I haven't posted much lately, but that doesn't mean things haven't been happening to me. On January 1st, (first day of the year...coincidence?), i was taking out the garbage and out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bug or something fly under the streetlight in front of Dee and Lita's. I looked because it was like a streak of light, so it caught my eye. Luckily it did, because all of the sudden, I saw a white owl fly up from their yard (I believe it was sitting there or it flew low) and swoop off over my head. It was so cool! Of course, the first thing I thought of was Hedwig from Harry Potter!

Then, not too long ago, I was taking my walk around work ans as I neared the road (it makes me think I'm off work when I walk up that way), I saw movement on the other side of the street. At first I thought it was two dogs, but then I realized it was actually two coyotes! I couldn't have been more than 500 feet from them. They saw me and started walking away from me pretty fast, so I think they were afraid of me. I kept walking, but watched them as they continued to walk up the strret. It was pretty cool! I'd always heard there were coyotes around there, but hadn't seen them until now!

Last night, I had another disturbing dream. I was driving up Myrtle by myself and there was a large puddle in the road. I sped through it, but halfway through, the car hit a huge hole and tipped over, submerging completely. I ended up on the roof, trying to reach my phone, but the car was caving in on me. My first thought was, "Mary!" Then, I kept saying "oh, my god!" over and over. I could see the brown, muddy water through the windows and knew I was going to drown. I ended up waking myself up as the car started to press down on me. It was sooo distressing! I don't know what is going on with my dreams these days! I'm not sure what it's been all about. I was even afraid to go down that street tonight, just in case.

Yesterday, Dineta had a Goddess Gathering and invited Tanya and me. It was fun! I really enjoyed it. There were some women there that I'd seen previously and others that I'd never met. In a way, I'm glad Mary couldn't go since we'd talked about some things that I wouldn't have been comfortable talking about in front of her. At the end, there was a gift exchange. I'd brought this Goddess candle holder that I'd bought for myself from Lightstones. It was a favorite piece of mine that I thought someone else would enjoy. I was watching the woman who opened it and she didn't seem pleased that she received it. I wasn't sure. Everyone else was sharing their gifts, but she opened hers and put it right away. She was more interested in the flower that she'd given to Tanya. I received a wire mandala, which is pretty cool. It changes shape and can be used for meditation. All in all, it was a good experience.

It looks like the new kitty is doing a lot better. He was letting Mary pet him last night and snuggled with her. He did cry a lot though, but it could have been that he wanted out of the room. We let the kitties meet today and they did well, so I have hope for this new kitty!

I'd written awhile back about my touch with my own mortality. Whatever it was had gone away, but I was still worried about it since I didn't know what it was. It was always in the back of my mind. Well, this morning, it seemed to come back, only not as severe. I don't know what it is, but I'm hoping it's nothing serious. If I can remain ok until my doctor's appointment in a couple of weeks, I'll ask him about it. I do worry that it's my heart, since it seems to be in that area, and I keep coming across references to people dying from heart attacks and such, so it's kinda freaking me out. Maybe it's just because I'm tired, what with all the drama with the new kitty and all. Fingers crossed that that's it.

Well, on his second day, he's still miserable. I made sure he stayed in Mary's room all day, so the rest of the kitties (Winky) wouldn't bother him. When I checked on him after work, he darted under the bed. He ate all the food, so that was a good sign. I refilled the food dish and gave him some fresh water. I don't think he used the litter box though. Before Mary went to bed, I went in there and hung up some pants. I made sure the kitties stayed out when she came in. When she sat on the bed, he started growling. I had to fix the sheets on her bed and when I got too close, he started growling again. She went to bed and I took my shower. After I got out, I could hear him yowling. I don't know what was going on, but I could hear Mary talking to him. I don't know if she was getting up to go to the bathroom and it freaked him out or what, but he's still upset. I can hear him yowl every now and then. I really hope he calms down! If this lasts, I think it will be best to find him another home. I just don't want him to be upset all the time.

