Barley the Black Bear Appears | Day #3 | July 2025
For the one who doesn’t need fixing... just holding.
Welcome to Wondermere, dear soul.
You’ve just stepped into a tender corner of The Garden… a living story-world where joy is sacred, play is healing, and becoming yourSelf is the most wondrous journey of all.
This is where your Divine Inner Child is never too much.
Where magic is ordinary.
Where slow, soulful creativity is a portal back to wholeness.
Whether you're curled up in the Storykeeper’s Loft, wandering the mossy paths of Hearthglow Hollow, or simply pausing here to breathe… know this:
✨ You are always welcome in Wondermere.
And you belong just as you are.
If what you read here lights a spark in your heart, I warmly invite you to support this magical realm by becoming a paid subscriber.
✨ Paid members receive:
Monthly Whispers from Wondermere
Printable playbooks + coloring pages
Soft rituals, birthday blessings + surprise drops
And access to The Storykeeper’s Loft
But truly? Whether you choose to subscribe or simply wander with us for a while…
Your presence is felt.
Your magic is real.
And this space is for you.
Welcome back to Hearthglow Hollow, where your nervous system unbraces, and you’re finally met with the kind of softness you’ve always offered everyone else.
Your Companion: Barley the Black Bear
He’s still seated beneath the old tree, mossy shawl draped over his broad shoulders.
He doesn’t rush. Doesn’t blink in expectation.
He just makes room for you. All of you.
When you sit beside him, the earth feels warmer. The silence feels kinder.
And then — in a voice like warm tea and dusk — he says:
“You’ve spent a lifetime being the safe place for everyone else.
It’s time you became that for you.”
A Message from Barley
“Softness isn’t the opposite of strength.
It’s the proof that you’ve survived what tried to harden you.You don’t need to hold it all.
You just need to stop holding yourself apart from the care you offer others.You are worthy of stillness.
Worthy of being held.
Worthy… without conditions.”
Ritual: The “I Am Held” Return
Wrap yourself in something warm… a blanket, a sweater, a scarf.
Hold a mug of something comforting. And sit somewhere quiet.
Place both hands around the mug.
Say aloud:
“This is my sanctuary.”
“My body is not a machine.”
“I am not behind… I am being returned to myself.”
Breathe in. Sip slowly.
No agenda. Just warmth. Just presence.
You don’t have to do anything else. That is the practice.
Your Choice
Barley reaches into a basket of hand-stitched cloth squares and lets you choose one by feel. Each carries a truth stitched in golden thread:
“I am allowed to rest.”
“My tenderness is enough.”
“I release the need to brace.”
Which one will you carry away with you today?
Journal Entry: What My Tenderness Wants Me to Know
Begin with:
“If I stopped bracing, I would feel…”
Then write without editing.
Let your body speak before your brain interrupts.
The part of you that’s always holding everyone else?
She finally gets to be heard.
Remember This
You’re not fragile… you’re full.
Full of feeling. Full of wisdom. Full of unprocessed gentleness that finally deserves to land.
Barley doesn’t need you to be better.
He just needs you to be here.
Wisdom Stone
“You can land gently in your own arms now.”
You’ve been the safe place for so many.
Now let your own softness become your sanctuary.
© 2025 Wondermere™ by Dawna Kreis
All content is lovingly crafted and protected. Please don’t copy, reproduce, or share outside the Garden Playhouse without permission.
Select illustrations co-created with the help of AI, guided by Dawna’s original character designs and imagination.
If you’re loving the Friendfolk...
And if something here made your heart feel a little more seen,
there’s a simple way to support the magic:
✨ Buy Me a Cup
Think of it as tucking a note of kindness beneath the Storykeeper’s door…
a one-time gesture that helps keep the lanterns lit in Wondermere.
Every sip fuels the next Friendfolk tale, the next map sketch, the next soft whisper of belonging.
Your presence is already a gift.
But if you’d like to give a little more, the door is open, and always grateful.
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