Whew! Thank God we survived hurricane Helene and we are sending up prayers for those who were less fortunate. Some of the loses and devastation were just heart wrenching. But through God’s grace and the help of many organizations hopefully those families will be able to rebuild not only their loses but also their faith.

On a lighter note, I will be so happy when this humid and hot clingy climate down here in the sunshine state decides to step aside for a more airy and cool breeze. When that happens I’ll be doing my happy dance on the desktop in my office as I open the windows and finally turn off that blasted central air! The oak tree and magnolia tree in the front yard have no idea they should be turning fall colors—I don’t think they got the memo that Autumn is finally here. Being my birthday month I’m oh so looking forward to those cooler breezes.

Browsing over October’s calendar, there are some 226 October awareness and celebrations. The national health awareness list is part of this October extravaganza. Some of those include AIDS Awareness Month, American Pharmacists Month, Blindness Awareness Month, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Down Syndrome Awareness Month, Dyslexia Awareness Month, Emotional Wellness Month, Head Start Awareness Month, and Rett Syndrome Awareness Month just to name a few.

Other month celebrations…The Bilingual Child Month, Country Music Month, National Work and Family Month, and National Forgiveness & Happiness Day.

There are a plethora of holidays for each day this month. If you take a bite out of that pumpkin pie we’ll give you a sampler of some holidays to come…As a lover of creme brulee’, I welcome National Dessert Month (Oct. 1), ​National Cinnamon Roll Day (Oct. 4), or National Cookbook Month (Oct. 1) For those into computers let’s not forget National Techies Day (Oct. 3) and National Internet Day (Oct. 29). And those of you who are still into carving pumpkins, making pumpkin pies, or just drinking pumpkin spice lattes there’s always National Pumpkin Day. (Oct. 26)

We would like to take this time to honor those who are on the front lines trying to keep us alive every day. Health Care Aide Day, and National First Responders Day. And to say thank you for all that you do.

In filling up this cornucopia of events we cannot omit the Federal holidays Columbus Day, National Day of the Deployed, Navy Birthday, Navy Day, and United Nations Day. We must always remember the first responders of our national and international defense and security. Lives sacrificed so that we can enjoy our freedom and for which we should never forget to say thank you and show our gratitude not only to them but also their families.

Finally, rounding out this short list, October 31st, Halloween is the celebration centerpiece of this month for a lot of folks. Don’t forget to watch It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown my favorite family classic. Click on the film’s title you will get a treat! Perhaps waiting in a pumpkin patch for the Great Pumpkin would prove to be a new adventure for all indeed!

A little October Trivia. In the ancient Roman calendar, October was the name of the eighth month of the year. Its name comes from octo, the Latin word for “eight.” When the Romans converted to a 12-month calendar, they tried to rename this month after various Roman emperors, but October’s name stuck!

May this new month be filled with God’s mercy and grace. And the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus as we walk into new possibilities for humanities hope and healing. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Happy New Month and best wishes to you all. Blessings and Peace!

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