Magical Gratitude Days: 20 of 31

Today I am grateful for my partnership with my husband! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

We are installing doors on our Can-Am Defender! The bottom half was easy, but the hinges for the tops have been difficult to install!  The holes aren't lining up correctly! 

Photo by Dan Kirchner 

We worked late into the evening hours,  trying every combination we could think off to make the doors fit! Yes, we followed the directions,  over and over again, lol! We finally stopped for the evening, so we could get a fresh start this morning! 

I love how brilliant ideas arrive when one sets a project or problem to the side!

This morning Dan woke up with a plan! So after morning chores and coffee we started working again! 

Dan needed to drill larger holes into the hinge plates that attached to the top half of the doors! (The doors each have 2 halves, so we can remove the top half for summer riding!)

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

I supported him from inside the Side By Side! I had my coffee and phone, so I was content! I ratcheted the top half of the door to the bottom half! I also marked the hinges so Dan could see where to drill the holes larger! 

He did the hard work, while I reflected and wrote! Teamwork!  Ya gotta love it!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Dan saw the vision and made it happen with his tools and experience! It's his art and creative outlet! A passion he has had most of his life! 

He had to do a bit more modifications on the passenger side door, but after the modifications worked perfectly on driver's side, he could invision and easily make the needed modifications for the second door! 

photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

The hinges are done, the doors work! The mirrors are on! We feel good about completing another project together! 

It's time to move onto the next task at hand! Picking up wood to burn for the winter, which our neighbor so graciously cut up for us!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Though before we worked, we decided to play! It's time to test out the new doors and mirrors! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

They worked perfectly! We stayed warm on thus absolutely beautiful day! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

When a problem arises do you allow your wisdom to work in the background by putting it on the back-burner?

Do you push through when a problem comes into your life instead?

Do you have a trusted person to bounce ideas off of when the going gets rough?

Manifest a magical day! 

Day 16 of 31 Days of (Making Magic) Gratitude

I am grateful for my, “Deep Listening” experience with Onyx. While Dan moved hay, I held Onyx. 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

My plan was to just let him eat his hay. My ribs were in spasm, so I was hoping to just be a post for Onyx! Nope! He smelled treats, so I realized my body was going to need to move a little! I picked something simple that we both could do. 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

We played with putting a foot on the Frisbee for a treat, but it soon became apparent that he was needing more! As in life, a challenge is good for the mind! Instead of keeping the target in one place, I tossed it over the mat, which his hay was sitting on. We did simple circles around his hay pile to get to the Frisbee! 

I guided, but didn't micromanage him! He sometimes landed ahead of it, or behind it and pawed at it. At one point, he flipped it over. I laughed joyfully! The treat came when he had one foot or the other on the target! It took him a minute to solve the new puzzle, but when he did, it was magical. 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

As we continue to add to this game, I will point to one or the other leg, challenging him to land on the Frisbee with that foot! I can see us moving this game to riding. I can toss Frisbees from his back and we can find them together. We dance the dance with joy on our hearts. 

My goal was to allow him the opportunity to be more precise with his feet! He made mistakes! No big deal, I quietly adjusted his approach and gave him time to figure it out! Puzzle solving is fun for both of us. 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

As in life, I realized that we both need to be open to having a conversation. He asked with his heart, I listened with mine. Though, I must admit, I was not open to the conversation, at first. 

Onyx started this particular playful conversation! He was very clear, but polite. Had I said, “No”, he would have respected that. However, since I was able to move at my pace and still give him the puzzles he was asking for, it was a win/win. Our magical connection was peaceful, fun and heartwarming. 

We moved from circles to straight lines. I tossed the Frisbee and off we went to find it! Progression! Listening to my horse with my heart, challenging him as well as myself to do a little bit more, with more precision, was magical!

I am grateful! 

As I ponder our experience, I see that my guides play with me in exactly the same way! I simply need to listen to, respond to the messages and use my wisdom to reach out for the target! Magic! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

The dance may not always be perfect, but if I listen with my heart, as I feel my way to the highest and best feeling, the road I travel has become a magical adventure, I truly treasure!

Have you felt the magic, on this road, we call life? 

Did you listen with your heart or did you listen with your mind? 

Notice the past and present forks in the road you are on. When you made the choice to listen with your heart or just with your mind, what was the outcome? Loving energy vs judging energy! 

The feeling is so very different. The outcome is also different. 

Remember to feel the difference as you move through life. It’s ok to make mistakes on this journey, just remember to feel for the love as you take your next step!

We can follow either path, however, one path brings us on a magical adventure, while the other path usually becomes sluggish or bumpy. 

