离开万圣节只有两天了，往年这个时候，每个科室都会有万圣节的室内装潢。万圣节那天，儿科病房的小病人们会到每个科室来讨糖（trick-or-treat）。节后会评奖，看哪个科室布置得最好，最受欢迎。
今年经济不景气，每个科室的万圣节的室内装潢都取消了。我有点纳闷，难道今年的小病人们就不过万圣节了？今天吃午饭的时候，听到医院广播里有儿科病房万圣节庆典的消息，下午一点开始。吃好午饭，我带上我的相机来到六楼的儿科病房。
原来，今年在各科的援助下，儿科病房成了医院万圣节庆祝的中心。因为今年的万圣节是在星期日，儿科病房的万圣节庆典就提前到星期五了。现场布置得还蛮有意思的，热闹胜于恐怖，气氛很欢庆。不过在入口处，有一个跪着的会唱歌的机器人，鬼里鬼气的，让我有点吃惊，造型逼真，有点真假难辨。护士和儿科专家们都穿上了天使般的衣服，为孩子们分送礼物。能走动的小病人们都穿着往常的衣服，脸上都有face painting，很开心。她们很好客，还要给我送礼物呢！
入口处的假人，会动，还会唱万圣节的歌呢！
气氛很欢庆。
万圣节快乐！
特喜欢那个放Cookies的盘子。
护士和儿科专家们。
开心的小病人们脸上都有face painting。
回去的路上，再看一眼那个恐怖的假人。
窗外是LA Downtown的高楼。经过秋风秋雨的洗礼，特别清新！
我今天on-call，不便久留。在下班前，收到了组织这次活动的儿保专家发来的e-mail：
Thank you so much to all the departments who participated in our reverse trick-or-treat and our Creepy Carnival. The children were so excited about their trick-or-treat bags that we had to keep reminding some to leave them on their doors so they could receive more treats from our generous hospital employees. Also, thank you for participating in our carnival and making things fun for our patients. The children enjoyed playing the games and doing the activities with our hospital staff – one of our little girls in her costume of being a “normal girl” (as opposed to a patient in our hospital gown) said she enjoyed decorating the cookies for the grown-ups, was excited to go on our “Spooky Walk” and the ghost hunt. One of the parents of a former patient said that we always do a wonderful job providing a safe place for the children and was so grateful; the mother said she especially enjoyed the games this year (this is their third year coming for our Halloween event).
So once again, thank you to all the departments for all the candy, cookies, chips, coloring pages, stickers, pencils, toys, goodie bags and other treats you provided to the children in our hospital. I know the extra bags you made will also help the children who will be unable to trick-or-treat this Halloween weekend due to their hospitalization.
Have a happy & safe Halloween!
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life.
It turns what we have into enough, and more.
It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order,
confusion to clarity.
It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home,
a stranger into a friend.
Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today,
and creates a vision for tomorrow.
-Melodie Beattie
