A show of appreciation.
(Image description: A photo of a diamond-pattered glass vase is placed on its side. A bouquet of off-white flowers is in the vase. Scrabble letters spell out “thank you” next to it, with a black surface underneath the items.) Credit: Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash
With the start of fall, the equinox is considered by some to be a time of thanksgiving or balance. Regardless of whether the country you live in has a Thanksgiving holiday, autumn is an appropriate time to show your thankfulness for what you have in your life.
Taking stock of what has been harvested and showing gratitude in one season makes the long haul of winter that much more important. The long nights seem to stretch on, and having gratitude is one way to persevere through that long period.
I probably don’t do this often enough, but here’s a list of things or people I’m grateful for. If you’re chronically ill, it can take your mind away from the everyday tasks and lessen the severity of what can feel like an enormous snowball effect in your life. Showing gratitude also reminds you to not take people or things for granted, which is all too easy to do at times.
1. Family
This entry might be a sticking point for some, depending on what your relationship was and is like from your younger days. However, the definition of what a family is should be fluid and left up to the individual or others said individual chooses to have in their life. Some are related by blood, while others I consider family have an important daily influence in my life, which would feel incomplete without them in it.
2. Health
In this regard, it might seem somewhat contradictory to be listed here. Compared with some, my health isn’t too bad. However, I try not to see it as a thing to dislike; it’s just another part of my life. Finding kindred spirits in Brighid and Nodens in Their respective disabilities (which I’ve written about previously) have been tremendously helpful. Chronic health issues aren’t the only aspect, but it is an important one that can be seen in divinities. It is a part of my experiences, but it isn’t the whole of it.
3. Imagination
I’ve become less of a believer in things like inherited talent. If anything is inherited, it could be the need to make art in whatever form or skill level you can. There might be an ancestral artistic desire needing an outlet, and that trait could be energetically inherited from our forebears, blood related or not. I’m thankful for whatever I might have gotten from them, along with the imagination and skills I’ve fostered over the years.
4. Community
Nowadays, the online Polytheist community has been very beneficial in finding others with similar beliefs, and I’m thoroughly grateful for that. There’s more than one that I’m immensely appreciative of to have around, but the predominant ones are Clann Bhride and The Cloister: A Polytheistic Monastic Community. I have frequently mentioned the Clann Bhride Book of Hours, which forms a large portion of my practice, and the forum is a cozy and tranquil place to gather and discuss topics of interest with fellow monastics.
There are other items that I could include on a gratitude list, but these listings are good for now. I can make an updated list in the future, as expressing gratitude is a vital to do during any time of the year.
Lastly, I appreciate and am grateful for the readers who read, like, or comment on my blog posts. I hope that these entries are useful and enjoyable to you in whatever way you find them fulfilling!
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