by Shelly Bruno
As the Church announced the US Feast site this year, I got excited thinking about celebrating the Holy Days. It’s a time of year that is wonderful and joyous but also safe. I consider it my personal safe zone. It is like that secure place from childhood games—the spot I couldn’t be caught or tagged—but could safely watch everyone else playing.
Today I’m not seeking “safety” in playing a game, but from the season of holidays that has just passed. When Halloween arrives every year with Christmas fast on its heels, I get that queasy feeling of having to work extra hard to avoid the insidiousness of what society celebrates. It’s the time of year when those cultural holidays seep into conversation with others, affront me when I leave my house, or influence every station that delivers music or news.
Thankfully God’s fall festival comes at a perfect time, giving me the extra strength to overcome that influence. And now, with some of the cultural holidays behind me, I look forward to the Spring Holy Days. God’s perfect timing gives me the strength just when I need it. There is more for me to overcome, but that next safe zone is again within sight.
