"If death meant just leaving the stage long enough to change costume and come back as a new character, would you slow down? Or speed up?" Chuck Palahniuk
Well.. that wasn't exactly the quote I was looking for to write about Halloween, but I love it.... This morning, Giorgio wakes up and tells me that he has to dress as a pirate for his teacher's going away party... (yes, I thank him for the advance notice..lol) ... so, we go to the closet where we have, what seems to be, a million costumes... and we find one... he hugs me and says, "I love you, Mama...we are the costume people.." ... yes, yes, yes, we ARE!!!
We have always loved to dress up.. my entire family... we even have a family portrait with all of us dressed as Pirates from the Caribbean... and I look through the albums of our life and am amazed at the wonderful costumes we have created... and the memories of becoming someone or something other than ourselves for a few hours... new characters, alright... whether we were Indians, cowboys, clowns, vampires, werewolves, or whatever we dreamed up that day, we "became" our costumes...
Everyday, when we get dressed, we put on a costume of sorts... we dress depending on where we are going, what we are doing, who we are seeing, and how we are feeling... women put on more or less make-up..or do their hair differently... and we all put on "masks" ... some days our masks are happy and some days they are sad ... some days they are peaceful and some days they are just plain mad... and I reflect now on what Chuck said... if death meant that we could leave the stage and change your costume, what would be the costume you would put on?
Frankly, I don't think it really matters..... it is what you carry inside of you... it is the smile you offer people.. it is the twinkling of your eyes when you look at the world.. it is the hug you give someone... it is the kiss (even the ones blown to the wind) that you give one another.. it is the love that you give freely... sure, this may sound way out there because we all love to dress-up and play a different role everyday, but Epictetus said, "Know, first, who you are; and then adorn yourself accordingly."
So, that's it... Know who you are... a person who is loved beyond measure.. a person who is a cherished blessing to the world... death does not afford you the time to change your costume, so strive to be the blessed person that God intended you to be from the inside first... let the light within you shine brightly... share the faith, hope and love in your heart with one another, and eventually, LOVE will be the only recognizable costume we will all be wearing on the stage... and the Indians, cowboys, clowns, vampires and werewolves, can do the LOVE dance together......
May your day be blessed with all things good,
With love,
Elena
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