The other night I was visiting at my Mom's house and was spectacularly entertained.  I watched, as my husband and Mother chased down the tiniest little spider.  The show lasted for 15 minutes or more as they obsessively chased this poor harmless creature.  It looked like the scene from the movie, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, when the squirrel ventures out of the christmas tree.  They absolutely  cannot abide an insect in the house.  I guess I am the oddball here.  I understand that some people are terrified of insects, especially spiders.  I simply am not.  I enjoy crossing paths with the occasional ladybug or cricket that finds its way inside. I admire spiders and find them useful, better them then a mosquito or a housefly.  When I chance upon them I just let them be.   Now, don't misunderstand me, my house is in no way infested with insects, my cats are efficient guardians for the most part.  But I just don't understand the fuss.  I just have to wonder if I am the only one who feels this way.  Are they really hurting anything?

It should not be hard to think of things to be thankful for.  Yet,  I struggled with this list.  I sat looking at the blinking cursor for a while trying to focus my thoughts.  After substantially purging the negativity I had absorbed through my day, I finally arrived at a few things.

I am thankful for the love and support of my Parents. Their availability when I am in crisis.  Their emotional support.  The rapport that has developed since I reached adulthood.  For providing me with a foundation to be a strong woman.  Especially for loving me, even when I am not lovable.

I am thankful for my Husband.  He is everything that I am not.  He compliments me in our contrast.  He is sensitive, nurturing and indulgent.  He reigns me in when I go to the extremes. He encourages me to explore my desires.  He appreciates and acknowledges my efforts. Makes me stronger in every way.

I am thankful for my Pets.  Their fuzzy faces and quirky personalities.  Their unconditional love and endless entertainment.  They complete my home, my haven from the world.

I am thankful for my friend Melissa.  I am thankful for the way she is available when I need her.  I appreciate her security in our friendship that does not let the lapses in communication disrupt our bond.  I wish there were no miles between us, but her energy and love is easily evoked despite them.

I am thankful for my extended family, but especially for my cousin Danny.  His enthusiasm as he embraces life without fear despite a disability.

I am thankful for my life experiences, both good and bad.  They shape who I am and define my values.  My mistakes and achievements are uniquely my own.  I would do everything the same, even the pain and the tears.

I am thankful for the Troops who stand guard through the night so that I may sleep in peace.  Though I do not know them by name,  I think on them and marvel at their willingness to do what I don't think I could.  I thank them for my liberty and anxiously wait for them to come home.

I have so many things to be thankful for, merely watching the news reminds me how blessed I really am.  Perhaps from here I will make an effort to recognize what I have to be thankful for every day.  Not just the eve of this holiday.

Happy Thanksgiving All!  May your list be 3X as long as mine!  Love and Light!

 

Standing in a long line at a gas station people get restless and start to talk amongst each other. I have an approachable face and body language so I am often engaged by sweet faced older ladies who need help in the grocery store.  I am used to this and it always feel good when I can do or say something to help someone else.  The man in front of me was talking with another woman and when she turned to leave, he faces me and says"You are a christian, at least you look like one (???) are you? In the past I probably would have lied and said yes just to hear the evangelical message and walk away unscathed if only a little annoyed.  But this time.... I said no, I am not.  I hoped to leave it there.  He didn't ask what I believe and I didn't volunteer the info.  He told me he wanted me to hear his testimony and how god had saved him throughout his life.  I politely listened as I was a little cornered and still had to pay for my gas.  He insisted that I should turn my life over to his god and change my ways before it was too late.  I politely said I was not interested that I was content with my spiritual beliefs.  Only minutes before he was being beligerent and derogatory to people of different races and sexual orientations.  What part of that would I be attracted to?  I don't want a convenient religion.  I want to be accountable for my own actions.  I want to explore the parts of myself that I can love and purge those things that do not fit.  I want to except people and be tolerant of their beliefs as I hope they will be of mine.  I was raised southern baptist and found that it left me empty and repressed.  Earlier that afternnoon I had finished reading an article about a Witch School opening in Illinois.  The community felt they should have been consulted before "those people" were allowed to set up shop. 

"Youth pastor Andy Thomas from the Rossville Church of Christ is worried that WitchSchool will try to convert the local kids. Thomas says it's not his goal to run the witches out of town, but that "our ultimate goal would be to convert them to Christianity... if that doesn't happen, I don't know what will be next." --http://paganwiccan.about.com/b/2007/11/10/witchschool-meet-the-neighbors.htm

 I just wonder when the winds will change and if we will all be able to truly coexist. 

Its the start of a new year and new traditions for me.  I have been interested in Paganism since my teens, but have only decided in the last couple of years to develop my spiritual beliefs.  I have not chosen a specific trad, and I practice as a solitary.  I have recently felt that I would benefit from the teachings of a coven, but have not found the right one yet.  I am excited by the potential of this website and the connections to kindreds out there on this wide web.  Merry Meet to all and I look forward to communing with everyone.         -Luna

 

We leave the Romanies by their campfire,where if a spark flies, they will know a surprise is on its way. Friends of moonlight and magic, superstition and prophecy, they are at one with the spirits alive in every flame, tree, breeze, and stone.  As they sit round a campfire, romance and hopes of a golden future beckon to them, and as they have for centuries, the elders tell the young of their age-old traditions and the spells that can bring love, health ,wealth and happiness.

-Gillian Kemp