Who was the Virgin Mary before she became the mother of Christ, revered in the Catholic Church? What was her life like as a girl and young woman? How well do we know her and, after the passage of millennia, is it possible to know her now?
“There’s not a lot in the Scriptures on Mary,” said screenwriter and Whitman native Timothy Michael Hayes said in an interview Friday, Nov. 26 about the film, “Mary,” making its debut on Netflix tomorrow – Friday, Dec. 6. “When I was asked to do it – my producer approached me and asked me, ‘Would you be interested in writing an original telling of Mary’s story,?’ I just saw all the obstacles in that. [But] I said, ‘That’s a challenge. That’s something different, I haven’t heard of that [being done before],’” he recalled. “That idea of that challenge, was like, ‘Yeah, let me take it on. Let me try it. Let me do it.”
One challenge was that they wanted to film to appeal to all denominations and all dogmas. It is also a different kind of genre, which Hayes calls a Biblical thriller, one that’s theologically solid, if that’s what one is looking for – and the film is an attempt to appeal across borders. IMDb, the industry website about cross references the film and TV ratings and reviews, lists “Mary” as a political thriller, an action film and just plain thriller. A bipartisan approach, if you will.
The call to write this script came in 2018, with the changes that often happen in pre-production.
“It’s a journey, and you go on to other things,” he said. The film world stutter-start was not unusual and when it was on again, he had rewrites and revisions to do with changing visions of new directors. Hayes pointed to his next project on the life of Milton Hershey that is going though that because a new director just came on board.
Lead Producer Mary Aloe of Aloe Entertainment, with whom Hayes has worked before, was the first person to ask him to write the screenplay.
“Mary,” like most films these days, it seems, has generated a bit of controversy, too, mainly centering on the casting of mostly unknown Israeli and Arab actors from the Middle East, especially Israeli actress Noa Cohen, who had been wrongfully identified as a Palestinian. Only Sir Anthony Hopkins, who portrays King Herod, is a “big name” Hollywood actor.
“If we’re honest about that, to a certain point, controversy is a good thing,” Hayes said. “It generates interest. Netflix’s interest in acquiring it also brought the idea that a lot of people will watch this.”
The production schedule was a rushed one, as filming in Ouarzazate, Morocco only wrapped up in March. “But we knew all along that the goal was holiday 2024.”
If it missed that deadline, it wouldn’t debut until February 2025, with no guarantee it would get the same audience numbers.
The original “Miracle on 34th Street,” hit theaters on June 4, 1947, “It’s a Wonderful Life,” came close, opening on Jan. 7, 1947, and “The Bishop’s Wife,” didn’t hit theaters until Feb. 14, 1948.
“Spoiler alert,” he said. “At the end, the baby Jesus is born, so it’s kind of a Christmas thing. [The Dec. 6 Netflix debut] kind of gives it a three-week run up to Christmas.”
Hayes said he and the producers had always wanted a theatrical release for “Mary.”
“It would have been riskier,” he said. “With Netflix, you have a lot locked in, and the biggest global audience in the world. The key there is global. … Mary’s story appeals across the globe.”
At core, Hayes and his producers set out to explore the notion of doubt in the film, an intention at the root of some of the online “controversy.”
“Certain factions of religion, or religious mindsets, say Mary never doubted,” he said. “That’s just not interesting, nor is it very human. I feel that the more human someone is, the stronger they are in the end – to acknowledge the humanity, what it means to be alive, and come out on the other side, only makes them stronger.”
Confirmed as a Roman Catholic, Hayes said he grew up with a foundational understanding of the “religious” aspects of Mary’s story, including the non-biblical doctrine of the Immaculate Conception.
“But because so little of Mary’s early life is found in the canonical Scriptures — beyond key mentions of her in Matthew and Luke — more was needed to tell her fuller human story,” he said, stressing that he has many conversations with faith leaders of all stripes, discussing nuances of belief, interpretation and language.
Hayes, who is the father of four daughters among his five children, said his script emphasizes that Mary was a human being, after all.
“The idea that she’s a pregnant teenager, unwed and didn’t understand why … and she wasn’t scared? That just doesn’t speak to any kind of reality that you or I would know,” he said. “Of course you’re going to be terrified. Of Course you’re going to have doubts to work through. It’s a larger metaphor for what we all go through. Doubt is inherent … every day we wake up doubting ourselves.”
He maintains it does not step away from the Devine – it reinforces it.
