Gratitude Monday Morning/Weekly Check-In Post

How Are You?

First, thank you all for being here in all of the ways you are. Jon and I are so thankful for you and how you collaborate with us in the many ways you do. We are fortunate.

I find gratitude to be such a powerful practice, especially in times of intensity or when uncertainty abounds. Starting small, “Thank you for doing the dishes,” opens the door to big, as in, “Thank you for offering us a place to live”.

I wrote a longer piece on this a few years ago, and it includes a recipe for a raw, vegan pumpkin pie. You can read it here.

We talked with Theresa a few days ago and her flexibility and generosity open the door for us to land there in their building with the dearest of friends just a floor above, whether it be from a week to a month to a few months to ten years.

I had not imagined returning to Chicago to live, but I have learned to never say “never”. My thoughts had been, “It’s unlikely”. The ninety minutes on the phone with Theresa and then Helena and Vasken as well once speaker was enabled put me back there in their building as the me I am now.

And I like the feeling.

As history often repeats, it was Helena again who offered the extra piece of magic as she did twenty years ago in her insistence back then that we move in. It was more subtle this time, but the magic is undeniable. Guides come in all forms and this one, whether she be nine years old or thirty, has been our helper since we first met.

She is getting married next month at City Hall, this glorious faerie being who loves all animals and has grown into a beautiful healer of a woman. Next year in November she’ll be having the big wedding and the reception.

“Where is your reception going to be?” I asked.

“At a venue in Mt. Prospect,” she replied.

“Huh, that’s where I grew up,” I said. “And where is the wedding happening?”

“At a church in Glenview,” she replied.

“That’s where Jon grew up!”

The synchronicities are always something we look for. Synchronicities and signs.

When we first started to play with the idea, just one week ago, I thought, “I’d love to live near my friends again.”

Two days later the thought/feeling had expanded to include, “I think I want to live in Chicago.”

It’s going to be a huge change if this happens. We’ve lived in a town of 3000 people and a valley inhabited by 30,000 people for fourteen years now. We are used to open spaces and open skies and an environment that gets greener as December falls.

I did a quick reading the other day, asking this question about our best course of action. “Is it our best course of action to choose a location and make it happen OR open up and let the energy take us to the best possible place for us?”

Devil card on the first.

Ten of Cups on the second.

Seems clear.

I spoke with Amy today, Amy whom I first met at Victoria’s Secret more than thirty-five years ago and who has been my channeling, tarot card reading, witchy, and all other things magical and wonderful friend since, and her excitement about our possible return was palpable.

“Go where the love is.” Thank you

Karen’s Substack

for reminding us of this powerful piece of magic.

A couple of hours after writing the above, our landlord let us know we can stay until April 1st, another miraculous happening that means we won’t be moving during the winter months, giving us more time to clear out fourteen years’ worth of accumulation, and for all of this, I am so grateful.

I am doing what I can to stay in the flow without trying to control any of it. This is a tall, tall order for this fixed Sun in Aquarius, Moon in Scorpio, Leo Rising being with a partner, Jon, who has all of the same. If there is one thing that is true for the two of us, we often ask others what we should do, and when it comes down to it, there is no one out there who we will allow to tell us what to do.

Wishing you all a wonderful week whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not. We’ll be dining with friends here in Ojai and are so thankful to get to sit at their table.

How are you? Please drop me a comment and let me know.