The Healing Sound of Music

Music is truly the one universal language of mankind. Music is a universal language that transcends boundaries and bonds people even thousands of miles apart.
This article is exploring some of the many applications of music and how it can help us to live happier and healthier lives.
Music helps you to tap into your most primal emotions; it can change your mood, it can help relief stress, and it can even heal your body. Whatever may be your reason to enjoy a happy tune, it can move you at the deepest level of your being. Why is music so universally binding? It is that man is more than just flesh and bones. You are a spiritual being with emotions, and you vibrate at certain frequencies. Music responds to this inner essence and brings you in balance with the tunes of nature.
There is even a very practical reason that music is called the universal language. All music is composed of just 7 main notes. It doesn’t matter what instrument you play or what part of the world you are in, the performers are still only using these same 7 notes. Music can express more than just words because the melodies and rhythm can reach the deepest part of your heart and soul. Music can vocalize the inexpressible. It is used to lament, to worship, to heal, or to make a social statement like in rap. Shamans of the past as well as healers in the present day are seeking assistance from the spiritual realm.
Music therapy is even effective on animals and plants. Studies and Kirlian photography have shown that plants and trees grow better in company of good music and show a better growth. Animals too, reflect their behavioral pattern much better when exposed to music. Masaru Emoto from Japan, proved through his photography what influences music has on water crystals and how consciousness can transform water at the molecular level.

Additionally to the different occasions for playing and listening to music there are the many different styles of music. Music is truly the one universal language of mankind. Throughout the world's history many styles have developed. Music can be divided into genres in many different ways. You can distinguish songs by musical instruments or by ethnical or geographical origin.

What kind of music is stimulating to you? What kind of rhythm is getting your juices flowing? You are never too old to experiment with new tunes. Music can truly add to the joys of life and promote healing to your ailing body.

1) Nursery lullabies
There isn’t a parent in the world, who hasn’t sung a lullaby to a fussing infant or spend the night singing to a sick child. The sounds of lullabies are sung by parents to calm their children, either to put them to sleep or to comfort them in time of upset or a nightmare. The lyrics are simple words like: Hush, little baby, don't say a word. Papa's gonna buy you a mockingbird. Often the words don’t have a deep meaning, but the soothing sound of the music puts the baby at ease and allows you to get the needed sleep, too.

2) Kids love silly songs
Children love to sing silly songs. You sang silly songs when you were children and now your grandchildren enjoy singing funny and silly songs! Enjoy some tongue twisters or funny rhymes with any young one and he'll be your friend for life.

3) Play music while you work
Most offices or stores play music during the day. If not bring your own and enjoy your favorite tunes while you accomplish a maybe not so favorable task. Whistle why you work can also be a nice break-up during a work day.
If you want to stay healthy this winter while everyone around you is coming down with colds and flu, sing the birthday song while you wash your hands, and don't stop scrubbing until you've finished the last "happy birthday to you."

4) Play music while on a road trip
Put an end to road rage by playing your favorite music in the car. This can be during your daily commute or on a trip across the country.
I am sure you have your own favorite music list for your family road trips. It is best to choose music everybody loves and knows to sing along. Our family’s favorites are country music songs by John Denver, Allan Jackson, Tim McGraw, Celine Dion, The Judds, Josh Groban, Michael Bouble, and others like The Beatles, etc. It became almost like a ritual, we had to play these songs while driving to Grandpa’s house.

5) Play music when you are sad
Everyone has a favorite sad song or two that reminds them of a special someone or maybe just a special time in their lives. Sad songs have been around for years and are surely here to stay. Sad tunes take many people to a special memory to relive something they thought may have been gone.

In modern times, blues music can make you feel good by listening to songs about bad times.

6) Music as stress reducer
If you are looking for an inexpensive and quick stress reducer, listen to music, sing or hum your way through work or stressful situations. Music helps you relax and release stress. Have you ever been to a restaurant where they don’t play music? Playing happy music is to help you to have a pleasant experience eating. Soothing music triggers a relaxation response which can lower cortisol levels, making it easier to digest food.

Playing classical music while eating helps you eat less, digest better and enjoy your food more.

