Happy Halloween... and Hello, Saint

Today is Halloween. As with many families, ours has always loved this day. Deciding on costumes, with my children making fun of me as I threw their costumes together with old pillowcases, stapling or using duct tape to "hem" the different pieces together, was a tradition. (According to my crew, “other mothers” actually spent hours on costumes that were to be worn for a couple of hours in the dark.) They also felt compelled to make fun of me during the years I insisted on giving nutritional treats, spider rings, etc. instead of candy. (Actually, I don’t blame them for making fun of me for that!)

Brandon was a terrific "Our Gang" Alfalfa

            Most of my children continued to love the traditions of Halloween into adulthood. They could no longer trick-or-treat due to our family age cut-off of high school, but they could attend or throw Halloween parties, and they could now make the costumes for themselves that their mother hadn’t!

As an adult, he was the perfect Pee-wee Herman

As an expectant dad at Halloween 2011, 
he was the proud chef of the bun in wife Christina's "oven"

This year his wife Christina and daughter Morgan carry on the proud Halloween tradition

            So tonight is Halloween. The evening is ending and the trick-or-treaters are heading home. At midnight the portal between here and “Otherworld” is supposed to open briefly. It’s supposed to be a night of hauntings. I hope that’s true. I begged Brandon to come back and haunt me. 

            Tomorrow, November 1 is All Saints Day and, if anyone is a saint, it is Brandon and all the others like him. All those who have put up with uncomfortable to painful treatments with uncomfortable to painful side effects and like him rarely, if ever, complained through it all - they are saints if anyone is.

            This is my prayer to St. Brandon, “Please, Brandon, please haunt me. Tonight. Anytime. But tonight would do very nicely. Amen.”