Glad to be back

For the past couple of days I've had a virus! Not me myself, but that extension of me .... my computer!
Anyway, it's now fixed up and mended and I am back to normal.
I wanted to share a story with you on Saturday (Halloween) but the virus wouldn't let me on.
So better late than never I'll begin...
I grew up in the same village I now live in as an adult. it's fairly big nowadays, but was much smaller then. When I was 14 something happened in the village that shook the whole community. A small 5 year old boy was out trick or treating with his mum and his sister. He was really enjoying himself and was dressed as a ghost with a sheet over his head. As the family walked to the next house, the boy tripped and the pumpkin lantern tangled in the sheet and then the most aweful, dreadful thing happened, the sheet caught light.
Seeing a sudden flash of light, a man and his young son looked out of the window. Then with no thought whatso ever for their own safetly they ran out and smothered the flames.
The little boy was very badly burned, he was taken to Pinderfields burns unit. He was very very ill and he fought hard for the next few weeks. My little sister was in his class at school, their teacher visited him often and it was evident that this was a very draining experience on everyone.
Sadly the little boy died. His body was too ravaged to survive.
The man who put out the flames bears scarred hands to this day. He often hands out communion and those scars on his hands are terribly poignant.
Sad as this story is, there is a light, something wonderful that came from this event.
members of the local church joined forces with the local primary school and began to run a "megastar" event. The event is marketed as an alternative to halloween. there is always a theme, the children get to dress up (though not in halloween costume) and have a wonderful time.
It does worry me with the amount of store space being taken up in super markets. Everything is aimed at celebrating something so dark. It's rivaling Easter and Christmas and although the buy, buy, buy is clearly not the ideal, it looks as though marketing forces are currently winning!