7) Music Therapy as a Healer
In the recent years a new field of therapy has develop using the healing sounds of music. The Mozart Effect has been used to raise smarter children as well as support healing patients in hospitals. They use it as pain management, to ward off depression, to ease muscle tension, or calm kids with ADD. Music therapy in its many applications allows people with emotional problems to explore their feelings. It can help to change your mood, help in solving problems, make positive changes in your mood, and resolve conflicts. Music can also strengthen communication and physical coordination skills. Or it can help those with neurological or development disorders to improve their physical and mental functioning.

8) Sing at church to praise God
Every Sunday after the church service I noticed that whatever pain I had before was not as profound. In fact, the more I put my heart into singing and really enjoying the tunes and the words, I felt carried away. Praising God uplifts your spirit and your body responds to the high vibrations of the hymns and holy songs.

9) Music during the Holidays
During the Christmas season I learned to appreciate the uniting power of Christmas music. For a whole months everybody in our family wanted to hear Christmas songs on the radio, playing their favorite CD’s, etc. Most of these songs create a beautiful atmosphere.

10) Meditate with OM
This goes more into the relaxation and meditation mode. The sound of OM or AUM is from the ancient Hindu culture and represents you to get in touch with the creator, the creation and the creative process. There are many interpretations of the origin of the sound the fact is that it really works. People of all cultures can enjoy the benefit of humming OM whenever they need a pick-up of energy because it really entrains you with the power of God and nature.



11) Music helps you to sleep better
Rather than watching the news before going to bed, put on some soothing songs.
A study published in the Journal of Advanced Nursing showed that listening to music for 45 minutes prior to bedtime helped older adults sleep better and longer. It also improved the quality of their sleep.

12) Music and Dance
Music and dance are inseparable. Moving rhythmically is innate. Dance is just another form of self-expression and has existed since the beginning of humankind. Before verbal or written communication existed, humans have used movement to communicate and to help them comprehend, shape, and make meaning of their world. One could ask what was there first music or the dance? It’s kind of like the chicken or the egg? Expressing your emotions through moving your body and swaying to the music can be very healing for some people. Most dances are brought to us through their ethnical heritage like the famous latin dances like cha-cha-cha, rumba, and tango, or the even more famous waltz. But even modern dances have their specific music composed for swing dance, twist, and hip hop.
All of them demonstrate a deep sense of expressing human feelings and emotions.

Listening to your favorite songs or music transports you to happy memories, and happy days, and more happy days that are yet to come.

How Great Thou Art

O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Chorus:
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down …..



The words of this Christian hymn came to mind when I was watching the video a few days ago. During this Christmas season we are involved in a whole lot of fuzz with shopping, decorating and cooking. It is good to take some time to step out of this hassle and bussle and appreciate nature.
On a recent road trip I fell in love with the shape of trees which are bare of leaves right now and show their statures of trunks, branches and twigs. I am amazed by the balance the tree shows unless it has been trimmed by the human hand.
With this adoration of nature and the beauty of the created universe, I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.

The same God who send Jesus two thousand years ago and who’s birthday we are celebrating this week, created all of us to appreciate his creation and to attend him. This attendance has many different faces. We can show it when we go out into nature and admire it. We can go to a worship place of our choice and show our devotion there. We can also serve our neighbor by giving him a kind word or bring an extra cookie plate. Finally, we can attend God by including him in our lives in everything we do.

Surprise yourself by starting to witness small miracles. Your life will become synchronized, and you will observe a flow of events which you could never orchestrate yourself. You will liberate your Divinity in ways you have never dreamed of.

Just think about that intelligence inside yourself which automatically causes your heart to beat 86,400 times a day and creates 10 million new cells each second as 10 million others are dying off. This same intelligence causes your food to be digested while 10,000 trillion cellular actions occur in your body every second. All these things are happening while you are carrying out your regular everyday life. It only feels right to give thanks to that intelligence by paying attention to it. At your very essence you are a spiritual being who has been blessed with many intellectual and emotional functions. Most people are playing too small, only acknowledging a fraction of their mental abilities coupled with limited physical abilities. It is time for you to believe and act according to that spiritual power within you and realize that you can create whatever you choose. You are not alone in the process, that intelligence that manages everything in perfect harmony and order is all knowing and omnipresent. You must assume your own role while trusting its brilliance.


