MAGIC!

I love holidays. There is something special about having a child when the holidays come. Everything becomes magical. I was reflecting on how special it is that I get to share holiday's with my daughter. We loved Halloween this year. She was so excited about dressing up in her Piglet costume. She was thrilled to know we would be having chili and cornbread for dinner. She loved carving Jack O' Lanterns with us and helped us pick out pumpkin seeds for roasting. We read many Halloween stories countless times. Every new experience was awesome to her.

The one thing she was most excited for was going trick or treating. She woke up on Halloween morning and the first thing she said when I walked into the room was "I need to go Trick or Treating." (She often uses 'need' instead of 'want.') Throughout the day she mentioned Trick or Treating again and again, she was so excited. When night finally came and dinner was over, we put on her costume, and my husband took her to a few of our neighbors while I was finishing up with our Caramel Apples. After about 5 minutes of Trick or Treating they came back to our home and my daughter ran across the room to me with her bag exclaiming with enthusiasm  "I got candy!" It was maybe 5 pieces but she was thrilled. It was like magic to her. She gave me a big hug and showed me her tiny haul and I think she would have been perfectly happy if that is all the trick or treating we had done that night. We took her out again though and it was so fun to watch her go house to house. As she went from house to house I could see her, the little girl she is, full of wonder.

It was a great reminder to me to keep my eyes open to the wonder and magic around us. As we grow up we lose some of that childlike wonder. I think we become more entitled, or we compare ourselves with others. We live in a future happy moment instead of being present in the happy moments we are in. The magic of Halloween, and the opportunity of watching my daughter experience it really allowed me to be present and joyful in all the goodness around me.