In Appreciation of the Journey and the Fact My Eyes Weren’t Deceiving Me Afterall

Posted by Barbara Techel

At first, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Almost every morning, I walk by this white house located on the corner across from the police station and the library.

The yard is spacious with many areas of flowers and a darling potting shed. Each holiday season the home is decked out with various decorations.

When I walked by this particular morning I was puzzled. Hadn’t I just seen Mary and Joseph two days ago in a different spot in the yard?

On the other side of the home is a wooden stable, but it’s empty. I found that curious also as in the past I’ve seen it lit up with the scene when Mary and Joseph are settled in at the inn along with the three wise men, the angel, and the shepherd.

I then realized my eyes weren’t deceiving me. The woman who lives in this sweet home is honoring the journey that Mary and Joseph made to Bethlehem all those many years. She is intentionally moving them ever closer to the stable every day. Honoring the journey that we sometimes may think was easy, but is said was long, grueling, and dangerous.

I was so touched by this. I thought about how often we see the stable already set up for the duration of the Christmas season and we lose sight of the journey it took to get there. While it’s beautiful to reflect on the miracle that occurred in that manger, it’s the journey that made it even more special.

And I thought about our own lives, how we sometimes fear the journey to something that is unseen. But more often than not, we look back in deep appreciation for what we learned and how far we came. 

So thank you, dear sweet lady, in the cozy white home who touched my heart in such a special way. I’m looking forward to watching the journey continue…

xo,

Barbara

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Animal Wisdom Oracle Reading – Your Soul Is a Pioneer – Week of Nov. 30, 2020

Posted by Barbara Techel

It’s the last day of November and it’s a biggie with a full moon and the lunar eclipse. Whew. And we are getting ready to head into the last month of 2020.

Today I brought in a message from astrologer Dr. Michael Lennox to go along with the message from Frog, Badger, and Sea Lion. A reminder I think we may all need now and then and that our soul is a pioneer in being here right now on this planet.

Click here or below to hear the message.

xo,

Barbara

Cards: Spirit Animal Awareness Cards by Ona Christie Martin

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Simple Joys and Sharing A Favorite YouTube Channel – Fairyland Cottage

Posted by Barbara Techel

This morning, sitting at my vanity I watched as one squirrel, and then another came for a drink from the birdbath. I could simply watch them all day long!

And then a first for me today as I sliced up oranges and dried them in the oven to use with my holiday decorations. Here are a few tucked in with this centerpiece on my kitchen table.

The simple joys that continue to be what gives me hope. 

I spent the weekend putting up Christmas decorations in my house. Though I use the same decorations, I always find new ways in which to display them. I also decorated the front porch and the window box on Joyful Pause Cottage. Normally I would have bought greens, red birch branches, and birch twigs and logs from a nearby nursery for outside. But this year, used what I already had plus I cut greens from our large pine tree in the backyard.

In some ways so much feels odd, while at the same time familiar with an added sense of accomplishment because I’m using what I already have and finding new ways in which to be creative without having to go out and purchase things.

Over the years I’ve scaled back on my holiday decorations having had about 4 large bins full to now 1 1/2 bins. This still takes me two days to go through and place throughout my home. But it’s something I enjoy and is a creative outlet for me.

I wonder if this year more women will be feeling the need to simplify and just enjoy the season in a new way – a quieter and more contemplative way? It’s been something I’ve done for a few years now, but this year seems even more so. I like it. I sense a collective pause and reflection of what really matters.

When the orange slices came out of the oven I sat down to pause and watch one of my favorite channels on YouTube. I thought you might enjoy it too. It is called Fairyland Cottage. It’s about a young woman who lives in Ireland and embodies a simple life. Watching her videos always feels like a meditation to me. This one, especially so.

Niamh, of Fairyland Cottage, and her way of life, like author and artist Susan Branch, and the late Tasha Tudor are the women I carry with me more and more as I walk through this life. The nudge and pull grow stronger and stronger for me every day. I wonder often if this is where we are headed in our world as we have shifted, adapted, and continue to evolve with this year being the big pause to examine just that.

It’s a world I’d like to see – a simpler one – connected to nature and creativity – and one I will continue to do my best to be in my own little corner of the universe. Those ripples out can surely find their way to others seeking this way too.

So without further ado… but first, perhaps make yourself a cup of tea or your favorite beverage, settle into a comfy chair, and enjoy a sweet peek inside Fairyland Cottage. Niamh has so many important nuggets of wisdom in this video.

XO,

Barbara

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