I’m glad neighbors Shawn and Bob let us know ahead of time that Logan couldn’t have candy. My sympathy was with them, trying to keep it away from him at this time of year. Then I thought of being a seven-year-old on Halloween. Everyone at school would be longing for mountains of candy. How my heart ached for him! What could we do? I was about to throw away the packing that cushioned our new router when I remembered how much Logan enjoyed stomping on air bags. We gave him the bags on the porch as we finished our meal. Minor explosions followed as he jumped on them.

The real present was a helium balloon. After I handed it to him, he jumped about with it, and the ribbon came off. If he had been outside, that would have been the end of it. We all laughed that it was hugging the ceiling.

John said, “Come, let me pick you up, and you can grab it.”

It dangled there, just out of reach.

“Climb up on my shoulders,” John instructed.

As they were retrieving the balloon, Logan’s mind was racing. He asked, “What would have happened if it had been outside?”

We explained that it would have gone up in the sky. He asked, “Would it come back down at the same place?”

It didn’t take much imagination to know what he was thinking. He’d go home, and on the way he’d let the balloon go. It would come back to him, and then he’d go in his house. John said it would keep rising, blown about by the wind, and eventually pop. I jumped in and said we should not do that, because it would be harmful if an animal tangled with the pieces.

John played one long game of checkers with Logan, and then he got up to go. “Thank you for the balloon,” he said as he opened the door.

I intended to watch him run across the street to see if the balloon made it. By the time I realized he was leaving and walked to the door, he was long gone.

Happy Halloween, Logan!