thanksgiving meal with friends

I remember my grandmother, Mary, used to say, "we should treat our family members as we do our friends!" And what fun for me to have dinner with friends. 15 at Susan and Andy's table with Stefan and Alden, Katy and Mike, Molly, Jason and Elliott and Bodhi, Richard, Diane and Richard's sister, Lynn and me! Organic turkey from Weathertop Farm, stuffing with cranberries, mashed potatoes, Katy's beets, my creamed spinach, kale salad, Lynn's green beans, Diane's gravy, corn bread and rolls, cranberries. Pecan pie, Molly's pumpkin pies, chocolate pie and brownies for dessert. I am satisfied. The great full moon bringing me home with treats for the doggies. I am blessed. (I will pull the tide in you to me, sang the moon - i thought)

The Weather of Gratitude

Coke bottle green, the river. Qigong on the sand where Baldwin's benches were before the flood. Down below the fire pit at the edge of the river below the shelf falls, a small sapling scratched bare by the rutting stags. Thank great river,earth, sky of it all. 

Learning Wild Goose Qigong

Down where the creek meets the Little, on new sand from the big rain in October, I went through the wild goose set Robin gave us at the qigong retreat this weekend.  I did not rouse any of the Canadian Geese who I often see, but I remembered the sequence, inspired by place. First gazing at the expanse of sky, arms raised turning right than left keeping feet facing forward. Flying over the mountains next, breathing in as arms rise, out as they fall - several great arm wings to one side and then to the other. Then patting the water, hands flapping up to make a good stretch, as if preening to the tip of each wing. Over the pines for the fourth movement, flight as one hand stretches out and up, the other hand stretches down, then the palms pass each other as they stretch to the other side. 
The 5th and 6th flow into one another as the geese fly over a lake. I step out to the right, hands flapping over right knee and rising up over head until palms face up, then arms move to the sides still flapping. Pause, breathing in the arms move behind, flapping as the body stretches out over the lake, the neck stretching to get  a good look. Arms move back to the knees and repeat. After several flaps to the right side, move to the left. The seventh movement takes the geese into a glide: hands crossed in front of chest, step out to the right as arms move to the side and back, stretching forward. From one side to the other, the same smooth movement. Now the geese fly over the moon: prayer hands, step out to the right and stretch forward as hands lead, then hands pull back and body tucks down and inward (a slow rocking). The geese fly home: turning from one side to the other, arms undulate. To end the set, gaze at the sky with arms raised as in the beginning.
Look forward to doing this in class tomorrow!