This subject is not to be taken lightly. 

Let us not fool ourselves into thinking that at the end of this

"financial crisis" life will return to any past image of "normalcy".

It will never be the same.  Global change is not going to reverse.

Fossil fuels, which have been the engine driving our luxurious,

extravagant lifestyles are not going to define our future--not if we

are to survive.  Even if we do discover small pockets of ancient

sunlight remaining underground, we have discovered that it is

poison.  It poisons the earth, the air, the water, and our bodies.

Not being the same doesn't spell disaster.  It can as easily

produce a future far grander than we can now imagine.

We have been enculturated into believing that more is better,

bigger is better, that to climb the ladder of success means to

accumulate "stuff" and accolades, and figures on pieces of paper.

Just because society has taught us something does not

necessarily make it so.

Stop a while.  Get quiet.  Go into your heart and listen there.

What is it that we all want?  No, not that nice house or new

dress, or more money.  What do we truly want?  We all want

happiness.  Our error has come in allowing others to determine

for us what happiness looks like.  We all know how quickly the

luster wears off new things.  There is always the "next new

thing"--and its' shine wears off just as quickly.  Stop and look

at one of the "toys" you bought a while ago.  How does that

"feel"?  Inside.

Now recall the smile that lights a childs face when you arrive

home after being gone.  Recall how your dog wags his entire

body in greeting.  Recall that glorious sunshine after days of

rain (we've just had a few:>).  Feel your heart now.  It's

different, isn't it?  Happiness is an inside job.  It comes from

feelings of love and true appreciation and wonder for what is.

I believe there will be a time, in our not-too-distant future, when

goods and products which are produced at large distances will no

longer be available to us.  We will no longer be able to run to

Walmart to replace any small item, regardless how necessary it

may seem to us; when our food will necessarily be what we can

grow and raise locally. 

Do not believe the media.  They have gotten us here.  Their only

job is to sell us to the highest bidder (advertiser).Let us become

independent and think for ourselves.  Let reality and our feelings 

determine what we see and do. 

This future can be filled with wonderful times as we renew our

relationships with both the land and our fellow creatures (we may

eat less meat:>)--and  perhaps even get to know our neighbors.

Any of us who have made any attempt to transform ourselves or

our lives, knows that it is long-term, challenging and ultimately 

truly satisfying.  It is the journey where the fun takes place, and

not an end goal, that is in our sights daily.

I broke my neck in an auto accident ten years ago.  I had been

divorced for one week to the day.  I had no adequate medical

insurance.  But it wasn't the accident or the injuries that brought

my life to an about face.  It was two years later, when I lost the

job I had been doing for the previous fourteen years.  I'd lost my

partner, my health, and my livlihood--my reason for being.......my

Mother used to say that things came in threes!  It was then that

I stopped and questioned myself and my life.  And I learned that....

I have thoughts.  I am not my thoughts.

I have feelings.  I am not my feelings.

I do things.  I am not what I do.

I am the Consciousness in which my thoughts, feelings and

actions show up.

This is lesson number one on our Journey.  It takes constant

remembrance, especially in the beginning.  It gets easier over

time.

Therefore, let us pause here and practice Lesson #1.  It is one of

the most important lessons we will ever learn, and much depends

on it.  It may seem esoteric, yet its' practical implications, as

you shall see, are endless.

"When you are aware that you are the force that is Life,

anything is possible.  Miracles happen all the time, because

those miracles are performed by the heart.  The heart is

in direct communion with the human soul, and when the

heart speaks, even with the resistance of the head,

something inside you changes;  your heart opens another

heart, and true love is possible." 

(Don Miguel Ruiz)

  

***Heartmath takes us to the core of our Being.***

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com 

 

One World, One Consciousness--that is Love.

This morning within my morning news was imbedded the following

open letter to Obama by author/activist Alice Walker.  I am so

inspired by the courage and forthrightness that I felt called to

reproduce it here and to expand on the optimism of this moment.

Let me first remind you that "democracy is not a spectator

sport".  While new toys, including our adult toys of cars,

fancy duds et al, lose their luster, their fascination and

satisfaction quickly, new friends and new ways of seeing and

interacting with our world continue to bring love and satisfaction 

into our lives, growing exponentially as time passes.  These are

the true gifts we give to ourselves and to the Whole.  These gifts 

expand the heart.

