women’s workshops

On Winter Egg Trees, Transition, and Working with Spirit of Horse

Posted by Barbara Techel
On Winter Egg Trees, Transition, and Working with Spirit of the Horse
Photo: Pam Kachelmeier

I spent the morning yesterday at a colleague’s home, Pam, planning a workshop she and I will be co-facilitating in June called Connecting with Your True Nature through the Spirit of Horse and SoulCollage®. 

We’ve been in the planning stages for this since mid-January and I’m really excited about it. We take turns and go between my writing cottage and her place out in the country as we work through all the details that go into planning a half day workshop.

I love the drive to her place and smiled when I pulled up to her driveway yesterday to see the tree at the end of the drive decorated with Easter eggs. It wasn’t yet snowing and I took a picture of the tree.

But by the time I left two hours later it had begun to snow and later that afternoon Pam took a photo of the egg tree in the midst of the snowstorm, which we are still in the middle of today.

I share Pam’s photo above as I love the contrast of the bright colored eggs and the blustery, snowy weather blowing through the picture.

It also reminds me that this is how life is. It ebbs and flows and evolves. This tree is likely not confused, but knows that spring will soon return and the eggs will gently sway soon enough in a warm, spring breeze.

It patiently waits knowing this too shall pass and it’s branches will bud once again.

And I couldn’t help but think this is how my life feels lately, too. For three years being in transition, not sure what direction I was heading next, at times felt like I’d never find a new path. And many days I had this internal storm as I worked through many different feelings.

But I find myself in a new place of fulfilling avenues I’m planning and pursuing such as this workshop with Life Coach, Pam. I feel so blessed to be working side-by-side with her.

And when I look back, it seems like that three years went so fast and are a distant memory now. Just like the snow upon the tree decorated with Easter eggs which will soon be free of the heavy snow and replaced with the feathery and light leaves of spring and summer.

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Kindness Found Me Today

Posted by Barbara Techel
Kindness Found Me Today
artwork by Shannon Winter

The first thing I saw on Facebook this morning was a post from my sister sharing Tim McGraw’s new music video Humble and Kind. If you’ve not seen it, take a few moments and watch it now. I promise it will uplift you!

I listened to it three times. So simple, really, to be humble and kind. So easy to say please and thank you. To smile at a stranger on the street. To do little acts of kindness.

Today, being my day I set aside for errands and any appointments, I ran out to start my car so it would be warm when it was time for me to leave.

Imagine my surprise when I found a large lime green package sitting on the seat of the drivers side.

I couldn’t imagine who had left it there — or even more so, what it was!

I hurried back inside, already starting to tear at the paper as I couldn’t wait to see what it was (I never was good at waiting to open gifts!).

My eyes instantly filled with tears when I saw it was a painting my friend Shannon did – a sign for the entrance to my Joyful Pause Studio where I held my first SoulCollage® workshop last Saturday.

And here’s the thing. It was over two years ago when I had lunch with Shannon sharing with her that I was thinking about offering workshops for women out of my home- but I wasn’t quite sure what they would be.

That was until I discovered SoulCollage®. Last Saturday felt like a new beginning, while at the same time it felt like a full circle moment. What I had been giving thought to for so long had finally manifested.

I had made a temporary ‘Joyful Pause Studio’ sign figuring I’d make, or find something, that I’d replace it with eventually.

And the Universe was listening – just as it has been all along. Shannon attended my first workshop in the studio and told me she felt called to make this artistic and beautiful painting for me.

And out into the world I went today so light in spirit because kindness found me today.

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