She talks to wolves...

Harvest festivals resonate strongly for me: the tradition of feasting well and making merry once the last of the preparations have been made for winter. The sense of building up a blaze of joy and thanks to carry us through a long night. The celebration that comes at the end of long work and preparation, the moment when you feel secure you've done what you can to shore up against what is to come.

The moments when you count your blessings and are thankful for everyone.

I am so thankful to my family: just for being themselves, but also for the support they've given Andy and me over the past year, whether a shoulder to lean on or a way to pay our bills. I am especially thankful to my mom for planning my wedding so well, to my Poppy for always being a kind and strong support, to my dad for always giving me whatever help he could. I also give thanks for my wacky, complex, beloved brothers who enrich my life with theirs.

I am so thankful to my friends: just for being themselves, but also for their remarkable talents and generosity. As always, I offer especial thanks to my dear cadhla, copperwise, crowley, void_dragon, and worshipper. These wonderful, amazing people are so often the building blocks of my sanity and heart-health. My life would be diminished without each of them.

I am so thankful to every one of you who helped me by supporting my cyber-funded projects or commissioning something from me to keep Andy and I afloat this summer. Your generosity literally means the world to us. I know that graduate school has prevented me from fulfilling some of my obligations to you, but I will. I most certainly will.

I am grateful to be in graduate school, pursuing my academic dreams. I am grateful to have been published in this past year. I am grateful that both my husband and myself are employed. I am grateful we have two beautiful, mostly healthy cats. I am grateful for all of this and so much more.

Most of all, I am grateful for my husband Andrew. He has been one of my best friends for thirteen years: we've been through transcendent joys and sorrows deep as the abyss. We've quarreled terribly, stopped talking to each other several times, written mad poetry to each other, and loved without caution.

And that was all before we married.

He has been a part of my life for nearly half my years on this Earth - I am so ridiculously grateful to look forward to that proportion changing, until I can tell our future children that more of our lives have been lived together than apart. He is my starfall knight, my welcome wolf at the door, my comfort beyond question.

(I love you, Andy, my darling.)

So, yes. Be grateful for all you have today, everyone! Let gratitude and light and love lead you through the months to come.