Aside from all those fall traditions, there is one tradition out there that I’m on the fence about.  Halloween.  I know some of you are going "oh great, she’s one of those Halloween bashers."  Before you get ready to throw pumpkins at my house, just hear me out.

In my lifetime I have heard a number of views about this holiday (from the extreme conservative to very liberal), but I’m curious about your views.  Do you celebrate this holiday?  How do you celebrate?  How does your church address the holiday?  Have others made you feel badly about your views?

For the record, I am not the "scrooge" of Halloween.  I have some strong opinions on the holiday as a whole, and it’s certainly not one of my favorites.  But if I shared those thoughts with my children, I would really scare them.  So, with my girls, I keep it light.  By choice they don’t dress in scary costumes or trick or treat at the spooky houses.  In fact, it’s really no different than any other day as they play "dress up" about 300 days a year.

I realize this can be a controversial topic.  I am not trying to start a heated debate.  I am just curious what you think.  I look forward to hearing from you.

It was now 5 a.m. and I was pinned in the middle of our queen-size bed, in-between two comfy pillows, that now nestled the heads of my daughters.  Well, kind of.  There was one set of legs draped over my rigid body from my youngest who prefers to sleep sideways.  My neck and shoulders were aching, and all I could think about was how I was going to make it through the day with no sleep.  Then my thoughts turned to my husband, who was probably snug as a bug in a comfy bed at a quiet and cool hotel in Kansas City.  That thought did it, I had hit my wall.

I marched both girls back to their bedrooms.  And then I lost it.  “You will NEVER, EVER, sleep in my bed again.  Do you understand me?  NEVER!”  Did I mention every second-floor window was open?  Well on my way back to my bed I started to think.  What if one of my neighbors was awakened by my yelling?  What if some early morning walker or jogger heard my lecture?  They might think I was yelling at my husband?  Perhaps it was from lack of sleep, but I started laughing at this thought.  Some poor neighbor is probably thinking my marriage is falling apart and I’m ready to kick my husband out.

That couldn’t be further from the truth about my marriage, but the scenario is very real, and I doubt I’m alone here.  There are many of us who endure the hardships of having a spouse who travels for business.  Or perhaps your husband works odd hours and you are left alone much of the time.  If so, I would love to hear from you; your thoughts, your stories, your advice, on this subject.

I would like to keep this topic running for awhile, so please post your comments and check back from time to time to see what others have to say.  Until then, know that I am praying for restful and peaceful nights of sleep for you!

I have learned over the years (through many experiences) that life is made up of moments; some moments are beautiful, some are tragic, and some moments are unknown as to how they are going to turn out.  I truly believe that it is in these moments that God imparts truth into our lives and teaches us through scripture, prayer, and fellowship with others how we are to do this thing called life.  Thank you for stopping at the Intersection and going on this journey with me.

A while back (okay a long while), I was born in Portland, Oregon.  I had the privilege of being raised in a Christian home.  From a very young age I was exposed to “church life” as I like to call it.  My father was a pastor at a local church.  Looking back there were times I felt as if I lived in a glass house with the church community peering through the windows, but thankfully my parents protected us from the expectations that can come from a life in ministry.

I never really desired to work in ministry after being raised in that setting, but its funny how God has his own agenda for our lives.  After graduating from Cal State University, with a degree in Communications, I went and worked for several years at a Christian university.  Just when I thought I had enough of the “college ministry setting,” I found myself on staff at a large church in Southern California in their Student Ministries Department.  I must say this was probably one of the joys of my B.C. life (before children).

So that leads me to the family–my greatest joy and fulfillment.  I am married to Matthew Keane, a Jamaican born, software engineer, guitar playing, music writer, golf and tennis pro.  Let me just say life is never dull at my house.  I actually wish things would get boring for a while.  We have two beautiful girls, Madeline, who is six, and Isabelle, who is four.

Besides being a full time wife and mother, I enjoy writing and I’m currently tinkering with writing a Christian suspense novel.  My hobbies include, but are not limited to, rubber stamping and card making, reading, knitting (on occasion), tennis, long walks, playing with my kids.  I love a cold fountain drink and bag of plain M&M’s too.