From Alice Walker:

"Dear Brother President-Elect Obama,

You have no idea, really, of how profound this moment is for us.

Us being the black people of the Southern United States. You   

think you know, because you are thoughtful, and you have

studied our history. But seeing you deliver the torch so many

others before you carried, year after year, decade after decade,

century after century, only to be struck down before igniting the

flame of justice and of law, is almost more than the heart can 

bear. And yet, this observation is not intended to burden you, for

you are of a different time, and, indeed, because of all the relay

runners before you, North America is a different place. It is really

only to say: Well done. We knew, through all the generations, that

you were with us, in us, the best of the spirit of Africa and of the  

Americas. Knowing this, that you would actually appear, someday,

was part of our strength. Seeing you take your rightful place, based

solely on your wisdom, stamina and character, is a balm for the

weary warriors of hope, previously only sung about.

I would advise you to remember that you did not create the

disaster that the world is experiencing, and you alone are not

responsible for bringing the world back to balance. A primary

responsibility that you do have, however, is to cultivate

happiness in your own life. To make a schedule that permits

sufficient time of rest and play with your gorgeous wife and

lovely daughters. And so on. One gathers that your family is

large. We are used to seeing men in the White House soon  

become juiceless and as white-haired as the building; we notice

their wives and children looking strained and stressed. They soon

have smiles so lacking in joy that they remind us of scissors. This

is no way to lead. Nor does your family deserve this fate. One way

of thinking about all this is: It is so bad now that there is no  

excuse not to relax. From your happy, relaxed state, you can

model real success, which is all that so many people in the world

really want. They may buy endless cars and houses and furs and

gobble up all the attention and space they can manage, or barely

manage, but this is because it is not yet clear to them that

success is truly an inside job. That it is within the reach of almost

everyone I would further advise you not to take on other people's

enemies. Most damage that others do to us is out of fear,

humiliation and pain. Those feelings occur in all of us, not just in

those of us who profess a certain religious or racial devotion. We   

must learn actually not to have enemies, but only confused

adversaries who are ourselves in disguise. It is understood by all

that you are commander in chief of the United States and are sworn

to protect our beloved country; this we understand, completely.

However, as my mother used to say, quoting a Bible with which I

often fought, "hate the sin, but love the sinner." There must be

no more crushing of whole communities, no more torture, no more

dehumanizing as a means of ruling a people's spirit. This has

already happened to people of color, poor people, women,

children. We see where this leads, where it has led.

A good model of how to "work with the enemy" internally is

presented by the Dalai Lama, in his endless caretaking of his soul

as he confronts the Chinese government that invaded Tibet.

Because, finally, it is the soul that must be preserved, if one is to

remain a credible leader. All else might be lost; but when the soul

dies, the connection to earth, to peoples, to animals, to rivers, to

mountain ranges, purple and majestic, also dies. And your smile,

with which we watch you do gracious battle with unjust

characterizations, distortions and lies, is that expression of

healthy self-worth, spirit and soul, that, kept happy and free

and relaxed, can find an answering smile in all of us, lighting our

way, and brightening the world.

We are the ones we have been waiting for.


In Peace and Joy,
Alice Walker"

Today as we honour and mourn our Veterans, and those still in

service, let us look forward with hope and optimism.  Let us

commit to making this country the country worthy of their lives

and their service.  They have done the larger part, let us each

do ours.

The future is as bright as we commit to making it by focusing on

our interdependence and by learning to live in alliance with our

deepest values, those that are formulated in the heart, the very

core of our Being.

We're sick of it, we're sick of the starving children, the abused

women, the wars.  If Obama starts to go in the wrong direction

it's up to us to turn the boat around.

The world is in such terrible shape that we must all participate

to change it.

This is one of my all-time favourite quotes from Einstein.  I think

it is particularly relevant to this time.

"A human being is a part of a whole, called by us "universe", a

part limited in time and space.  He experiences himself, his

thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest...

a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.  This delusion

is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires

and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.  Our task

must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our

circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the

whole of nature in its beauty."

I am thrilled that Barack Obama has been elected.  However this

is not the end of our work as his supporters, it is the beginning.

So, what do we do now?  How do we learn to live sustainably?

