Abner Allen request for Rev. War Pension

Easy Halloween Kleenex Box Cover

Materials: thin cardboard (old cereal boxes work well!) printer paper something to color with (if using B&W template) scissors glue Instructions: Print out the templates of choice (you can use all the same template so you have the same picture on all sides, or you can mix and match!)  — you need 4 templates to make one kleenex box. Colour pieces, as necessary. Glue the pieces onto squares of thin cardboard (old cereal boxes).  Using a glue stick instead of white glue keeps the paper from wrinkling.  If you are using white glue, put the glue onto the cardboard, not the template and then spread it around so it’s a very thin layer. Cut out the pieces.  This step may require adult assistance.

	OPTIONAL:  cover with clear contact paper (this makes it water proof).  Contact paper can be purchased in rolls at your local office supply store.
	Optional:  Score the tabs — to do this, flip the template over so the cardboard is up.  Put a ruler down to help you keep a straight line.  Using scissors or a butter knife, run along the ruler pressing hard to make it easier to fold the edges.  This step may require adult assistance.
	Fold the tabs
	Use glue or tape to attach the tabs of one template to the untabbed side of the next to form a box.
	Slip it overtop a square kleenex box!  (it squashes flat for easy storage so you can pull it out next halloween)

	Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.
	Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Halloween Food & Drink Tips

• Waiter there’s a fly in my drink! — Freeze ice cubes with faux insects inside by filling a tray half full and freezing, then adding a gummy critter or a couple of raisins, fill the rest of the way with liquid and re-freeze.
• Fill a new plastic household glove with lemonade, limeade or other liquids to create an eerie floating hand in your punch bowl. Use heavy duty rubber bands to secure the top of the glove, leaving a little room for expansion. Use a small plastic dish to prop up the secured end of the glove in the freezer. Freeze until solid, peel away the glove and float the hand in the punchbowl.
• For a realistic looking eye frozen in a cube, see our recipe for Bloody Eyeball Cocktails.
• You can use a ring mold or bundt cake pan to freeze a creepy ice ring for you punch bowl. Fill 1/3 with liquid and freeze, arrange a layer of gummy worms on frozen ring, fill to 3/4 full and re-freeze. To un-mold, simply run hot water over ring for a second to two.
• Consider using Mountain Dew soda in your drinks and punches, nothing else has quite the same green glow.
• A wonderful tip we got from the fine folks at the House of Blues, is to use plastic light sticks as swizzle sticks, it gives the drinks an eerie, mysterious glow.
• Make Halloween shaped tortilla chips by using cookies cutters to cut shapes out of tortillas, then deep fry until crisp. You can also make low fat tortilla chips by baking your cutouts in A 350° F oven. In either case, sprinkle with salt. Chips made of blue corn tortillas look especially spooky.
• Use cookie cutters to cut out small sandwiches in Halloween shapes.

The Story of Halloween

Halloween is one of the oldest holidays with origins going back thousands of years. The holiday we know as Halloween has had many influences from many cultures over the centuries. From the Roman’s Pomona Day, to the Celtic festival of Samhain, to the Christian holidays of All Saints and All Souls Days.

Hundreds of years ago in what is now Great Britain and Northern France, lived the Celts. The Celts worshipped nature and had many gods, with the sun god as their favorite. It was “he” who commanded their work and their rest times, and who made the earth beautiful and the crops grow.

The Celts celebrated their New Year on November 1st. It was celebrated every year with a festival and marked the end of the “season of the sun” and the beginning of “the season of darkness and cold.”

On October 31st after the crops were all harvested and stored for the long winter the cooking fires in the homes would be extinguished. The Druids, the Celtic priests, would meet in the hilltop in the dark oak forest (oak trees were considered sacred). The Druids would light new fires and offer sacrifices of crops and animals. As they danced around the the fires, the season of the sun passed and the season of darkness would begin.

When the morning arrived the Druids would give an ember from their fires to each family who would then take them home to start new cooking fires. These fires would keep the homes warm and free from evil spirits.

The November 1st festival was called Samhain (pronounced “sow-en”). The festival would last for 3 days. Many people would parade in costumes made from the skins and heads of their animals. This festival would become the first Halloween.

During the first century the Romans invaded Britain. They brought with them many of their festivals and customs. One of these was the festival know as Pomona Day, named for their goddess of fruits and gardens. It was also celebrated around the 1st of November. After hundreds of years of Roman rule the customs of the Celtic’s Samhain festival and the Roman Pomona Day mixed becoming 1 major fall holiday.

The next influence came with the spread of the new Christian religion throughout Europe and Britain. In the year 835 AD the Roman Catholic Church would make November 1st a church holiday to honor all the saints. This day was called All Saint’s Day, or Hallowmas, or All Hallows. Years later the Church would make November 2nd a holy day. It was called All Souls Day and was to honor the dead. It was celebrated with big bonfires, parades, and people dressing up as saints, angels and devils.

But the spread of Christianity did not make people forget their early customs. On the eve of All Hallows, Oct. 31, people continued to celebrate the festivals of Samhain and Pomona Day. Over the years the customs from all these holidays mixed. October 31st became known as All Hallow Even, eventually All Hallow’s Eve, Hallowe’en, and then – Halloween.

