Halloween, Thanksgiving and a photo shoot, oh my!

Halloween to my family, is mostly a holiday we celebrated in the United States. However, Day of the Dead and All saints day here in Poland, have long standing roots that don't show any signs of going away. If you were to visit a cemetery on either of those days, you will find them packed with people at all times of the day. People really take the time to prepare the graves of those that have been lost to us and honor them on these days especially. All across Poland you would find literally millions of candles burning through the night; a burning reminder of those that came before us, and a nice way of saying that when we go we will also not be forgotten. 

Thanksgiving is definitely one of my favorite holidays as an American, this is largely due to the fact that I get an excuse to stuff my face with a large variety of food without judgement. Thanksgiving is a great time to sit down with those that are close to you and say a little something about how great it is to have them in your lives, or to be thankful and talk about other people and things that are important. I am thankful for everyone who is and has been a part of my life and for all of those in the future who would want to be my friend and invite me into their lives. When I hear something crash down and break I rush to see if everyone is alright, I don't rush to see if something expensive has been broken. Friendships are the most valuable things in our lives other than our health, but those two items are not mutually exclusive in nature either. I am thankful for American Football here in Poland, it is a great way for me to meet new people and share a love for a sport that was such a big part of my youth. I am, of course, for anyone who knows me, most thankful for my family, who surrounds me everyday with great hugs and kisses.

These two pictures of my girls, along with the new cover photo of our family were taken at a photo shoot in Gydynia. I love taking pictures but professional photographers with studios that do this for a living just make this look too easy. :) We had a lot of fun going through the different poses and backgrounds to quickly come up with a bunch of great pictures. We also took the time to see some friends in the northern part of Poland and give the kids a play date. The kids are growing up fast and bilingual which is great. Lydia who will turn seven this month has to be reminded by Mommy and Daddy constantly to speak English when at home. We absolutely refuse to let her get away with speaking Polish all of the time and not get the benefits of learning multiple languages. I have actually had the benefit of speaking Polish in other countries to people who didn't know any English. Well time to move Mila the Destroyer back to her bed and call it a night myself. bye for now. :)

Poland's interest in Halloween is growing

10 years ago any mention of Halloween in Poland would have been strongly condemned as Paganism, and would not go very far in conversation other than scoffing at the children having fun. I am very glad to see that today we are met with the same outrage but we also have a lot more people celebrating Halloween :) Religious extremism pops up at times here in Poland, this time it is for Halloween, which is largely just a day for kids to have fun. The reality is that this world has many different people from many different religious and geographical backgrounds, and by condemning holidays and beliefs we are not bringing this world any closer to peace. Now I am not saying that you should like Halloween or even participate in it if you are living in Poland but for us parents and grandparents we should not teach our children to hate it. You see, this world could actually be a Utopian society, if as parents and leaders, and respected members of society we did not teach hatred. Children will absorb everything that you do and say in life, and if you preach about hatred of certain individuals, or groups, or ideals then those children will do the same when they are older. If you go into a diverse kindergarten or preschool environment, with kids from different backgrounds and countries the kids will not care about the color of other kids' skin. All kids know is how to have fun and that maybe some of their friends look a little bit different than they do. Take a high school sports team, for example, the players don't care about where people come from, they just want to get out there and win as a team. So as more people in Poland learn how to check their passions at the gate and welcome a little fun for the kids, this country can open up a little bit and be a little more peaceful. My family still plans on celebrating All Saints' Day, and All Souls' Day this year, as well. I do enjoy the positive side of religion, which in my mind is about bringing people together to live life in an honest and peaceful way. So when we talk about holidays, why should we have the right to tell people which ones they can celebrate and which ones they cannot while still believing this is right? Who are we to say that because you are not a part of our religion that you cannot celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa? I chose to promote peace, prosperity, and respect among people I meet, and I hope that their beliefs do the same without looking down upon other groups of people, or individuals, who were not born into a good life. I often ponder what was my past life, was it in poverty or abundance, and how did I chose to live? And if you ask my wife what do I ask for as gift for my birthday, or Christmas, she would roll her eyes and repeat for you "peace on Earth, and goodwill towards man." So lighten up a little bit, laugh at the kids costumes or pretend to have as much enthusiasm and imagination as they did putting them together, and throw some candy at them if they come :) And most of all just choose to be happy and don't just promote more hatred through Facebook posts.

This is by the way my pumpkin, which is supposed to by inside of an American football helmet :). Well goodnight everyone or to some good morning :)