What we must do is to bring about real and meaningful, lasting

change in this world.  It begins at home.  It begins within.

--Since 1960, thirty percent of all wild animals on earth have

vanished, almost one-third. 

--In the last 24 hours, 50,000 to 60,000 people have died of

starvation around the world (about 30,000 of them, children). 

--In the last 24 hours 100 species have gone extinct.

--In the last 24 hours at least one-quarter million acres of rain-

forest have been destroyed.

--In the last 24 hours at least ten million tons of highly toxic

waste, not landfill, have been realeased into our air and our

waters and our soil. 

And yet, I am hopeful.  I am hopeful because if this young man

has been willing and able to raise himself to the height of

President of the strongest nation on earth by organizing from the

grass roots up, which he has done, who am I not to offer my

small share to support our dreams?

Obama has spoken about "greening" our economy.  That would

satisfy two of our major problems--employment and our

dependence on outside sources for energy.  What can we do to

contribute to this aspect of the plan?  How can we support him in

this endeavour?--and how can we push it forward? Van Jones has

written a fantastic book on the subject, "the Green Collar Economy".

I am hopeful too, because New Hampshire has voted a majority of

women into its House seats.  I'm not saying this as a "sexist". 

We have learned that it is not the agricultural revolution, nor the

use of oil, or availability of food that has caused this population

explosion in one "tribe".  What modern sociologists have found is

that, in those cultures where women have relatively equal power

to men, there's a flip that happens and it'll very often happen in

a single generation, where population goes to replacement and no

more.  It happens regardless of access to technology and its

regardless of access to wealth.  

How do we heal from the wounds our country and our world has

suffered?  And how do we provide for all while living this life that

restores us and our earth to Wholeness? 

One could say that the most powerful movement in the world

to stabilize population, to diminish, reduce, hopefully even

reverse the destruction that we're doing to the planet;  the

most powerful movement for human rights, for civil rights, for

the rights of life on this planet, is the women's movement.

The future is not going to be like the past.  It cannot be.  We

must face reality.  It would take four planet earths to provide

the natural resources to make all the things for the standard of

living that we, here in the US, consider the poverty threshold.   

Our work has only begun--but we will learn the lessons we must

and we will walk this Path toward Wholeness together.  I know

of no tools and techniques more applicable to these challenges

we face today than those offered within the Heartmath system.

With Heartmath we traverse the path all the way from defining

our true, core values to learning to live in this world of stress

and tribulations happily, peacefully and honourably within those

values.

--More than 70% of Americans want national health care.

--More than 90% of Americans want clean air and food.

--More than 90% of Americans want to know the country of origin

of the food we eat (GMO free etc).

--More than 60% want a structured social safety net that includes

unemployment insurance and strong social security, retirement

and pension programs.

These are not policies from the "left", we're centrist, we're the

majority.  We must learn to live in the world, not to occupy it.

Please come visit me at:

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

and let's talk about Heartmath.  We all have a part to play. 

We all count and together "yes, we can..........."

There's only one.  We are all a part of that One.

Peace Day 2008!!

Well, how are we doing folks??  Peace Day '08--are we all feeling

more peaceful than in '07?

Peace begins at home.  It begins within and radiates outward.  If

there is not peace in your heart--and mind--then you cannot

purport to give, or teach, or share, what you do not have. 

We can only try to understand others by questioning our own

attitudes and feelings!  Understanding is something you reach

for; understanding is a process, it's a great search that we never

fulfill.

Peace, to me is like "being".  It is something one does every day.

I don't think I'm the only one that did not just suddenly wake up

one day infused with nothing but peace and love.  It was, and is

a journey for me.  I am more peaceful and loving than I was ten

years ago--but I'm not there yet.   I'm not even sure that there is

a destination--during this lifetime:>)  So I work on it every day

and every once in a while I actually notice that I am different

than I was previously.  It does take more to "get to me" and I

can sit back and remain calm in circumstances that might at

another time caused me to "lose it" entirely.

I had meditated for a number of years before I really moved from

meditating "in my head", with or without my thoughts, to truly

resting in my heart--where true peace is born and resides.

Learning and studying Heartmath helped me through that

transition.

