When my kids were little, Halloween was a huge deal around here. We planned costumes for months, and sometimes had different costumes for different events. Freddy would be Wolverine for the parade at school, and then a Ninja to go trick-or-treating and switch to a ghoul to go visit his grandmother. My boys have been Power Rangers and Ninja Turtles, dalmations, cowboys, and super heroes. Batman was always Brian’s favorite, I think he was Batman for 3 years in a row! This year I hear Power Rangers are back in vogue – a different version of Power Rangers, but they’re still recognizable to me. Brian, at age 16, has opted to skip the costume and just go to a party tonight as himself. But Freddy still has the spirit. I bought him a Jack Skellington costume (from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” because he’s a big Tim Burton fan) and he was so excited! I hope he sends me a picture from college. I can just imagine him trick-or-treating in the dorms. Meanwhile I’ll be at home answering the door – in my witch hat! 🙂

I can’t focus.  I can’t work.  All I can do at the moment is think about the children we lost, the families who are in such pain, the senselessness of the shooting that occurred this morning at an elementary school in Newtown, Connecticut.

This could have been any school, any place.  This could have been any of us.  And really, they are us.  We are all connected, and we feel the suffering, we can’t help it.  These children are our children, we feel the loss, we mourn the loss of their presence in the world, and the promise of what might have been.

Every time one of these tragedies occur, and it is devastating that we have any of these tragedies at all, people rally around and express their support of more strict gun control laws.  And yet, time goes by, and nothing more happens.  Until we have another senseless tragedy.  We need change NOW.  I think that President Obama expressed it very well in his response to the country.  It’s not about politics.  It’s about people.  We need to protect each other not with weaponry, but with kindness, with peace, and yes, with laws that look at a victim’s rights, not the perpetrator’s rights. I also feel strongly that we need better access to mental health care.  Many insurance policies don’t recognize mental health as a concern, the coverage is nominal.  But as we see in cases such as this, the consequences are far-reaching.  

We need to talk about these things.  Not just in the moment, but as the days go on, until something is done, until we get the changes in place that we so desperately need.  

So today we mourn.  We take a moment to pause and remember these sweet faces, the loving teachers, parents, and administrators who work with our children daily.  We can not understand the why of this situation.  But we can bring our hearts together and be in it together.  Our strength will lift us up, and take us to a better, brighter, more hopeful place.

My friend Mallika Chopra posted some links to petitions on her blog.  If you feel so compelled, and want to take action, this is one thing that you can do to make some sort of a difference during this difficult time:

http://signon.org/sign/ban-assault-weapons.fb23?source=s.fb&r_by=6380340 https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/immediately-address-issue-gun-control-through-introduction-legislation-congress/2tgcXzQC http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/546/934/954/?cid=fb_lg_guncontrol
 

I have lived in Los Angeles for 26 years now and up until last weekend I had never been to The Magic Castle. What is the Magic Castle? Just a Los Angeles institution! It’s a throw-back to old Hollywood, the kind of place that still requires a jacket and tie to get in. It’s so exclusive that you must be personally invited by one of their members to get in for an evening’s entertainment. That’s probably why I had never been before – I was never invited! But thanks to the magic of the internet, I now have a connection. Michael Vincent is a brilliant magician who lives in London. He happens to subscribe to my Daily Wisdom e-mail newsletter. When Michael was invited to perform at the Magic Castle in Los Angeles, he invited me to come see his show! Of course I jumped at the chance. The Magic Castle is an old mansion that has been converted into a restaurant and show rooms. Greg and I arrived for our 7:30 dinner reservation and had a lovely vegetarian meal. The service was excellent, the atmosphere very old school dignified. Everyone dressed up for an elegant evening. After dinner we explored the place, and were mesmerized by a bartender/magician doing card tricks. It turns out this was the anniversary of The Magic Circle in England, so it was British week at the castle, and all the shows featured British magicians. The first show we saw Greg laughed so hard I thought he was going to fall out of his seat! I think Aussies and Pommies share a similar sense of humor. In between shows we had a drink in the lounge, and were serenaded by Irma, the resident ghost who plays requests on the piano. You call out a song and it magically plays! Any song – it doesn’t matter, Irma knows it. Amazing! Finally we got to meet Michael Vincent himself. I had gotten to know Michael a little bit via e-mail and by visiting his website, so I knew already that he is a sweetie. But, oh, what a gentleman! Michael is very handsome, and gracious, and it was so good to connect with him in person. And talk about talented! We were absolutely astounded by the magic that Michael came up with. I think my jaw kept dropping open, and I kept looking at Greg to see if he was seeing what I was seeing. We had a great time – Michael is hilarious – so charming and at ease on the stage. You could really see that this is his dharma. Drop by and visit Michael’s site – and if anyone knows an agent in LA who handles magicians, let me or Michael know – I want him to come back and do Leno! http://www.magicofmagic.com