Touch

All Hallow's Eve. Samhain. Halloween.

Call it what you like but once you cross over from Here to There, it's the biggest day of the year--the one you look forward to the most. The day when the World of the Living and the World of the Dead--Here and There--touch for just a few short hours. It's the day when the veil is thin; the door is wide open.

Don't get me wrong! I journey back and forth all the time... usually when you're asleep though. I like to check in, see that everything's okay... see that you're okay. But it's hard to get your attention. A puff of smoke in the corner of your eye or a yellow bird. You hear me calling to you but then tell yourself that you were just imagining it. You dream of me... but your memory is foggy. But tonight--Halloween night--you're thinking of me, all of us... the dead. Your eyes are on me, waiting, wondering if you'll see me or hear me. It's easy to reach out to you when you're looking for me.

I've got to go! The door between Here and There has been open for a few hours now and I have a long list of people I want to get to see today...

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

A very Happy Halloween to you all! At last! The greatest day of the year has arrived and I hope you all manage to have a magical, spooky time today with family and friends and a few monsters too...

 

I was originally going to try to write a scary story for today, but then I got thinking about what Halloween is all about, how it all started. This is the day that the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at it's thinnest. You don't know who--or what--you are passing down the street on this day. Those amazing costumes you see? They might be a bit more real than you imagined. Here and There is touching today, the door is wide open, and there's no knowing who you'll bump into today!

 

I was wondering what There does to celebrate this day (imagine all of the different customs and cultures collected from all the diverse people over There!) and I imagined that it is one of the busiest days of the year for them. They don't have to sneak into your dreams to visit you. They can come to you head on, because that is what Halloween is all about. You all know who I'm waiting for... May you all be visited by someone you love today, get a little spooked, and eat your weight in candy.

 

Happy Halloween!!

 

a.r.w.

Sugar

 

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I'm in a huge Disney kick lately but I'm still trying to keep up with my Halloween posts... So, here are my sugar skull Disney princesses. I feel like you either love these princesses--their optimism, sweet nature, and kindness--or you hate them and see them as weak, pathetic, and a product of the time they were created. They are just dumb chicks with pretty faces... I wanted to take those pretty face and paint them even more.

 

I love the classic princesses. Of course, they are not the typical strong heroine that we are so used to in our stories today but there is more to be admired in someone than just their strength--kindness goes a long way and in the end people will remember how you treat them, not how impressive you think you are.

 

Only one more day until Halloween!!!!!!

 

a.r.w.

Daisies

i seek optimism

like daisies in sibir’a

growing through the snow

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

There are daisies that grow here in Siberia. Despite the constant promise of snow, the threat of the cold, and fear of darkness, they continue to grow here... I hope to find such optimism one day.

 

a.r.w.

Hiding

 

There is a cat hiding out on the moon, I know. I've seen him smiling down on me.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Now this picture did not come out as nice as I wanted it to be... but I still love my black cat hiding out on the moon.

 

My whole life whenever I see a crescent moon, I always point and say, "The Cheshire Cat smile!" Crescent moons are my absolute favorite because of that very reason.

 

In my mind I have a story of how a witch was flying by the moon on her broomstick when her pet cat fell off and landed safely on the moon. At first he was annoyed by the inconvenience but lately, he smiles. Up on the moon there is no sadness, no worries, no one to think that you're bad luck, and no pesky dogs always barking at you.

 

Only 3 more days until Halloween!!

 

a.r.w.

Waves

even though you're gone

we can still feel your touch Here

you're making waves, kid

*~*~*~*~*~*

As I was washing the dishes, I had a "what the f*** happened?" moment. I think back to my life a year ago--two years ago--and it feels like both another lifetime and just a moment ago. One minute Jed was Here and the next **clap** he was There (his words, not mine). It's just so strange to still be living, day to day, doing both mundane things like grocery shopping and extraordinary things like trips to Disney or hiking through the Himalayas, knowing that he will never do these things with me again... and somehow I'm supposed to keep on going as if that doesn't mess with my head immensely.

But then I saw an article written about Jed and the new sarcoma research being done at Roswell Cancer Institute. Because of him and the amazing amount of community support with Red for Jed, the doctors at Roswell decided to take a grant and put their efforts into researching and hopefully destroying sarcoma once and for all. I stand in awe of my little brother. Even six months after leaving Here, he is still impacting our community and the pediatric cancer community in such profound ways.

Nice work, dude... I'm so proud to be your sisso... Always and forever... To infinity and BEYOND!! 56 days... ;-)

a.r.w.

Venture

you wish to know me?

touch my scars and kiss my tears…

few venture this way

Fuzzies

"Aw, crap."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

It's snowing already.

I know, I know. I'm in Siberia and I should have expected this. I was warned, "Winter is coming," but I didn't expect it to arrive so quickly!

We've had a few flurries (or "fuzzies" as my coworkers like to call them) but nothing impressive or substantial... until today. There is a mantle of white out there and it isn't even Halloween yet! Though, I suppose Christmas is only two months away...

Poor Mr. Jack 'o Lantern... nobody gives his holiday a chance (though he gets a bit more attention than Mr. Turkey).

Only 6 days until Halloween!

a.r.w.