Now, knowing that we cannot remain "in peace" while living

behind the walls we build to protect our "I's", and knowing that

we are in a dire situation where we must begin to replace those

"me" thoughts with "we" thoughts, I'm going to return to my

rather lengthy--as it's turning out--story about Our Planet.

We have an imperative before us--we're either facing a new

period of enlightenment and it's a new Renaissance, or

we're facing a new Dark Age.  And the choice is up to us and

we've got to hurry--and that means we have to be informed. 

There is a tremendous lot for us to educate ourselves about

however and that takes time and most often words.......

Join me at:

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

for some Heartmath.   Moving from your head to your heart is

without any doubt the very best gift you can give to yourself or

to the world...........and this is

Peace Day 2008!

The Swiss consume the equivalent of 5 global hectares to

maintain their lifestyle.  In the US we use 9.5!!   Do the Swiss

live lives only half as good or nice as ous?  Don't think so, they

just live differently.  It doesn't mean the end of progress or the

end of civilization it just means making some simple, easy to

incorporate lifestyle changes.

Realism in the US needs to change from "how little we can do"

to "what we need to do"........and for all of us to do all the

little things!

--use less plastics

--drive when it's necessary, not "for fun"

--eat less meat, and only good quality, well-raised meats

--buy locally grown and manufactured goods

--keep an eye on your thermostat

--&--change those silly light bulbs!!

I spoke about our furry and scaly friends, now I'll speak about

our food.

Our collective actions have massive impacts.  We have become

completely dependent on high-tech farming, which produces food

of much lower quality.  Our use of artificial fertilizers force feeds

crops to produce rapid growth while the "food" is drowning in

pesticides, fungicides and herbicides.

"By the end of the century we are promised a dazzling new world.

A world in which man will be in control of his environment."  (Dow

Chemical ad/promo)

Man has been involved in agriculture for some 11,000 years.  More

than half of that had been done by hand--horses, mules etc.   In

the 1950's we went through the "great acceleration" with

increased nitrogen fertilizer, increased fossil fuel burning, intense

land use changes and globilization of the economy and agriculture.

Earth's biosphere is becoming more homogenous making it more

similar and destroying bio-diversity.

We lose relisiance in systems when we make them simpler.

Transorming the surface of the earth to nono-cultures (Freudian

slip?? "no-no cultures?  Of course meant to be "mono-cultures) 

creates extreme vulnerability........and...........

.....half the world's people (about 3 billion) live on less than

$2.00 per day and depend on biodiversity for their survival.

They depend on the services that Nature provides--that we

are destroying.

It is ensuring that these, the poorest, most vulnerable people on

the planet have the right kind of options so that they can have

access to the things that make life better for them--the things

that protect their natural environment.  That's at issue here.

For those who think the world is getting better, go live in a small

remote village in the Amazon, Zambia or Madagascar--then report

back to me.

Third-world poverty is a luxury we can no longer afford.

As the economy expands, we get more houses, cars, boats, and

it costs in terms of tearing up the ecosystem.  We get less

services from forests as we cut down their trees.

This shows us the difference between sustainable and

unsustainable growth.  Take for example, the Aral Sea, or Lake

Chad, the Dead Sea or Jordan River in Israel where the form of

economic development focused on cotton production which

totally destroyed the environment and ultimately also, the cotton

production, and the area is now left with a total desert, a poison

desert filled with pesticides, DDT and so on.  The tragedy that's

occuring at the Dead Sea is that the Dead Sea is disappearing.  In

the last 50 years we've lost one-third of the Dead Sea, we've

diverted the water primarily for agriculture in the belief that we

could turn what is a desert into a "bread basket".

Since 1991 not a drop of water has flowed out of the Sea of

Galilea.  Instead of water flowing into the lower Jordan, what

now flows into the Jordan is sewage.  What used to flow into the

Dead Sea no longer flows.  There has been a drop of 25 meters

in depth to where the Dead Sea is today.

When we lose that habitat, we lose the wildlife, unique

ecosystems and oasis that Nature has given us.  They are being

lost.  You don't need to be Jesus anymore to cross the waters.

The waters have gone!

Two-thirds of all major rivers no longer reach their mouth.

We don't know the number and the interplay between species, or

what really contributes to the Earth's systems.  We don't know

which species or groups of species are the really important ones,

or how many species we can lose before we have really big change

in the functioning of the planet.

