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Kimberussell.com

a blog by Kim Russell

October 31, 2004

Perspective

Is this thing on?

After a week of introspection and sadness, our Halloween party happened. If I had my druthers, I would have cancelled it, but the invitations went out a while back and the guests were looking forward to seeing our new house.

So Thor and I slaved away all Saturday morning cleaning, decorating, and cooking. We suited up (he, a pimp; me, Martha Stewart) and threw open the front door. It was a nice mix of adults, with a handful of kids (my two cousins’ kids) thrown in for good measure. They loved running around in their costumes, and were thrilled with the pinata that we filled for them.

(Yes, we let them whack at it with a stick. The “pull-the-ribbon” pinatas are for wimps.)

A few hours later…

8-yr-old boy and 4-year old girl: Can we color?
Me: Um…sure. I don’t have a coloring book but I can print some stuff from the Internet for you.
Girl: Okay.
Me: But I only have 8 crayons. Can you guys share?
Boy: Sure!

I print out some Halloween pictures, and they are joined shortly by the other two kids, a 10-yr-old girl (boy’s sister) and a 7-yr-old boy (girl’s brother). All four of them share 8 crayons, and color on one tray table.

The 8 year old finishes his picture and brings it to me.

Me: What a great job!
Boy: It’s for you!

Touched, I hang it on my fridge. Then another picture was finished. And another. One by one, little faces brandished big smiles as little hands gave me their masterpieces.

Lesson learned: No matter what life dishes out…sadness, grief, war, disappointment or dirty politics, there is love, hope, and pure generosity.

All I have to do to remember that is look at my fridge.

drawings hung on refrigerator

Thank you to everyone who sent me their condolences on the loss of my grandfather. I didn’t open comments on that post because I didn’t want people to feel compelled to say, “I’m sorry.” I was touched and amazed by the letters and online cards I got – unsolicited. Thank you! 🙂

Posted In: Life · Tagged: halloween, holidays, loss


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About Me

I've been blogging for over twenty (2 decades! 2-0!) years and I'm apparently one of the few over-50 female bloggers who haven't sold out to THE MAN yet; hence this blog remains quirky, homespun, and unprofitable. No big. However, if you're from Disney, Doritos, or Dave Matthews Band, I'm open to talk about selling out.

I live in Southern New Jersey with my husband WM, and our dog Murphy. I'm an adult who likes Disney but not a Disney Adult. I used to work a fun (really!) office job in Philadelphia, but since March of 2020 I'm a work from home hermit. So if you're looking for a childless, slightly round, marginally boring GenX woman's blog to follow, you've come to the right place! :)

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