Hayes said he has also instilled some subtle humor in the film. The early buzz about the film has been great, despite the controversies.
“My job is to write something that other artists will read, actors, directors – keep going, costume designers, set builders, and they will see an opening for their own creativity,” he said. “There’s a way to do it that that script is an open door to other artists. To see all of us come together from across the globe …”
He hints there just might be a sequel if the film is a big enough hit and there is a theme that they see as a good one to explore.
Meet the
screenwriter
So, one might ask, who is Timothy Michael Hayes?
Valedictorian at W-H in 1988, Hayes then went on to New York University’s film school, where he graduated in 1992. He’s raised his five children in Scituate.
“I could have probably gone anywhere, but I didn’t apply anywhere else,” he said of NYU. “I applied early admission. I was always interested in everything. I love to write. I love music and grew to love photography – and where can you do all three of those things in one place?”
An early influence was the Cohen brothers, [“Blood Simple,” “Raising Arizona”] whose editor was the elder brother of Hayes’ roommate and filmmaking partner. That connection helped bring the Cohen Brothers to his senior thesis bay to view their senior film and offer comments.
His “big, happy detour” was meeting someone from the Massachusetts South Shore and returning to get married. His wife was a dancer, and the couple opened a dance studio in Scituate. He also goes into Scituate High each year to help teach a Literature to Film class.
“I kind of stopped doing film for a little bit,” he says as he kept the books and did customer service for the studio. “Life has these interesting journeys.”
His writing process, now that he’s back in film, is different for each film, Hayes said, but most are historically based.
“I’m a lover of history,” he said. “At W-H, that was my passion.”
He is typically hired to either adapt a book or historical incidents that have no specific book for reference, and you do your own reference work. Films like “Mary.”
When adapting a book, he thoroughly notates it with three pens – black, red and blue. The black ink tracks reflections of the original idea; blue notes if there is a running theme at work and red is for the “big highlight” moments.
“I notate everything I read,” he said. That includes performance programs.
Everyone’s life is a story, Hayes believes.
“To me, stories are the essence of what it means to be human,” he said. “We do it every day. … and you’ve got to hook them, which is so prevalent now, in the streaming age on TV.”
He said it has always been true in cinema, especially in the past 20 to 30 years, when scripts outlining the first act of the film has to be done in 22 pages instead of 25, as action has been key.
His main professional goal right now is moving more into controlling his own properties.
“I’ve been a gun-for-hire since I got back into this,” he said. “It’s more than a full-time job. It’s really seven days a week, 24 hours a day, because I love it. I always have pages [to revise].”
His college roommate has helped with that – he wrote a little film called “Elf.”
And, what’s next after “Mary?”
Hayes is in the midst of an adaptation of Norman Rockwell’s autobiography into a five-season series.
“For me, his story is the story of the 20th century,” he said of Rockwell’s work. “When you’re living it, which is why I love what I do, I’m living it. You’re balancing so many things at one time.”
He’s also working on a “fantastical biopic” on the life of chocolate king Milton Hershey for Dandelion Media, and most has work on “Box of Light,” a feature adaptation of Evan I. Schwartz’s biography of Philo T. Farnsworth, the true inventor of television. 

WHITMAN – The tradition of looking after one’s neighbors in need – whether that need be social or financial – while handing that tradition along to the community’s youth has roots as old as time.
Whether those roots are based in religion or culture, they were clearly in practice in the region as Thanksgiving approached, only to ramp up considerably as Christmas and other December holidays such as Hanukkah and Kwanzaa draw near.
Kicking off the seasonal service events began on Saturday, Nov. 16 as the Cardinal Spellman Council No. 347 welcomed a record number of town and area senior citizens, who would otherwise be alone at the Thanksgiving holiday with a roast turkey dinner (or several of the birds), with mashed potatoes, dressing and gravy, cranberry sauce, winter squash, peas and pearl onions, dinner roll and a brownie sundae for dessert.
Members of the Whitman-Hanson football team helped the Knights and Whitman police serve the dinner, including cranberry juice cocktail and fruit cup, without spilling a drop.
The dinner is part of the K of C’s mission to do charitable works for the community as an expression of faith.
This was the 51st year that the Spellman Council has hosted the dinner, member Bob Hayes announced to the diners before the benediction was offered by Parochail Vicar, the Rev. Godfrey Musabe, of the Light of Christ Catholic Collaborative that serves St. Bridget in Abingon and Holy Ghost Church in Whitman.
