Blog 3650 – 10.31.2025

Haints, Saints, and Angels

The word Halloween comes from Hallowed Eve because tomorrow is All Saints Day. My mother was born on November first and my first ex-wife died on October thirty-first. Though both were lovely and loving ladies, who both held claim to my affections, neither were saints by either the Roman Catholic standard or the more widely held usage of the word angel in Abraham Lincoln’s famous quote about his mother: “All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.” The actual meaning of that line is probably not what the greeting card folks would have us believe.

Lincoln may also have used the term “angel mother” as deceased mother to distinguish her from his still living step-mother. This also is not greeting card worthy material.

As you celebrate All Hallows Eve today and All Saints Day tomorrow remember two things. “I ain’t afraid of no ghosts” from Ghost Busters and that we have a tendency to make saints of all the dearly departed by remembering the good things about them.

When my dad was a boy during the Great Depression there was little entertainment to be had and so he went to funerals whenever there was one. It was the custom then for the deceased to be eulogized at the gravesite by everyone trying to remember good things to say about the departed. Dad remembered that at one funeral in particular the old fellow who had passed must have been pretty cantankerous for after a very long silent pause at his grave where all who knew him had gathered, some old fellow finally said, “Old Frank was a hell of a checker player.” And they all went home.

Drive slowly through the neighborhoods tonight for trick or treaters will be going door to door.

Your friend and fellow traveler,

David James White