Gratitude

I am a happy man, and I have so very much to be thankful for. When I sat down to write in my journal this morning, I had no idea what I wanted to write about, but I knew I was feeling happy and thankful, just about life in general. So it seemed like that was something worth writing about. Therefore… here is a partial list of blessings in my life, presented in no particular order:

• My family. Of all my family, both here in Georgia and in Virginia where I gew up, only one—donniemac_33050—is on LJ. But I have two wonderful parents, who despite declining health remain very much in love with each other and caring toward their kids. “DonnieMac” and his wife have repeatedly gone above and beyond the call of duty to care for my parents (and to keep me informed of what’s going on in their lives). And while I don’t stay in as close contact with my other brother (he and I are both introverts; you do the math) and his family, whenever we do see one another or talk, our kinship always seems to erase the miles and the time that separate us. Meanwhile, here in Georgia my wife is not only my best friend but a constant source of love and compassion in my life, while my stepdaughter, Rhiannon, continues to teach me all about the true meaning of humility, patience, service, and above all, humor.
• I am also privileged to share my living space with four of the most wonderful four-legged beasts on the planet: 2 calico cats named Julian and Ferbie, and 2 tortoise-hairs named China and Clarissa. China and Ferbie are rescues, with a hint of wildness still gleaming in their eyes; Julian is a crone-kitty at 18 years of age, while Clarissa is our queen, with a beautiful glistening coat of fur and a leonine loyalty to Rhiannon (she has to be the world’s only wheelchair-riding cat!).
• An abundance of wonderful friends, too many to count and far too many to list here; I’ll mention a dozen or so as a representation of the plenitude of beautiful and interesting people in my life. I know I’m leaving out some great folks on this list, so please don’t pout if your name doesn’t appear, I’ll catch you next time:

• dancingwriter, my sister in heart and spirit, who not only is a gifted writer and careful scholar but also whose love and faith in the old gods inspired me even as my path diverged from hers. She, like many people on this list, won my abiding loyalty as a Pagan who continued to accept me even as I shifted from being a Christian-friendly Pagan to a Pagan-friendly Christian;
• feygirl is a wonderful example of a Pagan who accepts the post-Pagan me. And given how fine a conversationalist she is (not to mention that her beauty matches her intelligence), I’m glad the friendship survives…
• ataniell93, an old flame who danced back into my life courtesy of cid62 and who shares my love for all things Slytherin (only I usually don’t admit it);
• reikimaster who of course gave me my 2nd degree attunement and who is the sexiest ex-separatist I’ve ever met;
• telynor,who screamed and hollered at me when I showed up without calling first at her London flat last February (she knew I was on the way, and thought I’d be there hours earlier), and in that moment I knew we would forever be family;
• christhebrain, who is full of enthusiasm and ideas and who understands that friendship is too wonderful to be hoarded;
• blumuun whose political views are almost as splendid as her smile;
• fear_feasa never seems to read LJ anymore but I gotta mention him anyway; we share the same birthday and the same wiseacre approach to life;
• kingofthewho, who is not only a first-rate musician and superb teacher/colleague, but who has proved in the short time we’ve worked together to be an honest and true friend as well;
• wheezinggirl, owner of the world’s funkiest cat and all around fun person—and one of my true lifelines during my Pagan-to-Catholic journey;
• gratefulbear, who understands that it makes perfect sense for my iPod playlist to follow up the 2-13-70 “Dark Star” with Vaughan Williams’ “Mass in G Minor”;
• philfoster, a coyote like yours truly, who dances between the worlds with a gentle self-deprecating humor that someday I’d like to master for myself.

Perhaps, my friends, this could be a meme: list 9 blessings of your own?