Trick Or Treating, Religious Convictions and "The Walking Dead"

Good morning post-Halloween, everyone! I hope that those that were able to, had a wonderful time trick-or-treating with their goblins and ghouls. It's one of the two favorite holidays of mine personally. The other being Christmas.

For most of my area here in Central Virginia (Lynchburg area), the children were able to Trick-Or-Treat on actual Halloween night. But there were a few areas that decided to either hold the holiday tradition on Saturday night, or wait until tonight (Monday) for them to go candy hunting due to Halloween falling on a Sunday this year.

Speaking of Trick-Or-Treating on an alternate night other than Halloween, I had become accustomed to the fact for a while when I had lived in Nevada "back in the day" of my late teens and early twenties. Nevada Day falls on Halloween. And so, being that there are many more tourists in town and also other big celebrations, along with parades, the state usually had them TOTing on the night before Halloween.

This year though, I had found out, thanks to my father that the children of (at least) their area were able to go candy collecting on the actual Halloween this year.

It should be this way everywhere. Personally, I do not see where a separate state or town should have ANY right to tell me and my kids that we cannot Trick-Or-Treat on Halloween if it falls on a Sunday. In other words, you are disgracing God by celebrating an "evil, Pagan ritualistic" holiday on the Lord's Day. And to a SMALL amount of people, it's not "right", so they want the date changed.

If YOUR Christian faith makes you feel convicted to not pass out goodies or let YOUR children Trick-r-Treat, then so be it. Do something more faith based or just keep your light off for the night and be a shut-in. But why ruin the evening for everyone else in your area by boo-hooing to City/County Counsel and force them to change for YOUR benefit of YOUR religious beliefs?

Whatever happened to "Separation of Church and State"? Does that not also apply to holidays where what may not be right for you, may just be okay with others around you? Personally, I think it is rather childish to cry foul over a freaking holiday. Just remember, Christmas is coming. And I can bet you, the ones that are "Jesus Freaks" to the fullest extent are gonna bitch to high heaven if a SMALL percentage of non-believers make a stink over the fact that religious symbols in a department store selling Christmas items.

You cannot have your cake and eat it too, people! Halloween, just like Christmas and Easter should be celebrated by the majority ON THE GIVEN DAY that it was intended to be celebrated. So what if it fell on a Sunday? Do you honestly think that God will think more of you for STILL celebrating that Pagan Holiday on any other day than Sunday? Wrong is still wrong when participating in "evil things" on ANY day of the week. Remember that.

Now, on to the next thing, seeing as I killed two birds with one stone. I feel like I'm on a roll today.

Let's talk about the new show on AMC (American Movie Classics channel). It's called "The Walking Dead". A deputy is shot and is in a coma for a chunk of time. When he wakes up, his world is completely different. In fact, deadly different. As in the walking dead different.

In the opening scene, a little girl is slowly walking as the deputy (post-hospital stint) sees her feet from under a vehicle, wearing bunny slippers. Her back is to him and when she turns around, you can see the severe bite mark on her face. She runs at him, hungry for flesh. He shoots her right in between the eyes and of course kills her for the final time.

As the show's premier episode kept on going, we got the back story of three (alive) characters and also we were able to view some pretty gruesome scenes of half or mostly eaten victims, including fellow zombies. Let's just say that all in all, NOTHING was really left to the imagination with this episode. Including the deputy's horse being torn apart and eaten by a hoard of ravishingly hungry walking poke-alongs.

As gruesome and grotesque as this show is, and knowing that it WILL GET much more graphic as the series moves along in it's rookie season, I personally do not feel that "The Walking Dead" should be on a channel such as American Movie Classics channel (AMC). It does not "fit" with the theme and feel of the channel its self. I see this show as more for the likes of HBO or Showtime. Mainly due to the show's EXTREMELY graphic nature.

"The Walking Dead" is most certainly not a television show for the faint of heart, nor for the squeamish of stomach. Some scenes even grossed ME out pretty bad. That's saying A LOT for me, if you know my taste in horror and thriller films.

So be warned my friends. If you cannot handle lots of blood, guts and gore, then I highly recommend that you do NOT watch "The Walking Dead".

One Year and Counting

Yesterday was filled with a lot of laughter, smiles and fun. But deep down, I knew exactly what the day was all about. Some of it, sad. While, for the most part, good.

I'd spent the entire school day in my youngest daughter's Kindergarten class. We carved real pumpkins in "teams". Then we did a ton of different crafts. Including my 'Jack-O-Lantern Jug' that they have an option to use as a candy collection jug for Trick-Or-Treating.

After trying to think of something to do to commemorate the special meaning of October 29th as being the Transplant Anniversary since having my new Cornea placed in, helping me to once more see, and even be able to keep the whole eye that at this time last year was ravaged with infection to the point is nearly impossible to save it, I think I found my way of honoring my Donor, their family and the significance of the day.

I had fun. I smiled. I played with the wonderful children I help every week in the classroom. I even danced with the kids at the Halloween Dance that was put on for them after school. I lived life as I always have. As a survivor of the hurdles I have had to face, and as the mother I was before my sight in the left eye was robbed, thanks to infection and an accident.

As I sit here and think back about the past week, I honestly cannot think of a better way to thank and honor such a gift, or the Donor that gave of themselves. To live my life. Be happy. To be the mother that I was meant to be to my children. To be the wife I have striven to be for my husband for the past eight years of our marriage. To be the friend that I have always been or have to tried to have been to others.

My donor gave me what was robbed of me in a matter of seconds. Even though apparently, the damage was already severely done over the prior months before. But it took just one accidental poke with my own knuckle to complete what the infection set out to do. To take away my sight completely from my left eye.

Almost a month later, my Donor gave me their cornea, thanks to their loving gift at the end of their life, and to sheer luck that one was readily available to fit my needs.

At first, it killed me inside to know that I had to have someone die to let me live my life as I have always known. I had "Survivor's Guilt". Especially when Thanksgiving and Christmas came around. I knew that as I sat down to dinner and opening gifts, another family was sitting around grieving and wishing that their loved one was still here to enjoy life and the holidays with.

Now that the year has come along, and I am pretty much back to normal like before all of this had happened, I no longer try to think about things in a "sad way". I know deep within my heart, my Donor is happy with my getting back on with life and enjoying being a wife and a mother.

They gave me my life back. And for that, I will FOREVER be grateful. To them, and to their family. And I have realized, at least for me personally, the best way to honor them, not just on October 29th, but EVERY single day of the year, is to just live my life to the fullest capacity, smile as much as I can, and know that THEY TO know just how thankful that I am of the gift that they bravely and heroically gave to me.