We are pack animals, in that we live in clans, or tribes. Although, if you have ever tried to leave the house with a child you do feel like a Beast of Burden, but that’s not the way I mean “pack” today. What I am thinking of is how we gather around each other, family by blood, and loved ones that we have chosen. The Event on Saturday is looming ever closer, so that means the cleaning schedule must be accelerated. In the case of my hovel, it takes a village.
Heard from the Out Of Town Kid last night, and she’s planing on pitching in when she arrives, so that’s helpful. The Son has taken care of his designated food item, someone just needs to pick it up later. Ms Party Planner and her grandmother will be here Thursday, I am assigning them the bathroom (have at it Emma Diane and Granny Diane), and my buddy-of-many-years Karen (also known as melaph-whatever in the comments section) was here today. She channelled her own mother (shout out to my Idol Grama Joan) and we got a very large chunk of dusty clutter cleaned and cleared. It’s gettin’ there, and thankfully I have help.
This is a bulletin board my father made for me last year, to my exacting specifications, because before I had it, that entire divider was covered in over a decade of “memorabilia” and it was in danger of bringing a wall down. 
I cannot possibly write out all that is up there, way too much stuff to describe, but let me instead, tell you some of the people it represents. There are my own children (and a few of their nearest and dearest), children of some of my cousins, my nieces and nephews, friends we’ve known for over 20 years (some over 30), grandparents and their siblings, plus a great-grandparent or two. I come from a very large family, add in Dan’s side, all combined, it is in the triple digits. Toss in family-we-have-chosen and that’s a damn big bunch of folks. When Karen came to help me today, and when I drew our card, it reminded me of how important those relationships are. We don’t see, or even visit with, all of them on any kind of regular basis, but they are there if we need them. They know how to contact us if they need to reach out. It’s quite an amazing group, and the concept of family, or clans, our very own pack, is meant for this exact type of support.
One last view of my day and then we’ll get on with our message from the Druids. 
This is what I found in front of my computer when I sat down here tonight. Empress has her opinions about who is important in her life as well.*
Wolf ~ Faol ~ (pronounced Foil) ~ Intuition, Learning, The Shadow
The card shows a wolf stalking in the forest near the source of the river Findhorn in Scotland. It is the time of Faoilleach, the Wolf-month, the last fortnight of Winter and the first of Spring, generally corresponding to February. In the foreground we see snowdrops, the flower of the Druid festival of Imbolc at the beginning of February.
Faol brings a strong sense of family, faithfulness, inner strength, and intuition. But Wolf brings learning too. Sometimes you need to cross barriers, to take risks, to go beyond the limited compass of “normal” behaviour in order to learn and grow, although crossing these boundaries may seem unattractive, even painful. You need not fear the inner power and strength you feel when you spend time alone. Come to know your deepest self and even in the darkest places you will find courage and spiritual companionship.
*Max likes to leave me little doots under my sewing machine when he comes to visit, he dances on the kitchen table, and he shares by dragging the trash out across three rooms for all other dogs to enjoy. He whines and screams when left alone, but he is also quite loving and perpetually cute. 
