Hello world! I, like many am just getting done with the Halloween buzz. By that, I don’t mean coming down from a heavy weekend of drinking, but of the excitement I see in kids during this season.

I work for an after-school program here in Grand Forks that focuses on children living in low-income housing. It truly is an honor to work for such an enlightening program. This past week was crazy though!

All of the buzz of the holiday had the kids excited from the second I saw them on Monday to their sugar-exhausted bodies falling into the bean bag chairs on Friday afternoon.

At work, I saw a wide variety of creatures. I had ninjas, ninja turtles, vampires, monsters, cats, football players, Batman, and many others. I was a princess. The kids spent the whole week talking about what they were going to be and where they were going to spend the night. Each day, we talked about our favorite types of candy, ways to stay safe, and Halloween movies.

To the kids, the holiday is more than about getting candy; they get to dress up and spend a day as someone else for one day per year of their lives. That day, no child had a name. They were called by their costumes, and each student replied with a huge smile on their face!

The kids spent their afternoon at the program playing games and running around outside. For one day, there were no tears, no frowns, no fits. That was a miracle in itself. To see all 17 of my kids genuinely happy was the best thing I could ask for. I spent my weekend reminiscing in their smiles, their laughs, their joy.

Halloween is the start of a great season in the eyes of children and I look forward to spending it with them. Seeing these children smile and be excited about something is so incredible.