"When you get to my door, tell them Boris sent you..."

Who else loves Halloween? I mean, how can you not enjoy watching adorable children dressed up as their heroes or favorite characters?

I have wonderful memories of trick-or-treating as a child. Growing up in Queens, NY, Halloween was an adventure. Apartment buildings were great for kids because in just one "house" you could knock on dozens of doors. My sister and I joined our friends from school to traverse the area. When we were very young, the two of us sometimes had matching costumes (my mother has photos from our year as a pair of dice). It was fun, and I always loved being able to walk around with the "big kids." Another favorite part of the day was that when I was younger, my father would dress up and surprise us when we came to our apartment. He was definitely a crowd favorite, and made a wonderful vampire.

During high school I spent my Halloweens helping my mother and grandmother hand out candy. There were some costume parties but didn't go door-to-door. Then at college I attended the parties held by a community service group for New Haven kids, reporting on the events for the campus newspaper.

I never lost my love for this day, and still find it to be magical. I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween - TRICK OR TREAT!

*blog title taken from Bobby Pickett & the Crypt-Kickers' "Monster Mash"*

"I can understand how you'd be so confused. I don't envy you..."

I've decided that even when life is getting me down, when things are bad and I just want to tear out my hair or curl up and cry, I still wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's.

There have been a number of difficult and trying times in my life that have brought me near my breaking point. Some of these times I was lower than I'd ever been, and didn't know how I would make it through.

But looking back at those times, I see that they have made me grow as a person. Heartache, pain, stress, death... I've faced these things and more, and came out a stronger individual. Sure, I wish some of these things never happened. How wonderful life would be if nothing devastating ever happened.

And how pointless, as well. Without the bad, how can we appreciate the good? We wouldn't even know what was good without points of reference.

My family is facing tough times ahead. I'm doing my best to hold it all together and have a wonderful support system of people who care about me. Times like these remind me of my favorite poem, which I will share with you at the end of this entry.

Feel free to comment if you've experienced tough times which made you a stronger person in the end. I think it's important to share these situations so we know that we aren't alone.



The Rainy Day
by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The day is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
The vine still clings to the moldering wall,
But at every gust the dead leaves fall,
And the day is dark and dreary.

My life is cold, and dark, and dreary;
It rains, and the wind is never weary;
My thoughts still cling to the moldering Past,
But the hopes of youth fall thick in the blast
And the days are dark and dreary.

Be still, sad heart! and cease repining;
Behind the clouds is the sun still shining;
Thy fate is the common fate of all,
Into each life some rain must fall,
Some days must be dark and dreary.



*blog title taken from Meredith Brooks' "B!#(h"*