Pumpkins and the horror!

I'm seeing pumpkins everywhere right now-in stores, curb markets, on magazine covers and in Fall decorations on peoples' front doors and yards. This year I'm seeing white pumpkins- that's different. I've never had any success growing pumpkins, so hat's off to anyone that can.
I just did a little reading on the history of Halloween and the Jack O'Lantern.

A sea of pumpkins

Photo credit: acrylicartist from morguefile.com

Trick or treating as a child was fun, especially before the scare of child abductions. I do remember hearing on the news after Halloween that a razor had been found in an apple. I never got an apple for Halloween. I grew up thinking Halloween was for getting candy, not fruit.  Back then us kids, and I'm referring to my fellow trick-or-treater's, had to start allowing a parent view all the candy we got prior to use eating any, for our safety and check and make sure nothing looked like it has been tampered with.  It was fun deciding how creative I could be making my costume by using things around the house. Then as I got older, it was fun to make the trick-or-treater's that stopped at my house perform a trick in order to get a treat. Most just stood there not knowing what to do. They were eager to get going to the next stop.   That was their trick. It was fun times going up and ringing doorbells of homes and yelling, "trick or treat give me something good to eat!"  Well, the last Halloween I remember going trick or treating I decided would be my last. I was with my friends and some of their friends so we trick-or-treated at a lot of doors that night. My bag was heavy when we finished, surely I enough sweets and goodies to eat for weeks. I couldn't believe it, even to this day I still remember the horror when I dumped my bag on the table to see the sugar laden bounty I'd collected.  Rocks. Lots of rocks.  Why would someone give me rocks?

Anyway, that was a big let down after all my hard trick-or-treating effort and toting that heavy bag back home. I even remember saying my bag was the heaviest and how I planned to add so much candy in my lunches for the next two months. I had envisions for that candy. But it wasn't to be. The others had their laugh but were nice enough to share some of their candy with me when they saw how devastated I was.  But it wasn't the same. Halloween fun that night was tarnished forevermore in my mind.  I was the only one that had gotten any rocks. That had really affected me.

For the love of candy

Photo credit: dee from morguefile.com


There used to be a haunted hayride out this way every year. I heard it was a good production. A lot of volunteers eagerly hid in the woods and jumped out to spook the riders on the wagons. I just heard about it and was invited to go plenty of times, but never went. It was popular with people driving miles to come to it the last two weekend nights in October.  But the haunted hayride is no more as of about three years now.

I remember going only one time to a scary Halloween house with my Mom, my sister and brother back in the late 60s. It was actually an empty office building transformed into a scary Halloween attraction. As soon as we paid to enter, then around the very first dark corner, it was either my sister or brother that was too scared to continue, so we left. All I remember is a person with a hideous mask stuck their head out. No one screamed or anything, but I guess the hideous face was much too close for my brother or sister to continue. Maybe it was good we didn't.  Even back then I thought that production had to take a lot of time and effort to bring about producing screams from people wanting to be scared and frightened on Halloween night.

I took the above photo a few days ago. This old house is decorated by a man every year for Halloween. If I get a chance to go by at night, I'll include a night photo. It's different every year, but from past years, at night  is when this place looks real spooky. I don't like ugly things, and I surely don't believe in skeletons or zombies, but I do believe in ghosts, which I think are spirits. Spirits of dead prophets are mentioned in the Bible that came to give a warning. We all have the breath of God in us, which is spirit, which is the part of us that will never die. If you're reading this, know that your spirit has been quickened, is alive and sealed for life in heaven when you accepted Jesus as your savior. That's what being born again is.  God is Spirit and he made man in His image.  Our bodies will die, but our spirit won't and will go to either heaven or hell. If hell, then later your spirit will end up in the company of Satan and his brood in The Lake of Fire and there you'll be tormented forever. Now that will be the horror of all horrors. Please, if you've been putting off getting saved, or not understanding something, make it a priority to get yourself in right standing with God, ask a solid Christian, so you can make the most important decision in your entire life and accept by faith his Son Jesus as your Savior. But you've got to mean it in your heart. First hear the Word, and then with your heart because you can't get to heaven on your own accord.  Don't be deceived, there is only one way and God says it's through Jesus who died for you. Don't allow Satan to deceive you from the truth another day.

See my other blog on how to receive the gift of life forever with God through His Son and be saved from the penalty that sin in a place that will be beyond horrible, or watch this video.for instructions as well. Angels in heaven will rejoice knowing another soul has been saved.