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Here, take these

Halloween took place several weeks ago and though I freely admit that it’s not one of my favourite nights of the year, I always make sure we have goodies to hand out and I wear a big smile along with my regular duds to welcome visitors.
Linda Wegner

Halloween took place several weeks ago and though I freely admit that it’s not one of my favourite nights of the year, I always make sure we have goodies to hand out and I wear a big smile along with my regular duds to welcome visitors. And visitors we have!

Known as one of the busiest streets in town for the big night, several neighbours told me that they’d purchased goodies for 350 to 400 visits. I actually felt a bit miserly because I’d prepared for only 100 but, hey, I did my best.

The big night finally came and thankfully it was warm and rain-free. I moved a chair to the front step landing, poured my resources into a large container and waited for the first of “the gang” to arrive. They were there shortly afterwards and I quickly noticed a shift in the usual choice of costumes from other years: these were decidedly non-ghoulish (with few exceptions) and delightfully cute. I found myself actually enjoying handing out goodies and hearing their polite expressions of thanks.

Time sped by and I soon realized that I was near the bottom of my proverbial barrel of candies. When a young fellow climbed the stairs to where I sat, I told him I was sorry I couldn’t give him more but I was almost out and there were others waiting. Without a moment’s hesitation he reached in his bag, pulled out two treats then said, “Here’s some for the other kids”. Wow, what a lesson in giving!

I won’t forget that incident quickly, nor a truth reinforced by Scripture:

“Never walk away from someone who deserves help; your hand is God’s hand for that person. Don’t tell your neighbor ‘Maybe some other time’ or ‘Try me tomorrow’ when the money’s right there in your pocket.” Proverbs 3:27-28