Manifest a magical day!

Day 9 of 31 days of Gratitude

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

Last night was the first frost of the season for our area  of the universe! Our flowers and vegetable plants were lovingly covered with blankets and sheets, so they may continue to thrive! 

They were protected from the seasonal cold weather! Covering them for a few nights, now, will allow them to live on into the upcoming fall days. A few more weeks of warm days and nights will follow this temporary cold spell! 

It's a beautiful time of year. It's honestly my favorite season! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

We split 3 loads of wood yesterday! We had raised the splitter up about 9 inches a week or so ago!  I was incredibly grateful that my body wasn't throbbing while splitting or in agony this morning as it has been in the past! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

I remember thinking yesterday, "Wow I am not hurting or getting tired, yet!"

It had to be because we listened to our bodies telling us last year that this is getting to be way too difficult to sustain for much longer! 

We learned from the past, came up with and planned an easy solution, prepared and executed that plan and now we are reaping the benefits! 

I have renewed hope that we can continue to heat our home with wood we cut, haul, split and stack ourselves for a few more years! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

It strengthens our bodies if we do it correctly and thoughtfully, too!

Like covering the plants to live on, listening to our inner wisdom strengthens us so we may thrive, too!

What messages has your body sent to you that you could listen to in order to make your future better? 

Will you listen to, ponder, plan, and develop a solution to respond to your bodies messages?

Have you had success following your bodies wisdom in the past? If so, it makes it easier  to trust and follow through with the intuitive messages we all receive! 

Living in a connected  magical flow that our bodies crave us to participate in, can and usually does bring about long-term comfort and peace! 

Manifest a magical day!

Pickles and Daydreams

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

Our cucumbers have been prolific this past season. So much so that I can't remember a year like it. We try to grow them each and every year that we can find them to buy. We learned a few years ago, that they are not cold hardy, so they don't start to sell them until later in the spring. Now I know to go back when the temps are warmer at night. This year we chose 3 container pickles. They were supposed to stay small and have tiny little cucumbers on them, which are truly my favorite!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

2 of the 3 plants survived and grew so tall that they needed a trellis, which we made for them. They continued to grow over the top and down from the trellis. Think 'Jack and the Beanstalk' plants! I watered them, nurtured them and hunted for cucumbers daily. I could not believe how easy it was to miss them when they were small. Many of them were huge when I found them.  A memory of my mom, who passed away during the fall of 2022, kept visiting me each time I found an extra large cucumber, that had obviously hidden from me for days! She told us kids stories of her childhood as we were growing up. She frequently talked about working in the fields picking pickles. I remembered her telling us how they could hide and get too big for the store. They had acres and acres of cucumbers, strawberries, apples and other produce. She grew up on a farm near Muskegon Michigan. It was a hard life, one that I was privileged to not have had first hand experience with. 

Picking the pickles was hard work, the stickers were painful and after hours of picking were unavoidable. Hands were sore, backs hurt and bodies were tired. Daydreaming became a way to escape from the misery and pain of the day. 

Photo of an historic photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

My mom proudly hung this picture of she and her sister reading the Spiegel Catalog in our home. My dad, bless his heart, had listened to these stories, too! He hired a talented and lovely woman to paint this picture for my mom. It was not the first, nor the last painting my family had her paint. There were 5 paintings in all. Mom moved them from home to home with her over the years. Until her passing, they were always together. They were also all on display together at her Celebration of Life, along with the actual pictures they were each inspired from.  

Painting by Charlotte Wiskow. Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

I had forgotten the words of the following poem I wrote for my mother until recently. I finally had the emotional energy to hang it up in her honor and read it once again. Awe, no wonder every time I found a large pickle that had been hiding from me, I thought of my mom. 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

Dreaming

9/15/1995

I always remember

the stories

my mother told

of her many years

working in the fields

Her hands raw

from picking the 

pickles from their vines. 

Her jeans worn thin

from scraping them

along the rows and rows, 

and acres and acres of pickles

Her stories often times told 

about the long awaited 

moment...the arrival of

the "Spiegel Catalog!"

After a long days work

in the hot fields, 

they would search 

through its glossy pages.

To dream of the time

they could order 

their clothes for school!

The threadbare jeans, 

traded for skirt and 

matching sweater. 

Their dirty faces and hair 

clean and shiny

after a long awaited hot bath!

A way of life traded

for another, sometimes

if only it was, a dream!

