From: clrclady
Date: Fri Oct 29 19:01:36 EDT 2010
Subject: Holidays!!!

I have been thinking a lot about Holidays. I usually always think a lot about Holidays about this time of the year because they are quickly coming with the start of the Cultural Celebration starting this Sunday with October 31st. It is such an interesting concept of life. October 31st is actally the eve of All Saints Day which is November 1st when the dead Saints of the church where celebrated through out history. And then October 31st represents Reformation Sunday when Luther nailed his Theses to the church doors of his concerns. It is one of the most Church filled Saintly holidays. But throughout time the Eve to all Saints day has been said to be the time when the Veil between the Spirit World and the the Natural World is the weakest and a time to talk to dead and Spirits. From personal experience, I really do not think that the veil is any weaker, but I also believe that many people feel that the veil or whatever it is is weaker. The interesting thing is that most of our other Holidays Christmas, Easter are more based on Pagan Celebrations. But the church has done a great deal to reform them. I am really writing about reform. Holidays were so screwed up for me. Christmas maybe meant presents growing up and Easter maybe meant candy. But most all Holidays meant lots of fighting, yelling, and someone usually getting hurt by someone else. When all my friends were dressing up in costumes to Trick or Treat, we for forbid to, had to stay home while everyone else was getting candy (because my Mom said their was crazies out their that could not be trusted and we do not do these stupid things). While the later hours of the night would mean getting tortured and ritualisticly abused to talk to Spirits. When I finally became a Believer at almost 17 years old, I hated the Holidays (all of them). It has taken years (more than I really want to talk about) and separation from my family to actually redeem them. The body of Christ and mainly this community has reframed my idea of all the Holidays. I have done much better to not be massively stressed out, having high end anxiety, or trying to run around fixing everything so no one explodes (even though I really havent seen that since I separated from my birth family). I think I finally started being half way successful with Christmas and Thanksgiving two years ago after much processing. I still really struggle with October 31. I also mostly disengage on the lesser Holidays 4th of July, my birthday, other's brithdays, etc. It was always a baffeling subject in College when I read Foster's Celebration of Disciplines and Celebration is one of them. I just did not get it. And still 12 years later I still do not get it all that well. I know it is good. I know it is Christ like. But it so counters my earlier years and what their idea of Celebration was. Reforming thought takes a long time. What Luther started in October 31st so many centuries ago is still rippling down the church and reforming thought. I just think it is a great opportunity that the church can reform the thought of things from what the "World" says it is. That has been my experience of what the church and Christ has done. Sometimes I just wish it did not take so long and I was further a long on the process.

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