All Hallow's Eve, the origin of Halloween
The history of Halloween goes all the way back to a pagan festival called Samhain. The word "Halloween" comes from"All Hallows' Eve"
and means "hallowed evening." Hundreds of years ago, people dressed up
as saints and went door to door, which is the origin of Halloween
costumes and trick-or-treating.
All Saints Day, also known as All Hallows' Day, or Hallowmas, is a
Christian celebration in honor of all the saints from Christian history.
In Western Christianity, it is observed on November 1st by the Roman
Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, and other
Protestant denominations.
For some reason life became overly intense for me this past week. Travel plans burned by fires, wind, power outages. (Don't worry I am safe at home.) One of the most challenging novels I have read in a while took me 9 days to get through. Do you ever have times when you feel changes going on in you, mentally, physically, emotionally, but you are not sure where these changes are taking you or if you will just emerge strengthened and with a better idea of what the heck you are doing in life? Yes, like that.
So I have six novels to write about and post. I have a cool post I want to do to connect up more bloggers to more bloggers. And I am working on a post about the 10 Caldecott Medal winning picture books I have read recently. None of these will be ready today nor perhaps tomorrow. But I will get to them soon.
Enjoy these holy days, whatever you believe, because we are all connected by the history, myths, and memories of what it means to be homo sapiens. The world is in our hands but we are also in its hands. Thinking about where we go from here.
thoughtful post... re challenges: i understand that, boy do i ever! i'm just glad i still remember the English language... there used to be a tv show called Connections. it might very have been the best tv product i ever saw... it traced phenomena through history showing all the ramifications that developed from one incident or discovery...
ReplyDeleteIt's all part of the tale!
DeleteHappy Holidays!
ReplyDeleteLife can get busy and change can be challenging. Hoping that you end up in a good place.
Thanks, Brian. I am known for landing on my feet.
DeleteHappy Halloween, Judy! Sorry to hear your travel plans were spoiled, but I'm glad you're safe. I'll look forward to reading your posts whenever you get to them - I'm behind with my reviews too but I know I'll catch up eventually.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Helen! Eventually is the key word!
DeleteI look forward to the posts you are planning. Happy Halloween and Day of the Dead - time to celebrate our traditions and life.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dorothy.
DeleteHappy Halloween to you!!
ReplyDeleteYes, fires and power outages are going on here in NorCal too as we've had power outages, etc... It seems unreal. Glad you are safe!
You wrote: "Do you ever have times when you feel changes going on in you, mentally, physically, emotionally, but you are not sure where these changes are taking you or if you will just emerge strengthened and with a better idea of what the heck you are doing in life? Yes, like that." Going through some changes now too. It's quite the journey for sure... My outlook is optimistic.
I have been thinking of you in these fiery days. I trust you are also safe. Optimism is my way of handling change too.
DeleteThis is a nice post. I hope your Halloween was pleasant with trick-or-treaters? Life with fires is stressful. It's good to take a pause. What is this challenging book? I'm stuck in a nonfiction memoir that might go on forever ... but it can't.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason we don't ever get trick-or-treaters at this house. I spent the evening finishing The Nickel Boys. The challenging book was The Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett, historical fiction set in Scotland. You know how a book can sometimes open up a pocket of ignorance you have as a reader? Then you have to fill it in as you read. Took forever to get going, turned out to be just great. What is the might go on forever memoir?
Deletewe don't either unless you count the deer...
Deletejust finished former UN Ambassador Samantha Power's 552 memoir ... it was good but took me a long while. another Obama staffer book / that I couldn't resist picking up
DeleteI have been keeping a close eye on the fires - yet see almost nothing of it on the news? I fear that California wild fires are simply an accepted part of life now, and that is unacceptable to me. Since the Camp Fire, I have been extra wary, as one of my very good friends is from Paradise. She is the only person in her whole family who did not lose her home. And, her entire neighborhood is gone...except her house. The video she sent me of her driving through the fire to get out of town was awful and I cried, though she, her now-husband, and their pups were safe and sound. Glad to know you are safe, please keep us updated!!
ReplyDeleteYes, this is three years in a row! We have always had fires but not as many and no so big. Everyone has returned to their homes, except sadly the ones who lost homes. All is calm and normal now expect for a persistent very low humidity. The news is always somewhat behind, especially outside of CA. I follow all the relevant fire depts on Twitter so I can get the most recent updates.
DeleteI hope your Halloween went better than mine! That fire going on right now is scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteMy Halloween went fine. I was reading! The major fires are now contained and we even had clouds in a blue sky today, but they were for sure more scary than Halloween.
DeleteHappy belated Halloween, Judy! Stay safe, with the fires and all. I hope things normalize soon enough and you start to feel more like yourself.
ReplyDeleteThank you Carmen! I remain safe, all my friends who had to evacuate are back in their homes, I finished all my October books! In my Books Read post today I claim that things have normalized. I wonder how long that will last-:)
Delete