Copyright 1995

D. Soderberg

I grew up a privileged white girl in a very different world from my parents! I am grateful for my upbringing and for the stories my parents shared with me. Stories of their very different and very difficult upbringings. The stories were not easy to hear, but they were oh so important to listen to. These stories ground me and bring me back to a very appreciative space. A space full of gratitude for what I had growing up and for what I am blessed to have now in my early retirement years. 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

My mother's hands worked hard, so that I could live a better life than she lived. She felt pain, I did not feel, she struggled, so I could be strong and she dreamed of a wonderful life, I benefited from. 

Where do you come from?

What stories do you hold close to your heart, as you think of your family and your historical roots? 

How are you better because of these stories? Have you written them down for future generations to hear, to learn from and to be grateful for?

Manifest a Magical Day!

Day 3 of a 31 Day Gratitude Challenge

I am grateful that my mom came through during last night’s Metaphysical chat with Debbra Lupien on Youtube. Looking back on the events of the evening, I am in awe of the miracles that occurred, before my mom could come through via Debbra. I took the picture above, of my mom's image at the bottom of a drinking glass, at 6:08 PM, my time yesterday. It appeared to me right before I logged into Debbra's Youtube Live!

I was surprised because the image under the glass looked and felt so much like my mom! I attached a picture of us together last summer for comparison, though you may not feel what I felt because it was a message meant for me at that moment. 

Hearts have been a long time symbol for me! I love hearts! My friend Susan, who crossed in July of 2023, has quickly learned how to send hearts, other pictures, words and numbers to me from the other side, as her way of continuing our communication! She has sent so many messages, I have honestly lost count of some of them!

608 was her last area code! She loved numbers, and used emojis often. Hearts, unicorns, thumbs up were just a few that she loved before she crossed. I totally forget numbers, so I have had to be clear as to what set of numbers I can recognize coming from her. 608 is one of those sets of numbers. 

The day before yesterday, I saw a heart and then a horse form in a drop of water, under the very same drinking glass as the image of my mom appeared under last night! I think my friend was practicing as she wanted to make sure I got the messages from this new location... which I did! I, as always, told her thank you for the messages and for staying close. (Those who have crossed, seem to love validation)

                                                         All photos by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

I am so grateful that my friend gave me a little heads up with the amazing picture that felt and looked like my mom!

So much of a heads up, that I actually asked a question relating to our truck, instead of the general question I eventually asked. You see, I wasn’t ready for a message from mom… I later deleted the first question, because I wanted to ask a question for Dan, my husband, as it was his birthday! 

Divine intervention...continues!!!

The coincidences of the night were powerful in themselves…. deleting the first question I wrote, was yet another magical coincidence… so many people were on the Live, that Debbra made the decision to only answer 1 question per person before she would answer a second question from anyone. She asked that 2nd questions be added at the very end, so she didn't have to scroll back up hunting for them. She was also clear that they would only be answered if there was time. 

I quickly deleted the truck question and asked a question for Dan, as it was his birthday. That was, by far, a more important question to ask. I followed the rules and waited until the very end to add, what I thought was, my second question. You’ll have to listen here for her response. It was so very special!

Because mom was apparently in line, waiting for her appearance, my original question about our truck (yes, it was an avoidance question) was never seen by Debbra…. lol. Divine intervention made sure it wasn't asked, when Debbra had the insight/message to cap the questions to one question per person. FYI: we, Dan and I, already know the answer to that question, so there honestly was no need to ask it anyway! Lol! 

Truth be told, I didn't think I was ready for another deep question or answer, so I originally asked the easy, yes/no question. My team knew differently. I love it when my team is so insistent!

Thank you Debbra, mom and my angel team for sending me this important message! Tears were streaming down my cheeks! Fyi, we knew it was her, for sure, when she said that I was her “Golden girl”!

Someday, I will write about that story! I think it’s time I watch their show first, though, to gain more clarity!

With gratitude! Thank you with all my heart for last night’s message!

                                                                   

Are you able to see where divine intervention occurs in your life? 

Look at the path you are on, can you see and/or feel the breadcrumbs that have been put there for you to follow? 

Are you listening to those messages? Will you start now? 

Please know that you can start at any time! 

Ask your divine team of angels to help you see and feel them, they will love the challenge!

Manifest a Magical day. 

Porch Pondering: Decisions

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner

I made an important decision yesterday that wasn’t easy for me to make! 

I found myself in a very low place this week, as the first year of my mother’s passing was marked on the calendar! Memories flooded through my mind and heart! Some good, some unfortunately were extremely painful and traumatic!

I honor my low moods. I don’t make life changing decisions. I give myself space to feel, to cry, to laugh again! 

I was offered an opportunity to teach 3 days a week, a couple of hours a day earlier this week! I gave myself permission to wait until my heart had moved through the sorrow of the one year anniversary! 