The Halloween we celebrate today includes all of these influences, Pomona Day’s apples, nuts, and harvest, the Festival of Samhain’s black cats, magic, evil spirits and death, and the ghosts, skeletons and skulls from All Saint’s Day and All Soul’s Day.

Begin With The Thanksgiving “Basics!”

The Map

One Saturday a father was put in charge of babysitting his five-year-old
son. The father had “double duty” because he was also trying to fill out
his income tax form.

As young children will do, the son kept interrupting his father, making
it impossible for the father to fill out his tax form. However, the
father had raised his son’s older siblings and knew that if he could
engage his son in some purposeful activity, he could finish his taxes.

The father looked through a magazine and found a picture of the world.
He took a pair of scissors and cut it into lots of little pieces, then
he gave his son the puzzle pieces and told him to put it together.

Impressed with his own resourcefulness, the father returned to his tax
preparation. Five minutes later his son came skipping into the room
again. “Daddy, daddy, come and see. I’ve put the puzzle together.”

Surprised and somewhat irritated at such a short interval of peace and
quiet, the father was astounded by his son’s claim that he had completed
the puzzle in such a short time. If it was true, surely his son must be
a genius!

He took his son’s hand and went into the next room to see the puzzle.
Sure enough, it was correctly assembled. “Son, how did you put this map
of the world together so quickly?”

“Oh daddy, I didn’t put the world together; it was too hard. But, I
noticed there was a picture of a man on the back side. I figured if I
put the man together right… then the world would come out right too.”

Father Forgive Me

One day, I woke early in the morning to watch the sunrise. Ah the beauty of God’s creation is beyond description. As I watched, I praised God for His beautiful work. As I sat there, I felt the Lord’s presence with me. He asked me, “Do you love me?” I answered, “Of course, God! You are my Lord and Saviour!”

Then He asked, “If you were physically handicapped, would you still love me?” I was perplexed. I looked down upon my arms, legs and the rest of my body and wondered how many things I wouldn’t; be able to do, the things that I took for granted. And I answered, “It would be tough Lord, but I would still love You.”

Then the Lord said, “If you were blind, would you still love my creation?” How could I love something without being able to see it? Then I thought of all the blind people in the world and how many of them still loved God and His creation. So I answered, “Its hard to think of it, but I would still love you.”

The Lord then asked me, “If you were deaf, would you still listen to my word?” How could I listen to anything being deaf? Then I understood. Listening to God’s Word is not merely using our ears, but our hearts. I answered, “It would be tough, but I would still listen to Your word.”

The Lord then asked, “If you were mute, would you still praise My Name?” How could I praise without a voice?
Then it occurred to me: God wants us to sing from our very heart and soul. It never matters what we sound like. And praising God is not always with a song, but when we are persecuted, we give God praise with our words of thanks. So I answered, “Though I could not physically sing, I would still praise Your Name.”

And the Lord asked, “Do you really love Me?” With courage and a strong conviction, I answered boldly,”Yes Lord! I love You because You are the one and true God!” I thought I had answered well, but…God asked, “THEN WHY DO YOU SIN?” I answered, “Because I am only human. I am not perfect.”

“THEN WHY IN TIMES OF PEACE DO YOU STRAY THE FURTHEST? WHY ONLY IN TIMES OF TROUBLE DO YOU PRAY THE EARNEST?” No answers. Only tears. The Lord continued: “Why only sing at fellowships and retreats? Why seek Me only in times of worship? Why ask things so selfishly? Why ask things so unfaithfully?”

The tears continued to roll down my cheeks. “Why are you ashamed of Me? Why are you not spreading the good news? Why in times of persecution, you cry to others when I offer My shoulder to cry on? Why make excuses when I give you opportunities to serve in My Name?”

I tried to answer, but there was no answer to give.

“You are blessed with life. I made you not to throw this gift away. I have blessed you with talents to serve Me, but you continue to turn away. I have revealed My Word to you, but you do not gain in knowledge. I have spoken to you but your ears were closed. I have shown My blessings to you, but your eyes were turned away. I have sent you servants, but you sat idly by as they were pushed away. I have heard your prayers and I have answered them all.” “DO YOU TRULY LOVE ME ?”

I could not answer. How could I?
I was embarrassed beyond belief.
I had no excuse. What could I say to this?
When my heart had cried out and the tears had flowed,
I said, “Please forgive me Lord.
I am unworthy to be Your child.”
The Lord answered, “That is My Grace, My child.”
I asked, “Then why do you continue to forgive me?
Why do You love me so?”
The Lord answered,
“Because you are My creation.
You are my child. I will never abandon you.
When you cry, I will have compassion and cry with you.
When you shout with joy, I will laugh with you.
When you are down, I will encourage you.
When you fall, I will raise you up.
When you are tired, I will carry you.
I will be with you till the end of days,
and I will love you forever.”

Never had I cried so hard before. How could I have been so cold? How could I have hurt God as I had done? I asked God, “How much do You love me?”
The Lord stretched out His arms, and I saw His nail-pierced hands. I bowed down at the feet of Christ, my Saviour. And for the first time, I truly prayed.

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