Happy Mabon! And Giving Thanks.

Today is Mabon.  It's the first day of fall and a pagan holiday, sometimes referred to as the pagan Thanksgiving.  It's about being thankful for the harvest and for all our blessings.

I had this plan for a small feast I was gonna prepare for myself and then I was going to light some candles and chant and make a long list of all the things for which I am thankful.  But the day didn't quite go as planned due to my terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day yesterday.

But I am still thankful.  So here's a somewhat abbreviated list.

1.  I am thankful for this day.

Is this not the most gorgeous day ever?  Perfect for a long walk with Isaac at our favorite local park.  How could anyone see this beautiful blue sky and not feel thankful?

2.  I am thankful for Isaac.

3.  I'm thankful that, despite a difficult day yesterday, I was able to go for a long walk with Isaac today and do my tutoring and finish two articles I needed to get done.  I'm thankful I knew how to take care of myself and how to move on with what I needed to do.

4.  I'm thankful for my tutoring job.  It's a lot of fun.

5.  I'm thankful for my friends.   All of them.

6.  I'm thankful for all the time I had with Cayenne and I'm thankful that her passing was peaceful.

7.  I'm thankful for my home.

8.  I'm thankful for my car.

9.  I'm thankful for my health, such as it is.  It could be better, sure.  But it could also be worse.  I'm thankful that it's not.

10.  I'm thankful that my dental problems are much, much better.  My gums are still a bit sore but it's so much better than it was, and I didn't have to lose any teeth, either!

11.  I'm thankful for the new printer a good friend got for me recently.

12.  I'm thankful for the new winter coat I recently found at my favorite thrift store.

13.  I'm thankful that Isaac and I have been able to volunteer at the nursing home.  It's fun and it's meaningful and it's work that is real.

14.  I'm thankful for all the food I have stored up in my kitchen for winter, including a few dozen jars of sweet corn and applesauce that I canned myself.

15.  I'm thankful for my electric blanket, which I need to drag out again now that the nights are getting colder.

16.  I'm thankful for the trip I get to take in a couple weeks to visit several friends in a city a few hours drive from where I live, some of whom I haven't seen in many years.

17.  I'm thankful my rent went down recently.

18.  I'm thankful for my bathtub and long hot baths on chilly mornings when my body is stiff and sore.

What are you thankful for?