After a long, heartfelt discussion with my amazing partner, I knew what I needed to write! 

The truth is that I am still not living in a joyful state enough of the time to give back.... yet! I am better, but I have to be honest with myself, too! The thought of a teaching commitment right now... may not be in anyone’s best interest.  

The anniversary took me pretty low. It isn’t just about her passing. It’s all the family trauma memories, too! As much as I want to be ready, I am not! I need to write, spend time in joy with everything I do, until I can give again! 

I know you can feel it, too! Hugs!

This wasn’t easy to admit. In fact, tears were running down my cheeks after I hit send. However, I felt a peaceful warmth fill my heart because I had made the right decision in this moment in time!

I needed time to sit, to ponder, to reflect and feel before making this decision! Saying “no” isn’t easy for me to do! 

As magical coincidences usually occur in my life, I wasn’t surprised to experience yet another magical moment to remind me to be grateful as I continue to listen to my heart wisdom! 

We went for a lovely side by side ride after I made this difficult decision! As we passed the log chair, my late father-in-law had cut into the stump while helping us gather wood to heat our home, I remembered that he carved it right before his passing in 2006! A legacy! A message to do what makes you happy whenever you can!

When you have a decision to make, do you make it quickly, or do you take time to ponder?

Do you listen for your truth or someone else’s? 

Do you make decisions from a low mood or wait?

Manifest a magical day!

Time with Tipper: Listening

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

 Tipper was watching and listening for the campground cat to come back into sight as we sat in the shade together on a very hot day! 

I have found myself listening and watching for signs from the otherside of the veil with the same intensity as Tipper was watching for the return of the cat! We were in unfamiliar territory, a new to us location as Dan worked on a trailer! 

Within the last year, 4 souls have crossed over! My mom, my dear friend, Bella our sweet senior dog and my heart dog, Bear! I found myself in unfamiliar territory as grief washed over me in these multiple waves if oain and sadness! Hurricane force waves of grief so close together I couldn't come up for air! I have felt grief before on many occasions! I have successfully navigated grief! 

This time the transitions occured before I could fully recover and return to my healthiest, most authentic self! I wasn't resilient this time! I fell deep into the abyss called grief!

I had started the climb back to feeling whole again 6 months after I severed myself away from unhealthy relationships and my mom had passed! 

I was writing, I retired and I started to feel the joy I had so missed feeling! I was bouncing back and felt hopeful! Until...

My dear friend entered hospice, my dogs both declined at the same time, within  the month all 3 of them transitioned! My heart actually hurt, a deep, sad painful throbbing ache from deep within! 

Mourning takes energy and time! Hiding from the healing process isn't a possibility, because it appears like the campground cat when you least expect it to appear! 

Instead of hiding, I have opened myself to healing, listening and watching for signs from my loved ones! I see them, feel them and give thanks for the messages from beyond the rainbow bridge! I have started to laugh again between the tears!

I think I am able to write again about these amazing experiences!  I think I am able to feel the joy that has been missing from my life for the last 18 months! I am moving forward, the pain isn't gone, but it's not a constant weight that pulls me under and causes my heart to throb!

When you listen with your heart to the pain you have felt, what do you hear, feel and see? 

What does it feel like as you move through the waves of grief and the process of letting go of the way your life once was?

Manifest a magical day full of hope and joy!

Rock Reflection Ritual - Tractor

 Rock Reflection Ritual 

Driving the tractor to move sand is not one of my strongest skills, but for some reason, I absolutely love it!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

On this particular day, I wanted to spread sand for Onyx, as his feet were sore on the gravel in his drylot! He had recently chipped off his long toes, and he was showing us that he hurt!

Fyi: I am well aware that self-trimming is a controversial practice! I will tackle that subject in another blog! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

My hope was that his soles were just not use to the gravel, yet. However, I also started to treat his frogs for thrush, along with deep, clean bedding, pain meds and supplement support! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

My first load of sand was pretty easy to scoop up! I was incredibly surprised at how full I got it! Not every scoop was that easy! In fact, I had more fails than I care to remember, but I carried on! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Thoughts of my dad came to mind as I got into the rhythm of scooping sand, moving sand, and dropping the sand as evenly as I could while backing up!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

My dad would have celebrated with me! In fact before my dad died, he saw me driving a tractor he gave us! It was an old, big, blue Ford! The breaks were going out on it, but with lots of practice and persistence I learned to drive it!

He took pictures of me in yhat humongous beast and made me a keepsake photo album with those pictures! My heart was very happy remembering his joy when he gifted me the album! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg 

My goal was to make a path over the gravel, so Onyx would move comfortably and more! I wanted him off the pain meds as soon as possible! 

