The Big Guy, and I have returned from our road trip to central Texas to visit some of his family.  It was a good trip and a good holiday spent with some nice folks.  I even was able to make some time quite late Thanksgiving night pouring a little Libation of water to the Lady and Lord, and to Dionysus and Hecate, underneath the glorious night skies of Texas.

For the record, the stars do shine bright deep in the heart of Texas!

I poured a simple libation of water and thanked the Divine for the blessings in my life.  For the feast we had shared and those I had shared it with.  For the Big Guy, and for his family, and for my family and friends.  It was a simple but wonderful moment of gnosis with Them as I said my simple thank yous to Them.  It was a great moment, and one of many little lessons kind of moments on this trip.

See, on the way down we had had some trouble with The Big Guy’s truck.  Thus we not only decided to head back a little early (Friday afternoon) we also decided to take some of the U.S. and State Highways rather than the Interstates.  Less traffic and lower speeds were the main selling point for us given the kind of coughing slow down sputtering fit that the Truck was occassionally throwing.

(although given the fact that since we got back to the Orlando area we haven’t had a peep out of it, indeed even the check engine light has gone back out, we think the truck may have just been homesick!)

But while I missed the access to those touristy rest-stop/welcome-centers that you see at the State borders off of the Interstates (Hello, my name is Pax and I am a minor league pamphlet-aholic); we both quite enjoyed the scenery and the chance to actually see some of the States we were driving through.  The wetlands around New Orleans, the dozens of wooden pier legs that had had houses on them once upon a time, small town street lights decorated for the Holidays, stretches of woods where you can just about smell the Gulf, or those little momentarilly deserted resort beach towns where you hear the surf pounding just outside of the Circle of your headlights.  The small and large towns along the Gulf Coasts of Louisiana, and Mississippi, and Alabama, and the Florida Panhandle; where folks have faced so much in the last few years and yet life is still going on.   All the colorful, and couragous, little pieces of this great big beautiful patchwork country of ous!

I was reminded, at one point, of Jack Kerouac‘s mind blowing On The Road, and The Big Guy and I talked about this book and how it helped change a generations view of travel into one where the journey is as at least important as the destination.

The Journey, itself is important…

Not too alien an idea for someone who sees his identity as a Witch as an ongoing journey of growth and transformation and learning!  I am still letting certain parts of this journey percolate in my mind and heart.

I hope each of you have had a wonderful Thanksgiving (those in the U.S.) and that the Soltice-tide finds you well!