It’s time to start something new. For the month of November, I will write daily on the blog, specifically focusing on thankfulness. I’ve never taken on a challenge like this. The reality is that I have countless things to be thankful for. Some of them are big things and some of them are small, but I hope that writing daily about thankfulness builds my muscle of gratitude throughout the next thirty days.
There is this guy that lives a few houses from us that loves Halloween night. When you read that you probably think about a front lawn filled with skeletons, headstones, and spider webs - maybe even a fog machine and some creepy music. But this gentleman’s house looks nothing like that.
“Shoot 4 Treats” are the words written on the homemade sign held by the lady with a megaphone. All of the volunteers wear bright green shirts, custom printed “Halloween 2022”. Four archery lanes lined the front yard. The targets: a couple of blow-up Frankensteins accompanied a jack-o-lantern and a black cat.
Our kids, 4 and 3, first went to the archery range house last year during Halloween. This year they were excited to know that they could go back and shoot the bow & arrow again. Every lane had a volunteer that was ready to help the next Elsa or Ninja Turtle shoot the arrows at the target. Elias, who went as “all the sports guys,” had so much fun - even though he didn’t quite hit the target. Linnea, who flew through her three shots, came right over to encourage Elias for his last chance.
In the end, the kids had a ton of fun, the atmosphere was happy and joyful, and the memories of the experience far outweighed the many pieces of candy that went in their buckets.
When I think about that house down the street, I think of a man that shines light during a night that often can appear so dark. Instead of scary costumes, they wore fluorescent shirts. He welcomed people into his front yard to enjoy archery, something he enjoys.
People were abuzz. As the lady with the megaphone announced the costumes of all the littles walking down the street, it was easy to laugh and smile. Our typically cautious kids popped out of the car and were excited to join in the fun that was happening down the street.
So thank you, neighbor. Thank you for being such an awesome place to stop each of the past two Halloweens. Thank you for your dedication to providing a fun and memorable experience for families in our neighborhood. And thank you, that on a night that fear can accompany the fun, your place was all about the treat.
24 “The Lord bless you
and keep you;
25 the Lord make his face shine on you
and be gracious to you;
26 the Lord turn his face toward you
and give you peace.”
- Numbers 6:24-26
How about you?
Did any of you have memorable neighbors like we have while going out trick-or-treating on Halloween? Share in the comments!
If you liked today's post, maybe you'll like some of the other posts that I've previously written. Check them out on my homepage or see three of my favorites below. If today is your first day here, welcome! Feel free to follow me on any of the socials and reach out! I'd love to chat.
Instagram: @RyneJungling
Twitter: @RyneJungling
Facebook: Mission Anders
Also, on the 4th of each month I send out a monthly newsletter - feel free to subscribe here.
Comments