You are a miracle and a genius capable of the incredible accomplishments because that same intelligence created YOU.

Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy

A few weeks ago, my husband and I attended a local teaparty meeting. It was a follow-up to the big ralley they had at the Voice of America Park on September 6, 2009.
I was very impressed with the quality of people involved in this meeting and how many were willing to volunteer for the different Committees.

I ended up walking out with a booklet in my hand and I am compelled to share the main points here: Seven Principles of Sound Public Policy
By Lawrence W. Reed, President of the Foundation for Economic Education, and President emeritus of the Mackinac Center for Public Policy (Mr. Lawrence put these points together but mentioned that he is not the originator of them).
Published by Mackinac Center for Public Policy.

Here are the seven Principles:

1. Free People are not equal, and equal people are not free.
Obviously, we are here not talking about equality before the law. Free people, who are allowed to follow their dream, will create different results in the market place. Entrepreneurship in America as elsewhere has proven that some people will earn more than others. Is it equally right to pay football players millions of dollars compared to the shift worker in the factory or the cashier at the local department store?

2. What belongs to you, you tend to take care of; what belongs to no one or everyone tends to fall into disrepair.
Private property is always better taken care of than public places. When I lived in East-Germany, most public places were run down, except the ones which the elite was paraded by. We can also look along our highways and see the litter thrown out by passer-bys. Fortunately, there are some private civic groups who go out voluntarily and collect trash on Saturday morning.

3. Sound Policy requires that we consider long-run effects and all people, not simply short-run effects and a few people.
The whole welfare system is based on this short-run effect. Is it really better to give someone a fish than to teach them how to fish? O.k. we are at times in need of some extra help. For the sake of our self-esteem and self-respect, I believe, it is better when we have to earn what we need.

"You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is the beginning of the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it." ~ Adrian Rogers, 1931

4. If you encourage something, you get more of it; if you discourage something, you get less of it.
This has to do with incentives and disincentives. Human beings like to be rewarded and recognized. I don’t why lawmakers are thinking that “the rich” would buy more luxury items or smokers would buy more cigarettes if the taxes are raised on those items. It seems more like a punishment. Did it work? Did the government make more revenue on these items? The only way to deal with a deficit is to cut spending.
Can we deal with recession and declining revenues by punishing some our citizens? A weak economy can be stimulated by allowing more business to get started who can hire jobless workers. To create more small business and give them tax breaks and get people back to work is a better solution than bailing out big corporations who don’t even keep track of where the money went. Let the doctor help the patient get well and not hurt him in the treatment.

5. Nobody spends somebody else’s money as carefully as he spends his own.
We all have heard stories that the government hires contractors who charge outrages prices for supplies like hammers and nails, etc. Government spending is truly out of control. Any bookkeeper has to keep record of how he spends the company’s money. Does the government keep records like this? I am just wondering what happened to all the bail-out moneys?

Economist Milton Friedman gives four ways one can spend money:
• When you spend your own money on yourself you make some mistakes, but they are few and rare.
• When you spend your money to buy something for someone else you still try to be smart but not always what the other person likes or needs.
• When you spend someone else’s money on yourself, like on a business trip, you try to economize but get yourselves the best (unless you have a budget).
• Lastly, when you spend other people’s money for someone else, you tend to be wasteful. That’s what government does all the time.
How are we ever going to get rid of the big deficit of $12.1 Trillion? With an estimated population in the U.S. of 307.5 Million people, each citizen shares a debt of $39,500.00

6. Government has nothing to give anybody except what it first takes from somebody, and a government that’s big enough to give you everything you want is big enough to take away everything you’ve got.
If big government wants to be in charged of everything we become a true welfare state. It is truly robbing Peter to pay Paul. Free people don’t look to their government for their sustenance. Many countries in Europe have found that out already.

