�First Isabella Halloween is not bad or evil, but you already know that. Second there is nothing wrong with you having or reading a bible. But Mrs. Miller should not have given out Christian bibles unless she also gave out the Holy Books of other religions as well. She is wrong to promote one religion above another. But that�s what the Christians teach, that their religion is the only true religion, so she was only following her religious beliefs. As for cancelling Halloween they may choose not to celebrate it at school but we will at home as we always do.�
�They are going to have a �Harvest Holiday� instead of Halloween.� Isabella said.
�Isabella what is Halloween?� Lauren asked with a sparkle in her eyes.
Isabella sat and thought for a moment. Her mother and grandmother had taught her many things about Halloween .They called Halloween Samhain and said it was an ancient holiday. A day to honor the dead, our loved ones that were no longer with us and our ancestors. Every year her grandmother and mother sat a Mute Table, places at the table for family and friends that had passed on; there was always a place at the head of the table for Isabella�s father, John. In Mexico it is called �The Feast of The Dead �and it is a sacred celebration. They believed the dead could return to the land of the living for this one night if they wanted to, to celebrate with their family. One of the traditions of Samhain that Isabella looked forward to was placing candles in the windows. Her grandmother told her it helped to guide the spirits of our loved ones home. It was the church that gave Halloween a bad meaning, they thought it was wrong to try and talk to spirits.
Isabella was told that Halloween or Samhain is also the last of the three harvest Festivals. The name Samhain means �summers end�, and by the ancient Celtic way of dividing up the year, Samhain is also the beginning of winter and the New Year. As a harvest holiday Isabella had been taught to give thanks for all the food and blessing she had received. Her grandmother always made a special dinner for Halloween, roast beef with lots of potatoes and carrots, fried apples covered in cinnamon and the best pumpkin pie in the whole world. Besides putting candles in all the windows they also bobbed for apples and buried an apple in the back yard to bring prosperity for the coming year. And of course there were always all the goodies collected from �trick or treating�.
Isabella had all this going through her mind and was wondering what point her mother was trying to get her to see. She kept going through it over and over again. Finally it hit her...Harvest.
�I know, I get it, the Harvest.� Isabella said excitingly.
�Yes Isabella, the school may not understand it but by celebrating the Harvest you will still be celebrating an aspect of Halloween. As long as you know in your heart what the day means to you it is not so important what others may call it.� Lauren said smiling.
�As for what Mrs. Miller did I think I will speak to her about it, I don�t want to see her get fired but I think she should be made aware that what she did was wrong and not everyone believes as she does.�
�I think she was trying to be nice Mother, I don�t think she meant it in a bad way.�
�I know Isabella, but I�m still going to talk to her about it when the time is right.�
Lauren gave Isabella a hug and they sat in silence for a few moments enjoying the afternoon sun and the sounds of the woods around them.
�I had better pack up my things, It�s getting late and we need to head home soon Isabella�.
Lauren got up and began gathering her painting supplies together. She chuckled to herself that she didn�t even know what she had painted. Her mind had been so involved in Isabella�s problem that she had not really paid attention. She had just let the brush go where it wanted to. Her mother, Isabella�s grandmother had told Lauren many times that she was amazed that Lauren could do that and it look so good. Lauren always laughed and told her that it must be her �guardian angel� guiding her hand. She had most of her things picked up, cleaned and put away before she turned to look at the painting.