Happy Holidays 2020

The Christmas Reindeer Duo

When we were shopping at Costco in November, we checked out all the Christmas decorations and other Christmas goodies. In the main Christmas aisle, there were two kinds of reindeer. One set was all lit and mostly made up of white lights. Then there were two other reindeer, brown resin, with gold antlers and golden collars. One was on alert and facing forward, looking very noble, and the other looked as if he was grazing with his head and antlers slanted down toward the ground. I really liked this reindeer duo and they kept recurring in my thoughts.

We talked about it and thought that we could use them all year round in our back yard, but worried that they would wear out easily in the hot California sun. Time slipped away and we never acted on purchasing them. Then a week before Christmas, I went online to see if we could still purchase them. After searching several times, I thought they were sold out and felt so disappointed.

And then with one last try, I saw them on the Costco website. We were both excited when our purchase went through and we knew they would soon be ours. An 18-wheeler truck pulled up to our home to deliver the very big box that housed our new regal friends.

We placed them in the back yard at the side of our home so neighbors walking by on the street would be able to see and enjoy them. As dusk arrives, a solar floodlight shines on them, illuminating their golden antlers under a star-lit sky.

Sharbel surprised me by adding a dash of Christmas lights behind them on our small white fence that divides the side yard from the back yard. They make me smile every time I see my reindeer duo. Stationed outside one of our bedroom windows, I greet them both every morning upon opening the blinds with appreciation for their grace and beauty.

Here are our lovely new deer that now grace our back yard. My husband shone a floodlight on them and added another dash of Christmas spirit by putting some Christmas lights on the fence near them, adding to the beauty and fun of our Christmas experience this year. Photo by Donna El Haber, 2020. All rights reserved.

Our Angels and Santa Clauses

As an angel minister, I am someone who feels angels so deeply within my heart. So around our home and in our garden, we have many angel statues and figurines. I recently shared such a sweet Thanksgiving story in my blog about two of the angels we recently purchased at HomeGoods, gifting one of them to a cashier who fell in love with an angel holding a cat.  Some of the angels in our home looked even more special after Sharbel added some lovely Christmas lights.

Some angels in our home are aglow with the light of Christmas love. This angel was one that my husband bought me for Valentine’s Day a few years ago. We put sacred pennies we find on the ground, a symbol of angels telling you they are near, in her bird bath. . Photo by Donna El Haber, 2020. All rights reserved.

My husband Sharbel added a beautiful touch of Christmas lighting to our fireplace mantel as part of our Christmas decorations. Our angel statue looks so touched by his gesture. Photo by Donna El Haber, 2020. All rights reserved.

We also purchased two sweet Santa Clauses, a grey one for the downstairs area, and a gold one for our upstairs bonus room. It’s lovely to have one Santa greet us as we come in our front door and another to welcome us upstairs.

Our Christmas Podcast

The day before Christmas here in San Diego was very overcast and windy. I loved it as it felt more moody and East Coast to me. Today, however, on Christmas Day, it returned to a bright and beautiful typical San Diego day.

We spent a leisurely morning in rest and in prayer. Then we decided to splurge and have a delicious brunch of French toast and pure maple syrup along with a mixed green salad followed by a small vegan chocolate cake. Using special croissant toast bread we bought at Whole Foods , we cooked it in our Ninja Foodi air fryer. I added cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla extract to the egg mixture along with some rice milk. It was scrumptious. We also savored our small pieces of chocolate cake and hot tea.

We enjoyed two small pieces of our mini vegan chocolate cake. They were delicious and a special way to help celebrate Christmas. Photo by Donna El Haber, 2020. All rights reserved.

As we were enjoying each other and our quiet conversation, our delicious brunch, the beautiful Christmas music softly playing in the background, the peace of our home, the beauty of nature in our back yard on this sunny and mild day, and my handsome and loving dog draped over my feet under the dinette table, our hearts were filled with so much gratitude. It was a kind of “agape” experience. Agape is the highest form of love. It is unconditional and overflowing. This kind of love fills your heart to the point that you cannot contain it and want to share it with others and God.

Our Christmas flowers that we lovingly arranged in a vase added to the beauty and spirit of Christmas in our home. Photo by Donna El Haber, 2020. All rights reserved.