Born in Uganda, he told the seniors he came to the United States to study at Boston College and now serves as chaplain of an Army National Guard unit when he is not serving his vocation.
“It begins with Thanksgiving,” Musabe said. “Everything is Thanksgiving, and as we come together, we thank God for the many blessings he has given us … for allowing us to be here. We thank God for this wonderful and beautiful country that he has given us. We thank God for the gift of one another.”
He also invited those attending the dinner to, in their own way and according to their own faith tradition, to pray for a moment of thanksgiving before the meal was served, asking a blessing on the volunteers who sacrificed their time to prepare and serve the meal, the gathering to enjoy it and the meal itself.
Six days later, the students of Conley Elementary School included their annual gifts to the community’s food pantry and animal shelter as part of their Thanksgiving basket assembly, now made part of their November monthly school morning meeting.
The children had recently been asked to each bring in a canned good or other food item for a Thanksgiving meal to provide a holiday dinner for 25 families in their community, as well as an abject lesson in how one person’s efforts can do so much.
The children were asked to turn to classmates on either side of them and say what they are thankful for this year.
The big moments came when Student Council President Riley Lusk announced how many baskets were being donated to the pantry.
“I want to start off by saying how amazing it is to see all that our school families have donated,” she said. “Just like we come together as a school to help each other, it’s important to help others in our community, too. Because of all of you, 25 families in our community will get to enjoy Thanksgiving dinners.”
She thanked the students and wished them a happy Thanksgiving.
St, Vincent DePaul Food Pantry President Richard Clark thanked the students on behalf of the pantry for their contributions.
“Everybody here has done great work,” he said. “All the help given the food pantry will be very good for all the families in Whitman that we need to help out because they have food insecurity. I appreciate all the things you guys have done. Keep up the good work!”
“I’m so proud of our school for the kindness we show to animals,” Council member Brody Gould said. “Every year, we ask the Conley community to contribute whatever the can for our Pennies for Paws collection.”
He announced this year, the students raised $450 for the animals being housed at the Whitman Animal Shelter.
Animal Control Officer Laura Howe thanked the students.
“You always make me cry,” she said. “But I’m just so proud of you all. You give me hope every year for the future of our world.”
She told the children that kindness is really all that matters in this world, and the way that Conley students always exemplify it every year, always move her to tears.
“Wow! It really does all begin with one can,” said one of the Council members before the Student Council brought in the baskets as the song, “When Fall Comes to New England,” played. “We are so lucky to live in a community where everyone helps each other.”

HANSON — It’s never easy being freshman — especially on Beacon Hill.
You end up with a basement office space you sometimes have to share with other lawmakers – at least until you get a committee assignment – and there are the ins and outs of getting things done to serve your constituents.
“I’ve got a little bit of time, formally.” Newly-elected state Rep. Ken Sweezey, R-Pembroke said last week, during an interview over coffee at Hanson’s new Restoration Coffee shop on Main Street. “A couple of things have to be done, as far as making sure our office is going to be in line and ready to go.”
He’s also reviewing his homework and is excited to get started.
Sweezey, 29, is facing the staffing challenge right now, as he’s working to hire a legislative aide, as well as preparing for the issues in the state House – all by New Year’s Day. That process will be helped by the availability of some experienced aides whose GOP representatives were not re-elected. The latter by his belief in bipartisanship.
“Fortunately/unfortunately some Republicans did not win or did not choose to seek re-election,” he said. “So, there’s a lot of experience – a good pool of people who have [solid] experience, which I think will be good for a first-time representative.”
They will also need experience in constituent outreach
“Everybody across the district – and this I heard probably more than anything else – was how good former Rep. Josh Cutler’s office was in the district. Amazing. That’s a perfect example of something I want to continue. Josh and I speak and we’re on good terms, so I really hope there will be a lot of partnership there.”
And he’s already got a foot on the ladder toward bipartisanship. He wants to be a conduit for legislation local residents of officials want, regardless of issue or party.
“If you look at the numbers, Trump lost our district 52-48, by the rough number,” he said. “Obviously, I won by about six or seven points, so I out-ran Trump by about eight points – so eight percent of Harris voters, voted for me.”
He went into his second race for the State House knowing he had to pick up the votes of some supporters of Vice President Kamala Harris in order win this time out.
“We had to reach across the aisle,” Sweezey said. “That’s the type of person I am anyway.”