Well, we got another cat from Dad. It's the brother of Spooky and Lucky. We picked him up last night and he's just miserable. He had a rough ride down, getting car sick and crying the whole way. Then, he's freaked out by the other kitties. Winky just will not leave him alone! I know Winky just wants to be his friend, but the other kitty is just not having it. I've tried to keep him separated from the rest to give him time to adjust, but Mary doesn't think it's necessary. Just now, he's in her room, growling and hissing and freaking out over nothing while she's trying to sleep. I feel so bad for him! Hopefully, this works out, but if he's just too upset over it, I think I'm going to ask around at work to see if anyone would like to take him. I'll give him a couple of weeks though, as I don't want to upset him too much. I just wish Dad and Sandy would've either sent him to the shelter with his other sister or that we would've taken him when he was younger. I just don't know what to do right now and I'm sick to my stomach over it. I hope he gets better. We had such a happy family and now I just think it's going to change. I know Winky thinks I'm going after him when I bring him out of the room, but I'm just trying to let the new kitty settle in. I really, really hope this works out for the best!

I had a touch of mortality the other week and it's still lingering. One night, I felt this feeling in my chest and it made me think of Keith. It really scared me, enough to make a doctor's appointment, but not enough to go to the emergency room. I want to see 40 and beyond. I'm not afraid to go, but I can't leave Mary. What would she do without me? She'd be lost, so I've got to stick around.

That feeling has been with me for about a week and a half now. I'm not sure what it is. It's centered in my chest, mostly toward the top of my stomach, but it keeps moving. It's probably stupid of me (probably?) not to go to the emergency room, but I just keep thinking of excuses not to go. I don't know. I just keep counting down the days to my appointment. Hopefully it's nothing serious and will go away soon.

I had another dream that someone I love was killed. I think it had to do with the Torchwood episode that we watched last night. I dreamt that Jenny had been killed by a hit and run. I took time off to go see her family and felt so bad for Maggie, since she's so young. I was afraid that she might not remember Jenny. It was almost like I was going to be raising Maggie, but then I remembered she still had her father. I was sad since Jenny wasn't going to make it out here for a visit and it's been so long since I've seen her.

I don't know why I keep dreaming that my friends are dying in car accidents. It's upsetting. Is it a sign that I'm losing my friends and I'm going to be alone? Why cars? I don't know. It's very strange.

On Friday, Mary and I went up north to see the leaves and to have a picnic up in the woods. I brought a firelog and some matches since I know there's at least one area that you can light fires. We stopped at Mr. Goodcents for subs, chips and cookies and I walked over to Walgreens for sodas. The drive up was nice. the leaves weren't as bright as back East, but they were pretty. We drove through Sedona, but didn't stop to shop. We drove up as far as the scenic outlook, then turned around. I'd seen the campsite that we always pass and wanted to stop there for our picnic. I pulled in and saw that there were rates for stopping. For day use was $8. The lady who collects the fees asked us what we wanted to do. I told her that we were looking for a place to have a picnic. She asked how long we were going to be. I said about two hours. She said that if we took one of the two spots closest to the entrance, we didn't have to pay. That was so nice! We pulled into the first spot, then I got everything out. I started the fire in the firepit and we sat at the picnic table to eat. It was getting colder, so I got out my jacket and Mary's sweater. I got the wheelchair for Mary to sit in by the fire and I used her walker. I got the shawls out as well and we wrapped up. It was so nice, just sitting there, all wrapped up! I really needed something like that. I just felt so at ease! All too soon, it was time to head back since Mary was getting cold. I made sure the fire was out and we hadn't left any garbage. As we were just starting back to the car, I saw a little skunk head toward us. I pointed it out to Mary, but when I was winding up the flashlight to make it brighter, it scared the skunk away. It was sooo cute!! I'd love to go back again real soon!

I meant to write this entry sooner, but life dictated otherwise. So here is my response to the article entitled The Truth About Halloween, presented by a local church that shall remain nameless. My responses are in blue.

People everywhere carve out pumpkin faces, hang skeletons on their walls, buy costumes and more to get ready for Devil's Night and, of course, Halloween. Do you know where Halloween originated?

Halloween

The "een" in the word Halloween refers to the e'en or evening before the day known as All Saints Day. But what kind of saints were they talking about? The Saints of the Bible. No! It was originally a festival honoring the Druid Priests who were involved in the occult and who were priests of Satan.

This is not correct as the saints in question were the saints in the Bible as this article even states later. The statement that the Druids were involved in the occult is true as the definition of "occult" states that it is of or pertaining to magic, astrology or any system claiming use or knowledge of secret or supernatural powers, but they were not priests of satan as Druids don't believe in satan, as far as I'm aware.

