. I said, wiping my hands and eyes. “That was Randy Johnson and those were meat balls.” He stated assuring me as always.
“Oh. Okay let’s go bob for apples.” I said as we skipped off to the next booth. No lingering emotional trauma. Nobody threatened to sue. It wasn’t that I was so afraid, I just didn’t think it was appropriate for an angel to touch other people’s eyeballs.
My older brother and I got to pick our favorite character to dress up like. The picking out and preparing of our outfits was fun too. Usually my Grandmother, whom we called ‘Sweetthing’, sewed and made our costumes. They were always the best ones in Haleyville, to us anyway. Sometimes we got to buy the ones in the box. Either way it was too much fun!
We went trick or treating two times every year. On October the 30th the youth gathered at the First United Methodist Church in costume. I wish I could find a picture of us standing in line waiting to get our little orange box shaped like a church building. The boxes were used to collect money. Our teachers helped us rehearse, “Trick or Treat for UNICEF”. I can still hear the tune of it in my head. It was a practice run for the next night when we knew we would be getting candy.
Trick or Treating for UNICEF was important to teach us to give to others first. Masked children scattered around town going door to door collecting money for UNICEF, children learning a valuable lesson. Christian American children happy to be providing for children who would not be getting any candy. The giving made me feel so good. It still does.
I am so thankful I learned early in my life that giving to others is a blessing for us. God tells us to give, not because He needs it. He tells us to give because we need it. We need to give to others. It feels good. Then receiving is much more blessed and easier to accept.
I didn’t know why we were more blessed than other children in other countries but I knew it was important to help them. Gathering back at the church and counting the money we collected to send to UNICEF was joyful and exciting. Seeing pictures of the children overseas who would be getting the money made us so happy. It is more blessed to give than to receive and Halloween taught us that.
It didn’t matter if we wanted to dress up like a ghost or like an angel; it was just all in fun and learning. The innocence of childhood and the love of a church bringing honor to the Lord had nothing to do with evil. No one thought it was bad to dress up like a ghoul on Halloween; it was all innocent fun, nothing sinister about it. It was all about love.
Things have changed but the love is still winning.
By Halloween night in 1966 we were ready to receive. We got all kinds of candy. Mother would drive us around to different houses to ‘Trick or Treat’. I never was much of a tricker. I was more the treating kind. I remember the anticipation of going up to the door, little plastic pumpkin in hand saying, “Trick or Treat”. Our pumpkins would fill up very fast. We didn’t have to worry that someone would harm us. There was no fear. We went door to door as Mother drove along in the car. We started at the end of one street and went all the way down that street and back up the other side, knocking on every door. Kids were everywhere. At every door we got a warm welcome and hugs. Grandparents took pictures and everybody gave us candy or some great homemade goody.
My brother would still have Halloween candy at Christmas. I ate all of mine and his too if I could find where he hid it. Halloween in our hometown was not about evil or anything like it. It was about costumes and candy—pure, simple and innocent. Childhood innocence fades with time but it is great while it last.
When I read the Bible’s description of Heaven, I feel the same feelings as when I was a child trick or treating. Pure and simple innocent love, unconditional happiness and joy. Peace. It reminds me of the hymn writer who penned the words, “How beautiful Heaven must be, the home of the happy and free, fair haven of rest for the weary, how beautiful Heaven must be”. There will be no need for rain in Heaven, so no raincoats. Angels spreading their wings to fly, while the redeemed sing a song of our own. The home of the happy and free. I am so glad there is a place there for me.
My name is in the book. Is yours? If not, it can be.
From childhood Halloweens to songs we learned in Sunday school everyone has a choice to love Jesus or to reject His love. Remember the song, “Jesus loves me this I know?” Well, there is a new and updated version for times like these in 2009. “Jesus knows me, this I love.”
This is how much God loved the world: He gave His Son, His one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in Him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending His Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in Him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust Him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him. (John 3:16-18 The Message—emphasis added by author)
Whosoever believes in Jesus won’t perish but they will have everlasting life, peace, hope, unconditional love, praise, rejoicing, and pure simple, innocent love. Nothing evil or sinister about it.
Be a Whosoever. Happy Halloween. Kiss and hug an angel or a little ghost this year and tell them how much Jesus loves them. When they are 49, they will remember.
©2009 Angela Posey-Arnold
www.angelaposeyarnold.com
