Spookiness, inspiration, soup, and other signs of fall (7 Quick Takes)

~1. A Different Halloween~

It’s a different kind of Halloween this year. Some neighborhoods have canceled trick-or-treating. Ours has not, but I don’t want to take any risks of passing any germs along, so we’ll be rigging a sign to let trick-or-treaters know we have no treats this year.

Our sons seem to be content not to dress up and have a quiet Halloween at home. Children are often more resilient than their parents.

We still haven’t carved our pumpkins, so today is the day!

~2. Extra Inspiration~

The other night I attended a virtual conversation between author Bryan Stevenson and poet Nikki Giovanni that was run by the Greenlight Bookstore in Brooklyn, N.Y. I was so excited when my friend Tracey invited me and two other friends to go—and offered to treat us to the tickets.

I have heard Bryan Stevenson speak in person and loved his book, Just Mercy, and Nikki Giovanni is an amazing and inspiring poet and woman, but even with my high expectations, I was blown away by the conversation. The stories that Nikki Giovanni shared were powerful and moving and will stay with me.

Giovanni’s newest book, Make Me Rain, arrived on my porch today, and I read just a few poems and had to set it aside. I want to read it slowly, soaking each piece in. There’s such beauty there and such depth of emotion. I’m struck by the power with which she shares simple, ordinary experiences.

At one point in the conversation, a viewer asked how Nikki Giovanni stays committed to speaking out about justice.

“I’m not trying to change the world,” she said. “I’m just trying to put this word in front of that word and see if it makes any sense.”

Wow. I might need to put that on a plaque.

~3. Chicken Noodle Soup Remastered~

I made a big pot of chicken noodle soup this week. One of the boys talked me into making a small pot without any vegetables in it.

“It won’t taste as good,” I told him. “The carrots and celery and onions give the broth the flavor.”

But I did it—just to show him I was right. I cooked noodles in chicken stock and—as a passing thought—shook a little garlic powder and salt and pepper into the pot.

The boys both loved it. I was proven wrong. I still think it’s better with vegetables.

~4. Grow, Finches, Grow~

Because fall has absolutely flown by, our baby finches are now six weeks old.

Their beaks, which have been black, turn a little oranger every day, and they are much more skittish about having us near their cage.

They play these sweet little games together, where they fly back and forth from perch to perch to perch.

These finches have added so much to our lives during this crazy time.

~5. Podcast~

My friend Julie invited me to come on her podcast, More Than Politics, and ask her questions about the election. I am much more into writing than speaking, so this was stretching me a little. But we had fun, and Julie gives some really great insight. You can hear the podcast here.

~6. Georgie~

Halloween is always fun, but Halloween is also a sad day for our family. It was Halloween 2013 when my sister Treasa and brother-in-law George lost their baby Georgie just weeks before we thought we would meet him.

Our children were getting ready for an evening of trick-or-treating when my father told me the news. I remember going through the motions of trick-or-treating that night in a daze.

Tonight, we will have a little Halloween party for our family of four. But Georgie will be on my mind, of course. Last weekend I took a pumpkin to leave at his grave. The pumpkin’s long stem is pointing all the way up to heaven.

It’s very special to have someone to talk to in heaven. But, of course, we wish he were here. We often stop and talk about how old Georgie would be if he were here. I often ask him if he could take a special prayer request to Jesus for us or someone we know.

What a gift Georgie is to our family.

~7. Remembering Souls~

For the month of November, we fill a basket with slips of paper—each with the name of someone who has passed away. Every morning, we pull a piece of paper and pray for that person. The first year we did it, I wondered whether we would have enough names for 30 days of November. But we did—and every year we have more names to add.

My cousin Paula passed away peacefully last night, so she will be the first name we put in the basket this November. If you would, could you say a prayer for her soul and for her husband and family? I have so many wonderful memories of Paula and the time we spent together.

Find more quick takes on Kelly’s blog, This Ain’t the Lyceum, and have a wonderful weekend.

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