He could tell there was some support for him among Democrats or independent voters planning to vote for Harris.
“There’s a lot of stuff that reaches across the aisle,” he said. “There’s things that everybody, Republicans, Democrats, unenrolled were concerned about.”
He also received endorsements from a lot of unaffiliated voters as well as Democrats who would tell him what their needs were, what they feel their “circle’s” priorities are.
“A lot of it just organically lined up with what I believed, anyway,” he said. “So it was easy because I didn’t have to ‘sell’ them, if you will.”
Sweezey, 29, knows the district well.
He was raised in Hanson and his family owns Sweezey Fence in Whitman, where he used to work summers when he was in high school and college.
He has bachelor’s in arts degree from Loyla in forensic science, and began his career as a civilian law enforcement employee with St. Louis, Mo., Metropolitan Police, working there for four years “unfortunately on hundreds of homicides, assault, robberries, hundreds if not thousands of property crimes as well,” Sweezey said during a debate with opponent Becky Coletts on WATD-Radio during the campaigns
It was at the St. Louis police job that he said decided he needed to get to a system level to make some changes in law enforcement and how they are treated by municipal and state leaders.
Meet Ken
But, first, he had to introduce himself to voters, and like many political candidates, regardless of party have learned across the country – that meant literally introducing himself. That meant knocking on doors and speaking to people.
The concern about the state of America’s democracy, which was a major focus of the Democrat’s national campaign, was less of an issue on the state level, according to Sweezey.
“I do think states’ rights are good, and states should have more sovereignty than they do, but I’d say, honestly, the biggest thing that always came up was bodily autonomy and women’s reproductive rights,” he said. “That’s something that I’ve always been very vocal about since I ran two years ago.”
That first campaign was an education in itself.
“I basically did everything myself,” he said. “I didn’t really have any management; I didn’t have any advisers. I’ve always run to be myself. I’ve never tried to be a national Republican. I’ve never even been a state Republican.”
He also said there were a whole bunch of issues people had on their minds that he just learned about while campaigning.
“I grew up in Hanson,” he said. “I’ve been local around here for a long time, so issues that pertain specifically to Duxbury, there’s so many issues over there. When you start getting to the bay and getting out onto the water, that I just wasn’t aware of because I grew up in one of the two or three district towns that are more inland.”
He’s become a really big advocate for a lot of the issues over there, like beach access, making sure the state doesn’t over-regulate the fishing industry and other shoreline community concerns.
A horizontal district, when mapped out, is more horizontal, shoreline to inland communities within its borders, whereas a number of surrounding coastal districts are more north/south so the geographically oriented issues stay together.
“It’s just more issues, which is fine,” he said. “That just requires a lot more listening and learning – which is good. Over the last three years, we’ve done a lot of that, and this time around, I got a lot of support from the eastern part of the district, where the Sweezey campaign saw its margin changed the most.”
One reason has been the work he put in, making more than 12,000 doors this time on the campaign trail … knocking on more than half of those doors himself.
“I was knocking on doors nearly every single day for eight months,” he said. “That was a big difference.” In his first campaign, his people were able to knock on about 5,000 to 6,000 visits.
“We were able to more than double that,” he said. “I’ve gone through a lot of shoes. My shoe budget is big.”
But the hard work was worth it, as Sweezey made sure they were getting to everyone – and some folks more than once. In doing so, he discovered something about area voters.
“A lot of people are not expecting someone to knock on their door these days,” he said.
But those voters who were engaging shared their issues of concern and heard him out on the three main issues on which he was running.
“This time around, immigration was a massive issue in Massachusetts – the right-to-shelter law and how it relates to the amount of money that we’re spending and this crisis that’s going on in the state,” he said, noting that the state budget and government transparency and the way the COVID pandemic was handled are also big concerns of his. “I don’t blame anyone for coming here. I believe America is the greatest country on Earth … the way I describe it is, it’s a math problem. “It has nothing to do with the people who are coming here,” he said. “We simply can’t afford to allocate a billion dollars a year.”
Where COVID is concerned, he blames anyone who closed a business or schools, which he said caused almost all of our problems.
“That wasn’t a federal thing,” he said. “That was local. We needed in-person education [after that first June was over.]” He also said he doesn’t feel that people had realized how much local government touches their lives.
Sweezey argues that the current immigration situation is simply unsustainable.