So, until we truly understad how ecosystems play together to

make the whole system function, it would be exceedingly

dangerous to identify organisms and to say "gee, that's not

really important".

We don't know which species we can safely lose with regard to

the functioning of the planet, and which ones really matter.  This

is the biggest decision humans have made since we've crawled

out of our caves and begun to alter the face of the Earth in a very

adverse fashion that will persist for millions of years. 

Do we really know what we're doing?  NO!!  But, we're moving

ahead as though we totally know--and we don't.

It is not rocket science.   It has been said that, "the best of

sustainable design is merely the cessation of stupidity"....just

not wasting something when you can avoid it.

Unfortunately, here in the US we've had two decades of stalled

tactics and devisive debate.  In Europe the debate is really just

two sides:  everyone who agrees there's a crisis they really

need to act on--and the people everyone agrees is wrong.

Reflect back to what I said in the beginning about the Swiss vs.

American lifestyles.  The best innovative work is being done in

Northern Europe.  There are a number of places, especially in the

Netherlands and Scandanavia where they're committing all

initiatives for renewable energy, where they're re-inventing their

transportation systems, re-designing their cities, doing truly

remarkable work. 

They are committing themselves to dramatic reductions in their

environmental impact.  Sweden's official goal is to become a

carbon neutral nation--while we're still stuck in denial!

And to leave you on a beautiful thought for Peace Day, 2008, let

me tell you about the "landmine detecting flowers"---in the

presence of some of the nitrogens that come out of landmines as

they decay, their blooms turn from white to red so you know

there's a landmine.  When there are hundreds of millions of

landmines scattered all over the world that we don't know where

they are, blowing people up, killing them....let's have bunches of

bright red, beautiful blossoms instead! 

--how cool is that?  Defeat a really bad, old technology,

landmines, with a really cool, beautiful, natural technology--

flowers!

On Peace Day, 2008 let me leave you with my own challenge.

How should I spend my time on this earth?

Each and every one of you can make a difference.  Do the little

things.

There are 195 countries in this world but there is only ONE

World.

This luxury phase for humanity is now over.

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

--where we maintain our well-being and put that money from

medical costs to better use.

--where we find ways to promote happiness and peace from the

place where it begins, in the heart of every one of us, and let

that love and good health radiate out from us to the world.

Sandi--wishing you a lovely, joyous and peaceful Peace Day '08

 

Deepak Chopra

Obama and the Palin Effect

Sometimes politics has the uncanny effect of mirroring the national

psyche even when nobody intended to do that. This is perfectly

illustrated by the rousing effect that Gov. Sarah Palin had on the

Republican convention in Minneapolis this week. On the surface, she

outdoes former Vice President Dan Quayle as an unlikely choice, given

her negligent parochial expertise in the complex affairs of governing. Her

state ofAlaska has less than 700,000 residents, which reduces the job of

governor to the scale of running one-tenth of New York City. By

comparison, Rudy Giuliani is a towering international figure. Palin's pluck

has been admired, and her forthrightness, but her real appeal goes

deeper.

She is the reverse of Barack Obama, in essence his shadow, deriding

his idealism and exhorting people to obey their worst impulses. In

psychological terms the shadow is that part of the psyche that hides out

of sight, countering our aspirations, virtue, and vision with qualities we

are ashamed to face: anger, fear, revenge, violence, selfishness, and

suspicion of "the other." For millions of Americans, Obama triggers those

feelings, but they don't want to express them. He is calling for us to reach

for our higher selves, and frankly, that stirs up hidden reactions of an

unsavory kind. (Just to be perfectly clear, I am not making a verbal play

out of the fact that Sen. Obama is black. The shadow is a metaphor

widely in use before his arrival on the scene.) I recognize that

psychological analysis of politics is usually not welcome by the public,

but I believe such a perspective can be helpful here to understand

Palin's message. In her acceptance speech Gov. Palin sent a rousing

call to those who want to celebrate their resistance to change and a

higher vision. 

Look at what she stands for:

--Small town values -- a denial of America's global role, a return to petty,

small-minded parochialism.

--Ignorance of world affairs -- a repudiation of the need to repair

America's image abroad.

