My First Annual Post-Yule Report

One half of the twins showed up yesterday with her kid and new husband Steven in tow. The evil twin had to stay behind due to job considerations, and we really miss her being here. Anyway, this is our post-yule report, since I still refuse to acknowledge that any of the good times we are having with family has ANYthing to do with that "Christmas" thing going on.

Holly sent along a nice little wooden box that she burned herself. She's quite the artiste' and the cover depicts my spirit guide, the hawk, or as I like to refer to him, the "Raptor". And guys, look, the initial meaning of raptor was to refer to a bird of prey, not a nasty 6 foot tall dinosaur. The red-tail hawk that visits me every once in a while speaks to me of nobility of purpose, something perhaps I pursue in my own life.



Heather and Steven got me.........drumroll please.......an Ipod Shuffle! Hey, I know lots of kids get these things as a matter of course. To me it could have been a gold plated harley davidson for how much I appreciated it.






The wife, my lovely witch, got a special quartz crystal for use in her ceremonies and such, and, another drum roll please...........an air driven spa mat for the bath tub!




Boy, let me tell ya, you should have heard the almost orgasmic shout of enjoyment that emanated from the bathroom when she tried that puppy out! I tried it out later myself, and.......yea.....it's nice! Oh, and we also got these candle sconces that fit beautifully into our eclectic decor. And yea, we got them some nice things to.

We made another foray into St. Augustine for a leisurely day of shopping all the shops for stones and crystals and whatever we Wiccan's use to enrich our lives. I just happened to have one of those radio transmitters you attach to a music player, which I plugged into the Ipod, and we enjoyed a great mix of tunes on our way there and back, without being slaves to the radio or CD's. It was a good day.

Heather and Steven have first dibs on this house that is being built by some people they know, so the wife came up with a good spell to besiege the God and Goddess to ensure that everything works out to place them in this new home they surely need and deserve. Like the Christians like to say, sometimes the answer to a prayer is not the answer you want, and I'm sure the same applies to those who trust in this sort of approach to divinity. Well, I personally am using an ancient, tried and true spell that certainly can't hurt........I'm crossing my fingers and wishing them the best.

I don't really know how to explain to you all why this was the first holiday I have experienced in a very long time that I really enjoyed without any angst. Yes, I have had to endure the usual aggravations of the season such as mad traffic, utterly stupid shopping crowds, and television reruns, but as far as the home front is concerned, I really felt at ease. I've been in the company of people I love, I have had nothing but good wishes for all those in my blogging family, of all beliefs and lack thereof, and the fact that the world in general pisses me off to no end has been resting on the back burner of my mind, content to await it's turn to resurface and rail against the insanity of it all. The world can be a harsh and horrible place, but one can actually hold it at bay in some fashion and enjoy the blessings of family and home, if only for a moment, and I know how blessed me and mine are in contrast to the evil that so many others must live with in this world so over run with the evils that are totally man-made. In whatever fashion you found peace and joy in your life and your home, I wish for you all that you can maintain it as much as possible all throughout the coming year. Like Bob, that voice in my head that has kept me company for these many months, says, "It's all good!" I truly believe that, despite everything, and I hope you can believe it to. Not because a Bible, a Koran, or a Torah tells you so, but because something deep inside that is part of all of us gets through all your doubts and gives you that peace you need to accept it.