Adoration

Did you know that Halloween is the biggest adult holiday of the year? For kids, it’s the second biggest holiday. This year, the National Retail Federation estimates that Americans will spend more than 8.8 billion dollars* on Halloween related activities and merchandise, with $3.2 billion spent on costumes, $2.7 on decorations, $2.6 billion on candy, and $390 million on greeting cards.

Every so often, while I’m watching a movie, I’m reminded of my uncle, Bill Williams, who unfortunately passed away in 1986, at the age of 51.

The year was 1966. I was nine years old and in the fourth grade at St. Mark’s in Peoria, Illinois. One day in class the teacher asked if anyone could recite all the mysteries of the Rosary. Two students raised their hands — one of the girls in class… and me. The teacher asked me to stand up and recite, out loud, half of the mysteries, and then asked the girl to recite the other half.

Last week, I wrote about how the Greek philosopher, Aristotle, taught that the only way an individual can properly function is to learn about and put into practice certain virtues. It was Aristotle’s belief that when people practice virtuous behavior, over time, they develop integrity and good character. These traits help them to behave honorably, exercise good judgment, get along well with others, and easily determine right from wrong.