The Druids and Human Sacrifices

 Halloween has clear connections with the Druid's primitive and savage rituals held 2 BC (located in the pre-Roman, pre-Christian Celtic communities of Northern and Western Europe, especially in France (Gaul), Britain, Ireland, Scotland and Wales). They were the builders of Stonehenge; where they would bring humans to be sacrificed in Britain. The Druids worshipped pagan gods which included the sun god, the earth mother goddess and Samhain (Lord of the Dead). Stonehenge was constructed to calculate the sun's movements and then determine the most suitable day to worship the earth mother goddess by sacrificing a human! The date selected was October 31st, Halloween! Think about it.

While it is true that Halloween has connections with the Druid's rituals, the Druids being Celts and all, they were not the builders of Stonehenge; no one knows who built Stonehenge. Nor was Stongehenge used for human sacrifices on Halloween. Anyone who has done any reading on Stonehenge knows that it is set to mark the Summer Solstice, which is why modern day Pagans hold rituals there at that time. Also, there is no evidence that Samhain was the name of any Lord of the Underworld. Plus the calendar that we use today wasn't in use in 2 BC, so how could it be the same day? And was this every year that Stonehenge was used? And it was ALWAYS October 31st?

Reincarnation

The Druids believed in reincarnation, which is contrary to the teaching of the Bible (Heb. 9:27). According to their religion, the god, Samhain, judged the souls and decreed in what form their existance was to continue; whether in the body of a human or an animal. They believed that the sinful souls of those who had died during the year had been relegated to the bodies of animals and through various gifts and sacrifices, their sins could be forgiven and the souls freed to claim a heavenly reward. It was common for horses to be sacrificed, but there were also a lot of humans sacrificed: men, mostly criminal, but not all. Some were imprisoned in wicker and thatch cages shaped like animals or giants. The Druid priest set fire to these cages and the men were burned to death. They eventually included women and children in the horrible sacrifices. They not only sacrificed unto false gods (Exo. 20:3, II Chro. 11:15, 33:6), but the rituals also eventually included human sacrifices to the devil. They acknowledged him and worshipped him and multitudes of men, women and children were murdered!

Truthfully, I'm not sure about the Druid belief in reincarnation. I know that it is a belief held by many cultures, but whether or not the Druids did, I haven't run across anything confirming nor denying this. Also, there is much debate over whether or not humans were sacrificed. From what I have read, this stems from one report only: that of Julius Caesar as he invaded their lands, and everyone knows that history is written by the victors. Was this true? We may never know. We do know that the Druids didn't believe in the devil, so they wouldn't have sacrificed anything to the devil.

The Pumpkin

 The men, women and children to be sacrified on Halloween were selected as follows: The Druid's would leave a pumpkin on the doorstep of the house to replace the victim and to let the other members ofo the family know that no one else would be harmed. Now every time you look at a pumpkin on somebody's front porch, you'll know what it really means.

This is clearly something made up as pumpkins are native to the Americas. Yes, faces were carved into turnips and beets, but they had nothing to do with sacrifices. They were used as lanterns and, possibly, to scare away any mischievious spirits wandering the night. Also, how was the "victim" known if just a pumpkin was left? Was it carved in the likeness of the person? And how was it to replace the family member? It couldn't do any of the work that the family member was responsible for and you'd think that everyone in the community would be needed to ensure the survival through the harsh winter.

October 31st

The day witches celebrate above all others is October 31st, which is All Hallows Eve or Halloween. It is believed that on this night, Satan and his witches have their greatest power.

 Yes, October 31st is a very witchy holiday, so I guess witches do celebrate it above all others. I guess those that call themselves satanic witches would agree that satan and his witches have the greatest power on this night, but the rest would disagree. I don't believe witches have their greatest power on Halloween as they can raise power at any time.

It's Origin

The origin of Halloween goes back 2000 years before the days of Christianity to a practice of the ancient Druids in Britain, France, Germany and the Celtic countries. The celebration honored their god Samhain, lord of the dead. The Celtic people considered November 1st as being the day of death. This was because it was the end of Autumn and the beginning of Winter for them. The time of falling leaves seemed an appropriate time to celebrate death, which is exactly what Halloween was to them, a celebration of death, honoring the god of the dead.

 I guess you could look at the Celts believing November 1st to be a day of death as those who have passed are honored at this time and it is the end of the growing season. Maybe celebrating death is a bit much. It's more like honoring death and respecting it. And once again, there has been no evidence found to suggest that the Celts had a lord of the underworld named Samhain.