While he said the region is lucky to have so many fully engaged Select Boards, towns like Hanson are the smaller towns in the district and are divided between state districts.
“They feel left, behind, really,” he said. “I don’t even think that’s indicative of any past leadership.”
He said he is excited to work with people who represent other sections of Hanson as well as surrounding towns, because it seems the stakeholders are not always at the table when legislation is being passed. He plans to sit down with as many department heads across the district before he is sworn-in – simply to listen and find out if there are any bills pending that haven’t yet gone through.
“What’s tough for our towns down here is that a lot of those are going to mean money, Hanson in particular,” he said. “There’s some serious budget shortfalls that are looming, and it’s not just Hanson. Most towns on the South Shore are facing the same concern.”
He also wants to see some tweaks on the police reform and, particularly on the recertification requirements; and revising regulations on the MBTA Communities law.

WHITMAN – The Old Colony Planning Council held a public forum on Wednesday, Oct. 23 on results of Whitman’s recent public survey on preferred Open Space and Recreation uses.
The brief meeting was conducted at the Whitman Public Library’s Community Room.
Senior Planner for Housing and Public Engagement J.D. Desrosier, who now lives in Whitman, moderated the presentation, which concluded with a workshop session, and was also attended by is associate Laurie Muncy and members of the Open Space and Recreation Plan Steering Committee, LeAnne MacKenzie and Brian Lapierre.
“We’re making sure that we’re connecting with the various users of the parks in spaces that make sense to them, to make sure we’re very hearing that the way people use the various ways that people use these spaces” he said. “Most of the land in Whitman is zoned as residential. We’re a very residential community, so making sure that we are stewarding our current open space responsibly is important.”
But identifying additional acquisitions of open space/recreational facilities that town many need is going to be part of the plan, as well.
Whitman’s updates Open Space and Recreation Plan will reflect changes since 2000, when the last plan was crafted.
“A lot has changed over the last 24 years, so making sure the updated plan meets the needs and priorities of a community with changing and shifting needs [is important],” Desrosier said.
Founded in 1967, the OCPC focuses on comprehensive development with the aim of improving the physical, social and economic conditions of the 17-community district. Planners work on transportation, economic development, housing, open space and recreation and sustainability planning projects.
The update is intended to discover why residents use open or recreational spaces, and if they don’t use them, why not and how can those issues be improved.
“We have a robust region of the South Shore and we engage in various planning project,” Desrosier said.
The Council’s work under Whitman’s Open Space and Recreation Plan, is drafting specific language for its goals, objectives and actions; developing a public participation plan; collecting data – primarily on parcel and Americans with Disability Act-accessible inventories while analyzing the town’s needs and demographics; and analyzing the resource protection and management needs.
Part of that work involves the resident survey that may still be filled out and is available online or via a QR code on literature available at the library.
“We don’t necessarily need, or want, every resident in the town of Whitman to respond to the survey, but we want to make sure that we have a robust enough response rate that we can use that in determining specific needs and priorities,” Desrosier said. “But your input on the survey is important.”
So far there have been only 120 responses. Scheduled to close Nov. 9, the survey may also be taken by people who may not live in Whitman, but who uses recreational and open spaces.
“If we see a steady stream of survey responses, I can leave that open a little bit longer,” Desrosier said.
An analysis of needs and a brief analysis of Whitman’s demographics can be done in concert with an analysis of resource protection needs, especially in regard to wetlands.
Desrosier said an Open Space and Recreation Plan prioritizes the needs of the town in those areas as well as costs.
“It’s a prerequisite for the Mass. Department of Conservation Service Grants,” Desrosier said. The public process includes the survey, public meetings and focus groups – including some interviews with clients, from elders at the Senior Center to “young folks,” at the high school.
The plan also includes an environmental inventory of environmental and recreation spaces.
“Open space can be a lot of different things,” Desrosier said. “It’s not just an open field or park. In includes Conservation lands, forested lands, agricultural lands, atheltic fields, polaygrounds, small “pocket” parks; green buffers along roadways and undeveloped land of conservation or rectation interest.”
Whitman’s open spaces include Hobart’s Pond, Whitman Middle School softball field and the fown forest, just to name a few,” he said.
The town’s demographic breakdown is – 89.2 percent (13,510) is white alone; 339 persons are Black or African-American alone; 124 are Native American or Native Alaskan alone.149 are Asian alone. There are 678 who idenitfy as two or more races and 346 who are some other race alone.