--Family values -- a code for walling out anybody who makes a claim for

social justice. Such strangers, being outside the family, don't need to be

heeded.

--Rigid stands on guns and abortion -- a scornful repudiation that these

issues can be negotiated with those who disagree.

--Patriotism -- the usual fallback in a failed war.

--"Reform" -- an italicized term, since in addition to cleaning out corruption

and excessive spending, one also throws out anyone who doesn't fit your

ideology.

Palin reinforces the overall message of the reactionary right, which has

been in play since 1980, that social justice is liberal-radical, that  

minorities and immigrants, being different from "us" pure American types,

can be ignored, that progressivism takes too much effort and globalism is

a foreign threat. The radical right marches under the banners of "I'm all

right, Jack," and "Why change? Everything's OK as it is." The irony, of

course, is that Gov. Palin is a woman and a reactionary at the same time.

She can add mom to apple pie on her resume, while blithely reversing

forty years of feminist progress. The irony is superficial; there are

millions of women who stand on the side of conservatism, however

obviously they are voting against their own good. The Republicans have

won multiple national elections by raising shadow issues based on fear,

rejection, hostility to change, and narrow-mindedness.

Obama's call for higher ideals in politics can't be seen in a vacuum. The

shadow is real; it was bound to respond. Not just conservatives possess

a shadow -- we all do. So what comes next is a contest between the two

forces of progress and inertia. Will the shadow win again, or has its furtive

appeal become exhausted? No one can predict. The best thing about Gov.

Palin is that she brought this conflict to light, which makes the upcoming

debate honest. It would be a shame to elect another Reagan, whose  

smiling persona was a stalking horse for the reactionary forces that have

brought us to the demoralized state we are in. We deserve to see what

we are getting, without disguise.

And for a few words of my own.  We truly must learn to listen to our

hearts;  to go within, discover our own, true core values and live

from this stance.  It takes a level of self-awareness that many of us

don't yet possess and it takes courage to stray from the societal

standard we've been enculturated with.

I don't mean our social "values", the norms we use to measure our

"success" in this materialist society we inhabit--the size of our home,

or bank accounts, the sleekness of our car or the label on our clothes

and shoes.  I mean our "core" values--the ones our conscience nags

at us about.....the ones that Heartmath tools help us identify:>)

I was linked to a video by David Icke this week-end by friends and this

is how he finished his talk (I couldn't have said it better:>)........

"If we stopped making decisions about our actions based on what is

right for us in the moment and started doing what we know to be

right by conscience and justice, this would transform the world.

This world is being created as we experience it by billions of people

deciding every day--what do I do in the interests of me?  Once we

start saying, "what do I do in the interest of justice, fairness, and my

own conscience", actions change.  The world changes.  And we are

in control of that.   (The secret of "the Secret"--it's about us not me!)

We are at a fork in the road now, we have one last chance to open

our eyes and open our minds and start getting involved in doing

something about this.

There's going to come a time and it's not too long from now, when

we're going to have to look our children in the eyes and we're going

to have to answer the question without blinking and without averting,

"What were you doing?"

They are going to have to live their entire lives with the results of our

actions."

Come by:

http:www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com 

and watch some videos and learn more about Heartmath.   Call for

a "free" introductory session  #800-331-9547 or e-mail me at:

sandi@macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

How did we forget so much truth as we grew up?

This is a gift from one of my clients.......it's very relevant on today's

anniversary of 9/11.

I hope you feel it and enjoy it as much as I.

Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it.

Touching words from the mouths of babes.

What does 'Love' mean?

 A group of professional people posed this question to a

group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does 'love' mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than

anyone could have imagined. See what you think:

----------------------------------------------------------------

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend

over and paint her toenails anymore.

So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even

when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'

Rebecca- age 8

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'When someone loves you, the way they say your name

is different.

You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'

Billy - age 4

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'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on

shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'

Karl - age 5

--------------------------------------------------------------

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most

of your French fries without making them give you any

of theirs.'

Chrissie - age 6

--------------------------------------------------------------

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'

Terri - age 4

--------------------------------------------------------------

'Love is when my mummy makes coffee for my daddy

and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make

sure the taste is OK.'

Danny - age 7

---------------------------------------------------------------

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get

tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you

talk more.