The Druids and "Trick or Treat"

The Druids believed that on this particular evening the spirits of the dead returned to their home to visit them. If the living did not provide food for these evil spirits, all types of terrible things would happen to the living. If the evil spirits did not get a treat, then they would trick the living. This ancient practice is still celebrated today where people dress up as the dead, knocking on doors and saying "trick or treat," not realizing the origin of what they are practicing. Nevertheless, witches still consider Halloween as the night on which they have their greatest power.

Druids didn't invent Trick-or-Treat. From my understanding, it is based on a Catholic practice of Souling, when children and beggars would go from door to door to get food and money in exchange for prayers for the families' loved ones. Once again, I don't believe Halloween to be the night witches have their greatest power.

Introduction of "All Hallows Eve"

Before the introduction of Christianity to these lands, the celebration of death was not called Halloween. Halloween is a form of the designation "All Hallows Eve," a holy evening instituted by the Church to honor all the saints of Church history. Some Church historians propose the hypothesis that All Saints Eve was designated October 30th to counteract the pagan influences of the celebration of death. While All Hallows Eve began as a strictly Christian holiday, the pagan influence from earlier traditions gradually crept in while the Church's influence waned.

Wait a minute! Didn't the very first section say that All Hallows Eve wasn't for the saints of the Bible, but for the Druid priests?! Oh, yes, they used All Saints Day instead of All Hallows Day to confuse the reader. True, All Hollow's Eve is a Christian holiday, but it was originally thought up to help the Pagans become Christian. The Pagan influence didn't creep in, it was the other way around.

Witchcraft and the Celebration of Halloween

Today, Halloween is largely a secular holiday, an excuse to get dressed up as somebody else and have a party. However, true witches and followers of witchcraft still preserve the early pagan beliefs and consider Halloween a sacred and deadly powerful time. Having turned their backs on the God of the Bible, they invoke the help of Satan, fallen from God's favor and relegated to darkness. Modern day witches and wizards believe this night to be the most suitable night of the year for magic and demonic activity. In Deuteronomy 18:10-11, God forbids us to participate in any kind of occult practices or witchcraft. Further in the New Testament, we are told to abstain from the appearance of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). As Christians, we should not celebrate Halloween, rather we should recognize October 31 as the day the Lord has made - a day we can rejoice in (Psa. 118:24). We also do not have to be fearful, for God has not given us a spirit of fear (2 Tim. 1:7).

While some Witches did come from Christian backgrounds, others did not. I guess you could say that those Witches did turn their backs on the God of the Bible, but I see it that they just realized that divinity can be found other ways. Same concept, different name. And NO, WITCHES DON'T INVOKE SATAN! Unless one calls themself a Satanic Witch, Witches don't believe in satan! How can someone invoke a being they don't believe in? It's like having a Christian make a request to Zeus or Odin! I don't see Halloween as the most suitable night for magic. Magic can be performed anywhere, at anytime. Yes, there are some forms of magic that would be most suited for Halloween (Samhain), but this isn't the only night magic can be done. Demonic activity? Only if you believe.

 Ask Yourself These Questions:

1. Should God fearing Christians celebrate Halloween?

 Why not? It is, after all, so removed from it's original intention, that it has nothing to do with honoring the dead, unless you celebrate All Saints' Day, which is not Halloween. And why fear God? Love him/her, respect him/her, but fear?

 2. Would loving parents let their precious beautiful children collect candy from total strangers?

 Why not? It's all about trust. It's the one night out of the year that you can go up to that neighbor that you've only seen on the street and interact with them. They wouldn't be total strangers if you didn't keep to yourselves! And if you went with them, wouldn't they be that much safer?

So What's the Alternative?

Most bible believing churches have what they call: "Harvest Celebration" where children and teens and even the whole family can celebrate Jesus and glorify God and have real clean (demonic activity free) FUN

 Harvest celebrations, isn't that what Halloween originally started out as? See, everything does go in a circle!

Parents should teach their children faith in God. Children can have just as much fun on a Halloween centered around the Word of God and family fellowship as those can trick or treating.

 Or, you can honor the Saints as what was originally planned by the church.

Make a commitment today to give your children the Word of God instead of the fairy tales the world offers. This will help them grow in the nurture and admonition of the Lord (Eph. 6:4).

Fairy tales? Don't get me started!

Now the choice is YOURS! (Deut. 30:19)

And I choose the REAL truth about Halloween! See what happens when there is just enough truth mixed in with the lies? It sounds all so convincing.