Comment by Bridget on October 22, 2008 6:07 pm

Dear Karen,

How are you this time of year? Halloween’s almost here, how does this holiday make you feel? What do you usually do on this holiday? Do you still live in fear, stay hidden inside or found a way to accept things for what they are? I read Switching Time months ago and it came to me about how you deal with reminders during certain holiday events since every holiday was tainted in horror including Christmas?

Stay positive, pray towards heaven but row towards shore.

Bridget

Dear Bridget,

Halloween is not exactly my favorite holiday.  I try never to think back to the Halloweens of my past and try to enjoy the cute parts of this day.  I am usually at work giving out candy from my desk to the over four hundred children that come to visit.  It’s exciting for me to see the joy in their eyes as they collect their goodies, children who have no fear and believe it’s just candy day.  Sometimes I do think back to the fun I could’ve experienced if not abused. When this happens, I try to replace these thoughts with something pleasant.

Although most holidays in my past were met with stress, they no longer are.  I am an adult now, with a more adult way of coping with clowns, skeletons, masks, etc., things that used to terrify me.

Thank you for your questions and encouraging words.

Karen