is back, although I'm not quite sure what mine is at the moment - I'm procrastinating on some paperwork that I should have done weeks ago. And I've been sick the last week, so I've been missing out on a lot of Fall Beauty - I've missed some great sunny kayaking days, and it's always fun to explore the woods this time of year, when the colors and smells are bright and alive, the water clear and dark, and everything has a last intensity as winter starts to settle in.
Instead, I've been rereading some old favorites - the Hyperion and Hitchhikers Guide series, Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising, and finally finished Stephen King's Gunslinger Series. I'm lucky that my work isn't too busy right now. I've done some work to close down my garden, taking down the plant cages, and pulling out the dried stalks of sunflowers, okra, and tomato plants.
And my last most beautiful moment was Thanksgiving Dinner, which I almost didn't go to. As an ex-pat in America, it's not an important celebration for me - I'll often go camping, because it's usually nice and quiet out in the woods. But I spent this thanksgiving with my second family - one of my second moms, who was going through chemo for breast cancer 2 thanksgivings back, and has recovered beautifully, a second dad, who builds fireworks as a hobby, one of their beautiful daughters, who's just starting to make her way in the world, an ex-convict who's putting his life back together, and a blind teenager, another adopted son.
It was a fine feast, and a fun evening. I gave thanks for "being in the right place, doing the right work", which is how I feel right now. After years of not being very sure of my place in the world, or my usefulness in it, I'm very grateful to feel the way I do now. And I'm looking forward to 2011!
So how about you - what was your Last Most Beautiful Thing?