Success, I had completed one side of the drylot! I knew I was slow, compared to others, but it felt so good to see my progress! It was time to tackle the otherside! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

It seemed like a lot was left for me to do, so I increased the speed on the tractor! Oh boy, I was literally cooking with gas, now! Woot-woot! 

 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

As I scooped up the next load, my tires spun, hard! Oops! I suspect the extra speed caused me to loose the timing I had been use to! As I backed out of the sand pile, I realized 2 things! 

First, I was stuck! I couldn't go forward or backwards! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Second, in the largest scoop ever, I had a passenger! A sand covered, large toad magically appeared from the sand! 

In that moment, I was ever so grateful that I had gotten stuck, because it forced me to slow down inorder to problem solve my dilemma! Since, I slowed down, I saw the toad! What a gift slowing down can be! 

Not everything has to be done quickly! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

I attempted to carefully drop the bucket. Not easy, cause it can be jerky when lowering a heavier load. Also, I am still learning the appropriate feel and timing of the controls! 

I usually just laugh when it is jerky, but I had a special passenger and wanted to move him to a safe area! Fortunately,  I was successful!  I was able to keep him in my sight and I safely moved him to a safer location.  I put him under a pallet not far from the cool sand! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

After the toad was safe, I had to figure out how to get unstuck. I decided to drop the heavy load of sand, so I could use the loader to back myself out of the hole I had accidentally dug! 

The hole occured because I didn't realize that when I had moved the speed lever from the turtle speed toward the rabbit speed the tires would effectly dig a hole I could not get out off! 

Interestingly,  speeding up, slowed me down!

I still had so much to learn, but I was still having fun!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

After freeing the toad, and the tractor successfully, I actually was braver! I tested my skills by smoothing out the sand with the bottom of the bucket, as I backed up! It turned out beautiful! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

After I finished hauling sand to the pen, I decided to try smoothing out the areas where I had accidentally created deep holes and ruts in the dirt and gravel! I confidently used my new skills to drag it and smooth it out! Another successful experience! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

I let Onyx out of his run-in stall to see what he thought of the sand! It was so worth the time, effort and struggles, because Onyx was moving comfortably on the deep sand! (Update: A few days later, he was moving soundly again!)

What have you been hesitant to do, but once finished with the task, you felt an incredible amount of accomplishment and gratitude? 

Please don't let fear stop you from being and doing your best! If you need to go slow, go slow! Speed up when you can, slow down when you must, but always keep going!

If I can drive a tractor and spread sand out successfully, you can do and achieve anything you can dream of!

Manifest a magical day! 

With gratitude! 

Rock Reflection Ritual - Bella

Rock Reflection Ritual today is about our sweet Lady Silver Bell, Bella for short!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Bella cane to live with us almost 13 years ago after I returned early from my last trip to South Dakota! A co-worker was fostering this litter of Porchaguese Water Dog X Hound Dog puppies! Dan and I went, just to look! We had 3 Schoodles, we didn't need a 4th dog! Of the 13 puppies, one followed us everywhere!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

She had picked us! We took her home!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

It was Christmas time, so she had to have a Christmas name, Lady Silver Bell!  

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

She joined our pack and fit right in! We officially had a pack of 4 dogs, plus a cat!

She became one of the Rock Reflection Ritual crew this summer! 

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Though, usually she was on the move, investigating every area of our fenced in yard with Tipper, while I reflected with Bear at my side!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

The day she crossed, I looked up! I saw this cloud, I see a face looking at a doodle dog! The doodle is looking down!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Later in the evening, I looked up to see this image of a howling dog! Bella could howl with the pack, but I can see Dakota, our first doodle, greeting her with his infamous howl! 

photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Run free sweet Bella! Your presence in our life was a gift!  You were kind, gentle, silly and sweet! You chose us and lived a beautiful life with us for almost all of your 13 years! 

Thank you sweet girl! Run free!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

Our morning ritual is short one member on this side of the rainbow bridge, but we feel you close by!

Photo by Debbie Soderberg Kirchner 

When I looked up, the day following her crossing, I could see her comfortable on a puffy bed, looking off to her left! She has joined the pack and is patiently waiting for the rest of us to eventually join her again! Loyal, loving and patient! Until we meet again! 

My heart is sad! Grief has certainly been present in my life this year! Though I am grieving, I know the vail is thin! 

I sense my angel team close by, guiding me, gaurding me and showing me glimmers of their lives from their new home! 

Always look for, listen for and be grateful for the gifts and glimmers from your angelic team!

What messages have you been gifted from your angels? 

Manifest a magical day!