“The reason I include the demographic data is just so I’m holding myself accountable to making sure that we are connecting with the various community members that call Whitman home and/or use the vaious open or recreation spaces that we have,” Desrosier said. “I’m not naive enough to think that I’m going to connect with all 15,000 people, but I’m going to make sure that I’m going to connect with as many people as I can.”
The ADA assessment makes sure that the 5.7 percent of the population is also able to enjoy and use open space and recreational facilities.

By Linda Hurd
Special to the Express
It was Halloween and the last school bell rang as we headed out to board our buses for home. Those of us in junior high were excited and talking about the Halloween party being held at the Indian Head School auditorium that night where there’d be dancing and prizes for the best costumes. I was going with friends and still hadn’t decided what to wear. 
The Jack O’Lanterns, as they were called in our house, had been carved the night before and were nicely arranged on the steps leading to our kitchen door. As soon as I walked into the house, I heard mom and my siblings going on about something and I heard my name mentioned. The main rooms of our house were all open. As you entered, you were in the kitchen. The spacious living room was to the right with two steps going down into it and a big fieldstone fireplace along the back wall. My sister Penny and I helped load the stones that built it into dad’s truck from my Grampa’s field when we were ages six and nine. A wide square arch way in the kitchen led into the dining room where mom and my brother and sisters were. My 6-year-old brother Davey wanted my help with a costume. Mom found something for Barb and Penny but Davey kept saying no to all her suggestions.  
I went down the back stairs to the cellar to look around for anything that might catch my eye or give me an idea. I found a cardboard box that was just about Davey’s size, a little red cap and a pair of red tights; I instantly knew what I could do. I grabbed the can of Nestle’s Strawberry Quick out of the cupboard and took it with the box to my room, shut the door and went to work. I copied the picture of the little figure from the can onto the box and colored it in with crayons. I cut holes in the box for Davey’s head and arms. 
When I was done I went to show mom. She looked up with a big grin, saying how clever it was. Davey was excited and let me put a touch of rouge on his cheeks and I even talked him into wearing the little red felt cap but when it came to putting on the tights, he balked. We put him in front of the full-length mirror and mom, Penny and I were showing him the picture of the little figure on the can who’s hat was red with legs to match and telling him how much better the costume would look if he wore the tights. We convinced him and although he wasn’t too happy about it, he wore them. While mom fixed some supper, I had to find something to wear to the Halloween party. 
In my room I found a scuffed-up pair of sneakers and old raggedy dungarees in my closet. I tacked a few colorful patches on the pants with a needle and thread. Rummaging through mom and dad’s old steamer trunks down cellar I found a man’s brown sports coat that was frayed and thin with a few holes in it and not too awfully big, an old stained t-shirt that looked more gray than white and a piece of rope on dad’s workbench that I used for a belt; all I needed was a hat. I took one of mom’s long-handled, beat up aluminum pots out of the kitchen cupboard, taped a big patch on it and put it on my head. Perfect!
I put makeup on my eyebrows and across my chin and cheeks to make it look like I needed a shave and walked out into the dining room. Mom, Penny and Davey started laughing. Barbie was only three and looked scared and dad just stared. He finally asked if I was really going to appear in public wearing a pot on my head which made us laugh even harder when I said yes.
To that he said, “Geez, one wearin’ a box and one wearin’ a pot,” and he just shook his head. 
Dad would be in charge of passing out the candy while mom was walking the kids around the neighborhood and I was at the party. We were all preparing to leave and I felt a little hand slip into mine. I looked down and Davey’s big blue eyes were staring up at me. He asked if I would please come with them.
Penny walked over to us saying, “It won’t be the same without you.” Dad came up behind us and said to me, “if you want to go with them, I’ll bring you to the party when they come back, it’ll still be going on.” I was torn for a minute then Barbie wrapped her arms around my leg. I took the pot off and told them yes, I will come.  
Looking back, I’m so glad I did. Davey got many complements on his costume. Barbie looked like a little doll in a hand made Cinderella dress. Penny wore her cowgirl outfit and mom and I managed the stroller and the bags of candy. Jack O’Lanterns were lit up on every lawn. One porch decorated with ghosts, skeletons and spiders had spooky music coming from it that could be heard from one end of Elm street to the other. There were smiles and laughter as we met friends and neighbors along the way and saw how we all were dressed. Dad did take me to the Halloween party, pot on the head and all and I won a prize for the most creative costume.