nature

Thankful Heart Bursts

Posted by Barbara Techel

Thankful Heart Bursts

Meditation comes in many different forms. Two that I enjoy are sitting with my eyes closed, listening to soft instrumental music, and the other is a walking meditation in a small wooded area near my home.

Opening my eyes after a 15-minute meditation this morning, sitting in my over-sized peach wicker chair in my writing cottage, I sat a bit longer.

My eyes drifted most willingly to the world of an action packed flurry of little legs hopping here and there, and wings flapping about outside my window– watching my winged bird friends partake in the gift of the feast I blessed them with earlier this week.

Once again, I’m reminded…it is the simplest things I give thanks for that bring bursts of joy to my heart each day.

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Christmas is for the Birds

Posted by Barbara Techel

christmas is for the birds

It’s the coldest day of the season so far. But I felt the need to venture out into my backyard with two small grapevine wreaths, covered in suet and seed, that I purchased Friday at a local eclectic, vintage store called The Red Rooster.

Being a writer, I’m always thinking of my next blog post. I look forward to coming up with what I will write next.  As I hung the first bird seed wreath I thought, Christmas is for the birds.

I thought about the pressure that comes with the holidays and I which I sometimes have to work to not get caught up in it anymore.

Being in nature, as I was just then, was my reminder. I find myself at peace and centered when I’m honoring my heart impulses, the sky above me, and the ground below me as my foundation. And I thought about how animals don’t worry about all the silly things we humans do.

The birds will come and feast upon the wreath and take great delight in being their bird selves. They won’t feel like they need to rush out and get a gift for me because of the gift I provided them.

The fact that Christmas has become so much about consumerism and materialism and getting caught up in what we should do to fit in tugs sadly at my heart now and then.

But being outside today, connecting with the earth and all its beauty no matter which way I turned, this is what Christmas is about to me. It’s about connecting with Spirit, God, Source, Mother Earth and giving thanks for being a part of the vastness of it all.

It’s about honoring and respecting this precious time here. It’s about taking the time to remind ourselves about what’s important to us.

Many moons ago I used to get so caught up in making sure my house was decorated just so and I stressed myself out worrying about just the right gifts to get everyone. I never truly enjoyed the holidays because by the time they rolled around I was stressed and burnt out.

But I now do my best to honor what is right for me. Simplicity, being in nature, time with my animals and John, stillness and solitude.

And funny how when one does this, that then Christmas and the Spirit of it remains with us long into the New Year.

Gazing out my writing cottage window shall then serve as a reminder… that Christmas is indeed for the birds, our earth, all the animals…. and a mirror to which if we look will cast a magical spell onto our human hearts of what the Christmas Spirit is truly all about….Peace. Love. Joy.

christmas for the birds 2

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Nature Telling Time.

Posted by Barbara Techel

Nature Telling Time.

I heard the ticking of nature’s clock.

Out on my morning walk today.

The fluttering sound in the wind of many wings flapping.

The chattering of many beaks as they lifted, each black bird, from nearby trees in a wooded area.

And also from a corn field I passed by, I saw them take flight, up to the clouds, joining their flock.

The sky streaked with black that seemed to go on forever.

Who needs a clock when all you have to do is pay attention to nature around you?

A sign that fall is surely on its way as these black-winged birds head to a warmer climate.

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