October is my favorite month for many reasons … it is when my birthday falls and it is also the month in which my beloved father shares his birthday with my precious only child.  He passed away before he ever even got to meet my husband.  Autumn is such a fleeting, magical time.  For me it is a chance to revel in the bright Harvest Moon, to savor the scent of hay, to hear the music in the sway of rustling corn stalks, to feel slightly chilly temperatures at night, and to rhapsodize about the glorious color changes in the trees.  It is a time to give thanks to Mother Earth for her blessings and to remember we are a part of her.  I am not a great artist but in my early twenties I discovered the delights of creating one’s own Jack-o’-lantern.  The carving of vegetables has been a common practice in many parts of the world.  However, it is believed that the custom of making Jack-o’-lanterns at Halloween began in Ireland.  In the 19th century turnips were hollowed out to act as lanterns.  They were said to represent supernatural beings that were used to ward off evil spirits.  Over the years I have found that life is very much like carving a pumpkin:  maybe you are given a “perfect” one and the carving is easy; maybe one is a little skewed by how it grew in the patch and it requires more time to properly take shape.  I have found the key in carving your own pumpkin is that it lies with the carver.  Your gourd may very well be imperfect:  maybe the stalk on top is broken for all to see; maybe it doesn’t have a lot of seeds on the inside but no one can tell; maybe it has gotten dented or scarred along the way.  Regardless of the pumpkin you were dealt, I believe you can always carve it into something which brings you joy.  After all, isn’t life what one makes of it?  One can focus on the blights or choose to create character and beauty from them.  I am no Martha Stewart, but the pumpkins I have carved over the years have brought me contentment and I have learned something from each one.  Sometimes they have been perfectly symmetrical; sometimes they have looked a little wonky.  Sometimes I have compared mine with others and felt it wasn’t enough.  Regardless, I believe we all have a chance each year to make our own proverbial pumpkins better — both inside and out.  The French novelist and playwright of Guadelopean origin, Simone Schwarz-Bart, said, “Only the knife knows what goes on in the heart of a pumpkin.”  God has given us free will to carve out our own destinies.  In that carving, we can either focus on the best or dwell upon the worst.  What does your Jack-o’-lantern reflect this year?  Each one of those glimmers and grooves, regardless of how they got there, make it unique.  How we choose to carve out our souls with what we have been given makes us who we are.  You don’t need fancy tools; you just need the willingness to work on it.  Never stop trying; never stop striving; never stop believing.  Your light may serve to shine a way for others.  No matter what the circumstances:  I pray you never feel too old, too “good,” too sad, or too afraid to continue to carve out your own pumpkin.