7. Liberty makes all the difference in the world.
Ben Franklin was quoted saying: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.”
It is true that our government has control over 42% of all we produce, compared to 6 or 7% in the early 1900’s?
Mr. Reed like many of us, questions the policies of our country today. Let’s keep informed and not accept everything that comes from the top down. As responsible citizens we all would like to practice these principles. The past shows that America was a giving nation when it came closer to practicing these principles.
The tea party movement reminds us of some of our responsibilities.
Here are some other links, FYI:

http://2164th.blogspot.com/2008/06/obama-on-taxes.html
http://www.federalbudget.com/
http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/
http://www.slideshare.net/dewert/federal-spending-2413660

Tribute to Jim Rohn

"Don't bring your need to the marketplace, bring your skill. If you don't feel well, tell your doctor, but not the marketplace. If you need money, go to the bank, but not the marketplace."
Jim Rohn

Jim Rohn was born on September 17, 1930 and passed away last week, December 5, 2009.
I didn't know him personally but I had the chance to hear him live during one of his presentations in Dallas, Texas, during one of the networking conferences I attended. I was very impressed with his non-nonsense kind of approach to life and business. That's why I purchased one of his courses "The Weekend Seminar - Skills for the 21st Century." I must have listened to the tapes several times because his philosophy of life is so practical.


He builds his approach on 5 Pillars:

• Philosophy - how you think
• Attitude - how you feel
• Action - what you do
• Results - measure often to see if you are making progress
• Lifestyle - the kind of life you can make for yourself out of the first four pieces


He contributes most of his success to a mentor he had very early in life, John Earl Shoaff who was a self-made businessman himself. Coming also from a farming background, Jim could relate to John E. Shoaff's philosophy of simplicity and honesty. This following video gives an account of his experience:



As many people have said about Jim, he cannot be defined but rather has to be experienced. He was one of America's great modern day philosophers, business men and public speakers. I am glad to have heard him once.
May you rest in peace, Jim

Here is another tribute to John Rohn on his official website: http://tribute.jimrohn.com/

What Are you Grateful for During this Holiday Season?

The image of the praying hands is familiar to most people. The original praying hands were painted by Albrecht Duerer of Germany. Both he and his brother Albert grew up in a large family. Both brothers were very talented, and since the parents didn't have money to pay for art school for their boys, they made a plan on their own. They drew a lot and it became Albrecht's turn to go to academy first and Albert went to work as a laborer in the coalmines to support both of them. After four years, they would exchange the lot and Albert were to go the art school while Albrecht would support both of them.


When Albert's time came, his hands had become arthritic and crippled and he could hardly hold a brush. In gratitude to his brother, Albrecht Duerer painted this beautiful image of the praying hands. I am reading a lot of different stories about the origin of the praying hands, still this one appeals to me because of the deep lesson of gratitude.


"In ordinary life we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich." ~~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer~~

Just like with prayer, gratitude can alter our state of mind. More so, it can raise our vibrational frequency to a level of higher consciousness. Being thankful is an attitude of giving. By being grateful and appreciative for everything we have, we make room for more to come.

Practice the art of gratitude:
• Say thank you more often
• Appreciate your home and the warmth of the house
• Be grateful for your family, husband, wife, children, parents, brothers and sisters, etc.
• Feel obliged to take care of your health
• Feel indebted to your creator for being here, love yourself
• Welcome new ideas and activities into your life
• Enjoy the refreshing taste of your favorite foods, dark chocolate, a cup of coffee, etc.
• Be gratified by the creation and the beauty of nature
• Make your own list for being grateful

Have a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season

The Power in Praising People

By Chris Widener

One of the keys to success is to have successful relationships. We are not islands and we can't have successful relationships by ourselves. And one of the key ways to grow successful in our relationships is to be "life-giving" people to others.

Every person we meet, we either give life to or take life from. You know what I mean. There are people who encourage you and when you are done being with them you feel built up. Then there are others who you feel torn down by.

Successful people are people who have mastered the art of building others up.

One of the ways we build people up is to praise them. There is power in praising people! Something begins to happen in them, in you, and in your relationship when you praise someone.