During our conversation, we began talking about my husband’s dream of doing our spiritual work together. Recently he purchased some equipment so we could be ready to begin recording podcasts and offering webinars and Zoom meetings in the New Year. He has long wanted us to work together. Indeed, he first began talking about this very early on after we had connected online. So many obstacles, however, were in the way preventing this dream from manifesting.

However, this year Sharbel was determined to make it happen. He believes there are so many people who are hurting and suffering and in need of guidance, counseling, coaching and healing. When he hears of couples breaking up, especially those who have children, he wishes he could have helped, intervened and helped change their decision. Helping people is so important to him. It is his passion and purpose. So I asked him, “Why don’t you get the microphone and let’s just start having a conversation? It will be our first podcast that will include a Christmas message from us.”

His whole face lit up and he took very little time to get up and retrieve our new microphone. And so we began our first podcast. It has a conversation about our Christmas activities, prayers and messages from the angels and a special meditation from my husband to help uplift your heart. The archangels Ooniemme, the Angel of Gratitude, Remiel, the Angel of Mercy, and Uzziel, the Angel of Faith, all showed up to share their love and wisdom with us. We wanted to include you in our special Christmas experience. So there are links below to our 30-minute podcast, as well as two other links, one to my angel prayer and meditation and another to Sharbel’s sweet and uplifting meditation.

We hope you enjoy our discussion, meditations and the wise messages from these three powerful angels. If you get a chance to listen to our first podcast and you like it, please share it with others. In addition to these three links, we will be creating a YouTube link and add this podcast to the Love Healing and Miracles YouTube channel.

Sharing Our Love and Light

This year has been very difficult and challenging for so many. It’s why I provided many resources in my recent blog posts, especially during this COVID-19 health crisis. In a recent post, I provided links to all my COVID-19 posts as well as a link to my post on how homeopathy can help those suffering with COVID-19. You can find these links in this post. I also have posted three of my four blog posts in a series about what to do after you have been diagnosed with a chronic disease or serious illness.

My husband and I love working together.  Over the years, he has worked tirelessly to put every one of my blog posts up on my website with so much artistic care and attention to detail. We support each other in so many ways and are so grateful for our friendship and love that we believe has been divinely ordained. For those who are given so much, much is expected. It is our joy to be in service in whatever ways we can. We enjoy sharing our love and our light. In fact, our new website that will soon be up will have the URL, www.sharingourlight.com.

Sharbel and I hope you have a wonderful rest of your holiday. You might want to begin thinking about the intentions you want to set for the New Year. Our thoughts and beliefs are so powerful and deeply affect the reality we are always co-creating. We invite you to check out our first podcast because we really wanted to share our Christmas with you and help uplift your heart in this challenging and very unusual year. If you do, please share it with others and feel free to leave any comments here on this site or to email us at info@lovehealingandmiracles.com.

We will be sharing more information with you in the weeks to come about the work Sharbel and I are planning to do together to help others. You can sign up on my website below to receive updates and information about future blog posts.

A Blessing for the New Year

I want to leave you this late Christmas evening with a beautiful poem I happened upon this week by John O’Donohue, a poet, theologian, and philosopher who died in 2008. It is called “Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year.” Beannacht is the Gaelic word for blessing. Here is his haunting, uplifting and gorgeous poem. What he wishes for you, I also wish for you in the New Year. If you go to this link or click on the YouTube video below, you will have the extra treat of hearing this remarkable poet read his poem.

Beannacht: A Blessing for the New Year

For Josie

On the day when
The weight deadens
On your shoulders
And you stumble,
May the clay dance
To balance you.

And when your eyes
Freeze behind
The grey window
And the ghost of loss
Gets in to you,
May a flock of colours,
Indigo, red, green,
And azure blue,
Come to awaken in you
A meadow of delight.

When the canvas frays
In the currach of thought
And a stain of ocean
Blackens beneath you,
May there come across the waters
A path of yellow moonlight
To bring you safely home.

May the nourishment of the earth be yours,
May the clarity of light be yours,
May the fluency of the ocean be yours,
May the protection of the ancestors be yours.

And so may a slow
Wind work these words
Of love around you,
An invisible cloak
To mind your life.

[Note: “Beannacht” is the Gaelic word for “blessing.” A “currach” is a large boat used on the west coast of Ireland.]

With love, healing and so many Christmas and holiday miracles,

Rev. Donna El Haber