Tag: small town big charm

Feel the Music

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I went to a friends shop looking for a pair of jeans and found a pair that fit perfectly, but didn’t buy them. I said, “I’m church hopping and need a pair for church.” She was surprised by the words, ‘church hopping’ and neither of us were sure what church jeans were supposed to look like.

TobyMac dropped a new song and I’ve been thinking a lot about the goodness in my life. It was 7 years ago I was standing in a post office in small town Texas, when a man walked in whose presence engulfed the lobby. I asked, “How are you?”, and still remember what he looked like and the conviction in his voice as he spoke these words, “I’m blessed and highly favored.”

Not only did he say it, but he owned it, and I knew right then, I wanted to be able to respond like that.

Earlier this year at another friend’s shop, I saw this pillow and picked it up and held it every time I walked in. It’s a frivolous purchase, like I need one more pillow, but still remember it and how it made me smile. The original pillow sold, but a couple of weeks ago I was talking with my friend and mentioned that pillow. She offered to special order me a new one.

Kendall Designs

My daughter says it looks like I killed a Yak, but I see God’s favor.

When this post airs, I’ll be sitting in the same church for the second time and I’m treating it like a date, so let’s see if we make it to number three. Sometimes God’s goodness is tangible like this pillow, but it isn’t always so obvious. The true goodness in life is God Himself consistently showing up. Maybe I’ll practice saying, “Blessed and highly favored”, at church. That’ll reveal pretty quick if I’m at the right building.

TobyMac-The Goodness

Queen of Everything

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After posting The Writing Robe, I reached out to my friend Jordan, and asked if she had a robe from Honest Cotton that I could try. She had two robes, and invited me to stop in anytime to try them on. đź’–

To walk into Jordan’s studio is a treat for the senses. There’s low vibe music softly playing, and the temperature of the room is just right. You can smell the aroma of essential oils being used, and it makes you want to stand there and inhale deeply. Jordan specializes in Chinese medicine and owns Common Thread Wellness down the street from my home.

I tried on the robe in a khaki color and it felt great, but had to try on the other one in ecru, which is a candlelight color. This pale color amused me envisioning the short amount of time it would last after an explosion from the coffee bar, or the first time I sit in something on the bench outside, or when any of our three pets brushed by while wearing it.

This robe is plenty long. I’m 5’9″, and it tickles my ankles. There’s so much fabric to it, I have to roll up the sleeves to type. I love slipping it on first thing in the morning, and have it hanging on a hook near an A/C vent. It’s like enveloping yourself in chilled gauze. Walking through the house I can feel it flowing along behind me.

Honest Cotton Robe

Years ago my daughter came home with this little metal sign as a gift for me. She handed it to me with a grin, and it’s one of my favorite things. It’s hanging from a lamp that sits on my desk, as a much needed reminder on those difficult days. It says, “Queen of Everything!”

Strolling from my desk to the window scanning the front yard, lining up tasks in my head, I give the robe a tug and feel it resting on my shoulders. This robe makes one feel like Queen of Everything.

The featured photo is Jordan’s dog in studio. The mantra for her business is – ‘Connecting the common thread between body + mind + spirit.’ It’s not only used for her business, but how she lives her life.

To Be Seen

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“It’s better to be seen than viewed”, said the cashier at the gas station. That phrase has stuck with me for almost a year. We were just making small talk, and then those words fell out of his mouth as I headed toward the door.

The people who walk through our lives are important, and we need to pay attention to who steps in and what they say because most have a message.

When we first moved here, there weren’t many people walking this neighborhood. There was the occasional runner, or someone would zoom by on a bicycle, but no one just strolling the streets. A year ago I began a simple habit of walking to the end of the street as a friendly presence in the neighborhood. I’ve met a good many neighbors and been doing this for long enough now, when they see me coming they stop and talk.

The time or day doesn’t matter so much as the doing.

This is not considered exercise. I literally step outside in whatever I’m wearing and stroll the nearby streets. My daughter got tickled at me one day when I walked out the door and forgot to leave my glasses at home. I was wrapped up in my favorite cardigan and my glasses were still sitting atop my head as we strolled, but it didn’t bother me because I want to be seen for who I am.

A writer.

To be a writer, you need to release your words. To be a good neighbor, you need to keep them.

An excerpt from the book.

I enjoyed all of your fun comments on my previous post Embracing the New. Here’s a couple of photos I shared in my Fearless community taken with my new phone. I wanted to capture the tiny detail of the yellow flower blooming, and it did that, but it also but picked up every vein in the leaves. I love how the pot sitting below is blurry like it’s not supposed to be the focus.

Focused on the details.
The bigger picture.

We do not see our size. We do not view ourselves with accuracy. We are far larger, far more marvelous, far more deeply and consistently creative than we recognize or know.

Pg. 48 of ‘A Right to Write’, by Julia Cameron.

Here’s to showing up in true form and allowing ourselves to be seen. Much love-Barb.

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Worth the Drive

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In yesterday’s post, I revealed the soap at a local Shoppe that is my new love, but what really caused me to revisit the Shoppe three days later was this dish.

dish

I saw it last week, but try not to make impulsive purchases. I’m particular about what comes into our home, but this little dish spoke to me about the tea cart.

Our home offers a coffee bar and tea cart. The cart came to us through a neighbor. It’s been used as a chopping station for her kitchen, but I saw it as a space for tea. The wood surface reveals stains and scarring, but I see it as evidence of serving it’s purpose.

In our home it holds a new purpose.

teabar

I bought the dish to hold our tea utensils, and give space for the tea bag to rest and cool before discarding.

It’s like that little dish knew where it’s home was. All I had to do was say, ‘Yes’, and go back and get it. I’ve learned there’s power in the pause. If I would have walked into the Shoppe and it was gone, then it wasn’t meant for me, but it was still there days later.

Driving back to the Shoppe for this dish, also gave me a new soap to love. Follow your heart. It’s worth the drive.