Halloween and a fond memory!
This post is a day late; but hey, with a sick toddler, that is totally acceptable!
Happy Halloween!!
When we moved into our current house, there was so much going on that I just didn't find the time or the energy to buy Halloween decorations. But I bought lots of candy and waited, with my witch hat on, and a cauldron full of candy, for the neighborhood kids to show up. Only one child did. Probably because the rest thought we weren't celebrating Halloween since there were no decorations out. And I was left to deal with all the candy.
The next year came. I decorated the house with some fun decorations, not realizing that this prolly is the signal kids need to come ring the bell. While buying candy, I thought to myself, may be I shouldn't buy as much, because, well, nobody came last year - STILL not realizing that the absence or presence of decorations does play a part!! I ended up buying only two bags of candy. Mistake, BIG MISTAKE!! In my defense, I was new to the country and the culture. But well!!
As soon as it started getting dark, and my house lit up with all the decor, kids, with or without parents, in groups big and small, started pouring in. As soon as my first bag of candy ran out, and it ran out fast, I asked my husband to run to the neighborhood grocery store to get more. While he was gone, and I had finished refilling my cauldron with all the candy I had left, the door bell rang. I opened the door, and it was a HUGE group of kids.
I knew there was no way my small cauldron had enough candy for all of them. They started helping themselves fast. As I was running out of candy, I heard some kids who had helped themselves already and were now walking away tell the other kids on my front yard, "there isn't much candy left". One kid, whose turn it was next to get some candy, reached for my cauldron, but then, paused, and in an instant, instead of taking the last 2 candies out, reached back in his treat bag, and before I or anyone else knew, put handfuls of candy in my cauldron and left. I stood there speechless, with goosebumps, at the beautiful heart and generosity of that kid.
Before I could say or do anything, he was gone, and the kids behind him, started helping themselves to the candy he left in my cauldron, one even saying, "what was [she] on about, there is still lots of candy left."
As this group left, my husband arrived with enough candy for the rest of the evening. I told him what had happened. And how desperately I wish I could find out who this kid was. He had a mask on. I don't even remember his costume. He couldn't have been older than 7 or 8 years of age. How I wish I could meet his parents and tell them what an excellent job they are doing of raising this kid. How I wish I could meet him again. How I wish my son grows up to be as generous.
Every Halloween since then, I buy more than enough candy. Every Halloween, I think of that sweet boy.
