The end of August and beginning of September have been way too eventful for my taste.

We lost our Tony at the beginning of the last week of August.

Tony always had to have something in his mouth. He was working through some issues. 😊 And he also liked to explore outside of where he was supposed to be. He tended to follow his nose instead of his common sense... but he was a dog, so 🤷‍♀️.

We think he may have put something poisonous in his mouth. His symptoms pointed in that direction, and a friend’s vet told her they’ve been seeing animals come in after eating a mouse or something else that had gotten into rat poison. The ER Vet did her best to help Tony, but…

Losing him was incredibly hard.

Thank goodness one of my friends gave me a Reiki session. It helped pull me out of that deep sadness, and now, when I think about Tony, I can much more easily remember all of his funny antics and quirky little Tony ways instead of replaying those last awful moments when I couldn’t do anything to help him.

And then, right at the beginning of September—we found out that two of Harold’s good friends had passed away.

It feels like it should be WAY farther into September than September 6th as I’m sitting here writing this newsletter.

And if things really do come in threes, I’m officially declaring us DONE with people and animals dying for a very, very long time.

But something wonderful happened in the middle of all of this.

On August 31st, Charlie came into our lives. 💚

Our friend had taken Charlie in after Charlie’s owner passed away, but Charlie never quite fit in with the gang of heeler dogs he was living with. When our friend heard that we had lost Tony, he offered Charlie to us.

Charlie had visited us before and gotten along with my boys, especially Leroy, my black Lab. So it didn’t take me very long to say YES.

Charlie is 6+ years old and seems to be a mix of yellow Lab and maybe some kind of Golden something. 🤣 He also arrived with his own set of quirks, including some serious anxiety about riding in the car—and possibly motion sickness. We’re still working on figuring that one out.

But somehow, he just fits here.

Even the cats didn’t complain, which says a LOT.

We’re currently negotiating a few household rules, including bedtime, why he doesn’t need to try to hold my hand in his mouth, why a roughly 100-pound dog probably shouldn’t jump on me when he’s excited... and NO, he is NOT a lap dog. 🤣

But it’s awfully hard to stay sad when I look over and see this big, sweet boy trying his best to take care of me.

I think maybe Charlie needed us at exactly the same time we needed Charlie.

And now... you’re caught up on the latest happenings here at My Healing Garden. 💚

🌿 Sometimes a Slight Change in Perspective Makes Everything Clear

Can you believe these two photos were taken within a minute of each other?

This year has been extra challenging gardening-wise. Usually I have great success with just about anything I plant... except zucchini. But since everyone ELSE seems to have great success with zucchini, I can get as many of those as I want.🥳

Part of my “WTH is going on with my garden this year?” has been wondering what happened to all the sunflower seeds I planted. Out of ALL those seeds, only two came up, and so far only one has bloomed.

You’re looking at the lucky winner. 🌻

Of course, I had to commemorate the moment with a picture.

So there I was yesterday, while the clouds were playing patti cake in the sky and teasing me with rain that never actually came, trying to get a good picture of my one beautiful sunflower.

I stood in one spot and took picture after picture because, from where I was standing, the sunflower looked GREAT.

But every picture looked like the first one.

I kept trying. Different picture. Same spot. Same problem.

Finally, I moved over about two steps and changed the angle just a little bit.

And there she was.

Almost as pretty in the picture as she is in real life. 🌻

(I couldn’t get the clouds to cooperate and move out of the way so I could have that beautiful blue-sky background... but apparently there are limits to what changing your perspective can accomplish.🤣)

And it got me thinking...

How often do we do exactly the same thing in our lives?

We’re trying to figure something out. We’re worried about something. We want an answer. So we keep looking at the situation from the same place, pushing in the direction we think is best and essentially “taking the picture from the exact same spot” over and over again.

And we wonder why we still can’t see clearly.

Sometimes we don’t need to try harder.

Sometimes we just need to move two steps over.

A slightly different perspective can make something that seemed confusing suddenly become clear as a bell.

And then it hit me...

That’s a lot of what I do during an Intuitive Reading.

I get to “look in” from a different perspective. I’m not standing in the middle of the situation with all the emotions, history, worries and what-ifs surrounding it.

And many times, when I share what I “see,” something that has been concerning or confusing my client suddenly looks very different to them.

The situation itself may not have changed at all… yet.

They’re just seeing it from a different angle.

It’s amazing how sometimes all it takes is someone else “looking in” to help us see what was there all along.

✨ Things Come in 3s... This Time in a GOOD Way

The Sanctuary Orgonite Collection™ is complete.

I was so sure I was meant to create two pendants and a pyramid for this collection. And who knows—the pyramid may still be in the cards for later.

But even after I finished the pyramid I thought belonged with the collection, I kept “getting” that I wasn’t done.

And then I saw it in my mind...

The Sentinel™.

I knew I had to make it.

When everything had cured and I finally got to hold all three pendants together—The Shield™, The Guardian™, and The Sentinel™—I knew.

There they are. That’s the collection.

I’m still not quite sure where that pyramid fits into all of this. 🫣 But I DO know these three pendants belong together. Each one offers a different kind of support, and together they feel like a little team created to help us move through the world feeling protected, grounded, and aware.

🛡️ The Shield™ — Boundaries
Feel calm. Stay open. Be protected.
The one I’d reach for when I’m around a lot of people or strong energy, when I’m feeling especially sensitive, or when I want to remain open without absorbing everything around me. Especially nice for my fellow empaths and those of us who feel ALL THE THINGS. 😊

🛡️ The Guardian™ — Stability
Stand grounded. Stay clear. Be held.
The one I’d choose when life feels unsettled, stressful, or just plain chaotic—when I need to feel grounded, centered, and steady in my own space.

🛡️ The Sentinel™ — Discernment
Stay aware. Stand strong. Trust yourself.
The one I’d wear when I need clarity—when I’m making decisions, questioning what I’m sensing, dealing with conflicting information, or simply want that reminder to pay attention and trust my own inner knowing.

And some days?

I might need The Shield. Other days, The Guardian. And there are definitely days when The Sentinel needs to come along.

Maybe that’s why there needed to be three. 💙

Boundaries. Stability. Discernment.

Three different kinds of support for three different kinds of days.

And THIS is the kind of “things come in threes” I can happily get behind. 🥰

🦋 What’s New at My Healing Sanctuary?

I’ve been having so much fun adding little touches to My Healing Sanctuary to make a stay here even more special.

Guests now have an Earthing® Yoga Mat and a portable infrared sauna blanket available to use during their stay.

And I’m not done yet. 🥰 I have a growing list of other “healing” goodies I’d love to add as I continue turning the Sanctuary into the kind of place where you can truly rest, reset, reconnect and simply be.

More to come... 💚

P.S. Do you have a favorite podcast that you think might resonate with what we do at My Healing Garden? If someone comes to mind, I'd be so grateful if you'd tell them about us or suggest My Healing Garden as a guest. 💚

And if you happen to have a podcast of your own and think we'd be a good fit for your listeners, I'd love to hear from you!

Word of mouth has always meant so much to us, and it's one of the loveliest ways new people find their way to My Healing Garden. ✨

P.P.S. We're often told that our products and services are worth more than what we charge. While we deeply value the time, care, love, and intention that go into everything we offer, we've always tried to keep our prices as accessible as we reasonably can.

Because at the end of the day, what's most important to us is helping more people have access to tools and support for their own healing journey. ✨

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