Today on a talk show… we saw the World’s Largest Pumpkin. It was huge. Enormous. 1850 pounds gargantuan. I’m telling you… that Peter fella’ would’ve had plenty to eat with that old pumpkin. He could’ve kept his wife in that thing too.  Very well.

This time of year brings all sorts of surprises along those lines. People dress up in all kinds of costumes. Like…witches, M&Ms, and Richard Nixon-heads. We put pumpkins here and there… and hang figurines about. Campfires, hayrides, ghost stories, candy giving. I like it all. It is one of my favorites times of all.

I guess I like it so much mostly because I still believe there is magic in the world. You know those moments in life… when something totally amazing happens and you can’t quite explain it. It stops you in your tracks and it feels just like… well… just like magic.  You can’t put your finger on it.

Call it what you will. Call it fate, Blessings, Divine Miracles, luck, coincidences of the universe, Karma, good fortune, magic, and so on. It makes NO difference what you name it. At least, I don’t think it does.

The important thing is recognizing it… and being grateful for it. I believe that experiencing gratitude helps to build our character. It wards off things like cynicism, negativity, and discontent.

I am thankful for pumpkins. In fact, we bought 7 of them (my favorite number)… and placed them at the front of our house. Now, keep in mind that Meeting Street is a busy place in Charleston. We have boat loads (literally) of tourists here.

Well, the first night out, 3 of the pumpkins were stolen. The second night… one was smashed. However, in exchange… the passers-by left us lots of empty Busch Light cans. But never mind all of that. We’ve all made bad decisions in our lives. The last couple of nights, we just happened to come across some folks who have an umbrage with the Gourd Family. Perhaps they were lost in a corn maze once. Who knows.

What it really tells me is that……. there are good and decent people in this world. Even though we are down 4 pumpkins… THREE of them remain. Think how many people passed who did NOT steal or smash those orange fruits. Lots.

Yep. Just one more reason to believe in magic.

“That’s the thing with magic. You’ve got to know it’s still here, all around us, or it just stays invisible for you.” – Charles de Lint

“Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others.” -Marcel Tullius Cicero