October: Autumn Leaves and Halloween

Autumn is my favorite season. Always has been. Always will be. It even shades my art tastes and I like the browns and oranges in paintings. Strangely, there haven't been many Halloween stamps issued throughout the world. I was only able to locate five. Maybe we should petition for more. Ha.

Growing up Halloween was my favorite holiday--more so than Thanksgiving or Christmas. I couldn't wait to get out of school and into that costume, Batman, Frankenstein's Monster, Casper the Friend Ghost, etc. I grew up in the city and selling egg insurance 1 week in advance raised the funds necessary to buy the more expensive costume I craved--plus more. Every year I would have to clean a few windows but mostly it was profitable and fun.

Now I live in the suburbs and look back at the rows of orange leaves flooding the sidewalks to my grammar school with fond memories. I miss those days but I missed more the fact that my parents were rarely able to make the Halloween trek through the neighborhood. One or both often had to work late. I was usually assigned a neighborhood parent and went trick-or-treating with their kids.

Sometimes I felt my father was doing extra stamp collecting activities, such as field trips, with me to make up for those absences. All of this is going through my mind now that I have children and Halloween is fast approaching. I'm reliving those times with them and still thinking how I can improve being the best father I can possibly be.

When they grow up I won't worry if they miss those lovely autumn leaves, I just don't want them to miss me not being around. That is the best holiday gift any father can give his children.