My Mummy and Daddy are like that. They look gross

when they kiss'

Emily - age 8

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'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if

you stop opening presents and listen.'

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

---------------------------------------------------------------

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start

with a friend who you hate,'

Nikka - age 6 (we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

---------------------------------------------------------- 

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he

wears it everyday.'

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who

are still friends even after they know each other so well.'

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was

scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw

my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'

Cindy - age 8

--------------------------------------------------------------

'My mummy loves me more than anybody

You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'

Clare - age 6

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'Love is when Mummy gives Daddy the best piece of

chicken.'

Elaine-age 5

--------------------------------------------------------- 

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and

still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'

Mary Ann - age 4

------------------------------------------------------------------

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me

all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'

Lauren - age 4

---------------------------------------------------------------

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and

down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)

Karen - age 7

--------------------------------------------------------------

'Love is when Mummy sees Daddy on the toilet and she

doesn't think it's gross.'

Mark - age 6

--------------------------------------------------------------

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it.

But if you mean it, you should say it a lot.. People forget.'

Jessica - age 8

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And the final one -- Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia

once talked about a contest he was asked to judge.

The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring

child.

The winner was a four year old child whose next door

neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently

lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the

old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just

sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the

neighbour, the little boy said,

'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

--------------------------------------------------------------

When there is nothing left,    that is when  you find out

that  love is all you need.

I absolutely love that last one.  I think that often we

would do well to just sit and listen--and "help people

cry" instead of speaking when there's really nothing

to say!

It's about living from the heart folks.  Once again, I

invite you to visit me at:

http://www.macarthurparknaturalmedicine.com

so I can help you learn the most scientifically

researched, validated and documented tools for

reducing stress and allowing us to live with greater

ease in a world that makes it tough!

Love to all,

Sandi

Understanding is something we reach for; understanding is a

process, it's a great search.

We have an imperative before us, we're either facing a new

period of enlightenment and a new Renaissance--or we're facing

a new Dark Age.

The choice is up to us and we've got to hurry.  That means we

have to be informed.  We have to find the answers together; it's

the power of our intention to create the Reality we can all live in

that is going to be our Salvation--or not!

We have to move to "systems" thinking and away from these

economic models that have brought us to disaster.  We need a

partnership system not a domination system to create a caring

economics. 

This "I" stands as a barrier, when turned on its' side it becomes

the bridge.  It is imperative that we move from the "me" to the

"we".

Strategic thinking and activism has to be included with intention

and attention.

Right now we need to transfer information.  We have to discover

sustainable life and transfer that information.

According to Alex Steffen, editor of "World Changing--A User's

Guide for the 21st Century" (a must-have), "there's a way of

living that we can create that everyone on the planet can share

which is sustainable and prosperous and dynamic and exciting

and enjoyable--and instead we're creating a way of living that

is inequitable, unfair and that is rapidly destroying the planet--

and we need to move as quickly as possible from the way

that we are living now to this better way of living--to this

bright green future and do it with all due speed."

The sharing of solutions themselves is part of the solution.

People need access to better thinking.  They need to be able

to understand what kinds of things really brilliant, inspired

people are doing.........

Some facts............ 

Newest reports tell us that half (48%) of all primates are at risk

of extinction.

71% in South East Asia

90% in South Viet Nam and Cambodia

This is primarily caused by the logging industry and the bush

meat trade.   This is not due to hunger.

The number of gorillas in the wild has decreased from 100,000 in

1985 to 20,000 today.   If we can't protect the chimps, our

closest relative, what then will we protect?

Species have always gone extinct.   Yes, but now they are

disappearing at a rate a thousand times greater than under

natural circumstances.

Half of all humans now live in cities giving us a tendency to

become more and more disconnected from why we need the

biosphere.  We almost believe we're independent of the

biosphere, as though it's only a matter of whether we like it or

not.

We've developed a view of the environment being one system

and society being another. We talk about it as though we should

care for the environment for its' own sake rather than seeing

ourselves as part of and completely dependent on the

environment.  It is one system of which we are a small part.

We are completely dependent on the natural world around us and

yet we've totally forgotten it--in our economic systems and in our

lifestyles.  This may be one of the biggest reasons why we're

changing the planetary environment without even realizing what

we're doing.

Amphibians are always good indicators for us because they have a

very th