books on dogs

The Nurturing Remains: Refreshing Gidget’s Memorial Marker

Posted by Barbara Techel

Yesterday John and I spent most of the day refreshing the gardens around our house and Joyful Pause Cottage with chocolate-colored mulch. We will finish the rest today. Yay!

This marker in a shape of a heart with a small heart-shaped rock in the center, a sacred spot I can see right outside my cottage window when I’m at my writing desk, is where my sweet Gidget rests. Her heart within mine forever. Though I see the big heart as hers because that was truly who she was – she had such a large heart and capacity for love.

May 11th will mark two years since she moved on for greater travels. The ache of missing her isn’t as acute anymore. Her spirit is quieter now and her visits from the other side not as frequent. But I still sometimes sit in quiet moments and bring up in my mind favorite times with her. It always brings me a great deal of joy and comfort.

To place new mulch over the spot where she rests I found it a sacred and welcoming opportunity to gently set the stones aside, brushing away the dead debris and refreshing the area with fresh mulch. With each stone, I put back into place I did so with a deep appreciation and love as I remembered Gidget and all her wise teachings, silliness, and being the best cuddler ever.

Sometimes it’s hard to believe I’ve actually gone almost two whole years without another dog. There are times I really miss a dog companion, while other times I’m okay. I continue to trust (though sometimes I have to remind myself) that when the time is right I will know.

In honor of the two-year passing of Gidget and the recent Rio Award for our book, I’m Fine Just the Way I Am, I’ve been working on a special project. I’m recording a short video with an excerpt from each chapter of our book, along with an extra bit of discussion, that will be available on my Youtube channel. My hope is to release the first video on May 11th. So I hope you’ll stay tuned!

As I woke this morning thinking about how good it felt to renew Gidget’s memorial marker yesterday, I was reminded once again of how alive I feel when I can nurture that which I love. Though Gidget isn’t with me on this earthly plane I found that gently and lovingly attending to her place of rest was an enriching way in which I stay connected with her.

And my nurturing her sacred space of peace and all that she means to me, in turn, brought peace and nurturing to my heart.

XO

Barb

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“Four-Legged Wisdom.” Book Review and Giveaway.

Posted by Barbara Techel

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I know it’s a good book when I finish reading it, set it down, and realize it won’t close because so many of the pages have been dog-eared.

There are many stories in Four-Legged Wisdom by Dobie Houson that touched me. My favorite about a dog named Hanna Banana Honey Bunny. The story titled “Hannah-Service.”

A German Shepherd rescued by a woman named Vivian. Hannah wasn’t on her radar to bring home that day. That sentence alone brought a smile to my face because of the magic animals work in our lives if we allow it to unfold as it is supposed to.

Hannah would turn out to be a wonderful therapy dog. With the gentle compassion and in-tune awareness to Hannah’s needs, Vivian would guide this special dog to many opportunities that served not only humans, but allowed Hannah to be the best therapy dog she could be.

When one situation proved to be too much for Hannah or wasn’t fulfilling her any longer, Vivian would find another new purpose in therapy work that would bring out the very best in this sweet spirit of a dog that she loved so much.

As an animal communicator, Dobie having worked with the animals in these stories, not only offers peace and comfort in helping us understand the animals in our lives, but also valuable insight into what they are trying to help us with on our own personal levels of healing.

Hannah’s message to Vivian through Dobie’s communication with her, one of those profound insights, “There is no hope where there is no light. Infuse yourself and your life with light.”

If you love animals and believe in their teachings, this is a book you will be glad you picked up and read. It offers more confirmation to our mere human minds that can’t always comprehend that we are all truly connected and can learn from another if we open our hearts.

—

Author, Dobie Houson, has kindly offered to give away a copy of her book to one of my readers!

To be eligible please leave a comment to this question:  “Who is your spirit animal and what one lesson did they teach you that was most profound?”

Please leave comment below by midnight CST, Sunday, Oct. 12th. Winner will be chosen using random.org on Monday, October 13.