grateful

A weekend for which to be thankful:

There was the gathering with family in a cabin blanketed with snow. Everyone brought a bottle or two or three of wine, and a parade of pies graced the table. We sat with full bellies next to the fireplace. We played cards and unpuzzled puzzles and read. We went back for seconds and thirds and then took naps in the recliner.

There was also time spent catching up with friends: A birthday party at the bowling alley with pitchers of beer and bowls of popcorn and plenty of happy dances whenever anyone bowled a strike. An afternoon of warm potato-and-parsnip soup, followed by trying on '60s frocks at the vintage store and locket bracelets at the craft fair. I came home with a handful of antique cat-shaped buttons and holiday presents for my friends' children; she found a lamp and a cocktail apron.

And of course, there was this morning's run: Nine miles on the Kortum Trail just north of Bodega Bay. We ran along the bluffs overlooking the ocean, sloshed through mud, climbed steep hills and galloped down the beach. We saw hawks making circles in the air and jellyfish washed up on the sand. And I thought: This is how you run with joy.