Remember a time when someone told you something about yourself in a praising manner? It was great, wasn't it? You probably liked that person more after they praised you, didn't you?

Now I am not talking about praising people for the sake of praising people. I am talking about honestly looking for and praising positive character traits and action of others around you. Don't lie to people. If they have done something wrong, correct it, but when they do something right, Praise it!

With that said, here are some benefits of praising people and some ways to start doing it.

Benefits
-> Your relationship grows. Life is about relationships: family relationships, friends, and co-workers. When we begin to praise people for their positive aspects, our relationships grow. It puts them, and us, on the fast track. Your leadership and influence grows. Who is going to have greater leadership and influence capacity in the lives of their followers, the one who tears down or the one who builds up?

-> Stronger relationships and loyalty. When the person is appreciated and praised, they become fiercely loyal, because they know that you care for them, love them, and appreciate them. This will take you to success.

->Happier, more fulfilled people. I truly believe it is our job to build others up and that they need it. It is a good thing, in and of itself to invest in the lives of others by praising and encouraging them. Even if we never get anything in return, it is the right thing to do to build up other people. Someone else will always come along to tear them down; the successful person will instill in them the power of praise!

Some Ways to Praise
-> Character traits. Is there someone you know who is joyful? Hard-working? Honest? Then let them know how much you appreciate that in them. You can do it with a word or a card, or a phone call. Say something like this, "You know Tom, I think it is great that you are such a hard-worker. It seems like you are always the first one here and the last one to leave. You really set a good example and I want you to know how much I appreciate that." Simple!

-> Action. Same idea as above. "Sue, I don't know if anybody else has told you this, but your work on the Johnson account was excellent. You have a wonderful ability to communicate the vision of the project and that helps all of the rest of us out in our roles and tasks. Thanks for that. It is greatly appreciated."

Other ways you can show praise and appreciation is with a card, a gift, or time off from work.

Make it your goal to praise at least five people a day. If you can, then praise ten people a day. Or perhaps you can try to praise everyone you come in contact with. It will take work, but it is possible. It just takes discipline and a little effort.

Any way you cut it though, there is power in praising people. First for them, then for you!

Chris Widener's website is: http://www.madeforsuccess.com/.

Give Your Brain a Workout

"A strong mind always hopes, and has always cause to hope."

- Thomas Carlyle



Do you have senior moments? Or you just forget things? Try some of these 83 Neurobic Exercises, suggested by Dr. Lawrence Katz, a professor of neurobiology at Duke University Medical Center, and Manning Rubin, author of 60 Ways to Relieve Stress in 60 Seconds.

In their book Keep Your Brain Alive, they suggest mental and physical exercises which involve all five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, touching, and tasting. The idea is to use your senses in a new and unexpected way. It stimulates the brain with natural growth factors called neurotrophins and build new neuropathways. Neurobics not only save brain cells, they also help grow new ones as well.
E.g.:. If you brush your teeth with the right hand, try brushing with your left hand. Or if you drive to work a certain way, find a different route. Or try to eat from another country with spices you never had. Or smell the flowers in the supermarket. Or listen to classic music if you listen to country most of the time.

The idea for these neurobic exercises is that they:
* Involve one or more of your senses in a novel way.
* Engage your attention.
* Break a routine activity in an unexpected, nontrivial way.
* Create new habits for yourself in a playful and childlike way.
* Get out of your comfort zone.

The book is grouped into six subject:

Starting and Ending the Day

1. Commuting
2. At Work
3. At the Market
4. At Mealtimes
5. At Leisure

If you like playing games online, there is a website which is very stimulating and challenging to the brain: http://www.lumosity.com/k/brain-game. Or you can also try crossword puzzles or Sudoko.

20th Anniversary of the Fall of the Berlin Wall

Because of the brave decision of my parents, my family fled East Germany in June of 1961, just two months before the wall was build. We watch in horror, when on the morning of August 13, 1961, German soldiers and construction workers brought out the cinder blocks and the barbed wire and cut Berlin in half. According to the borderline that meant, cutting through houses, streets, properties and most of all the subway.

The Berlin Wall became the physical division between West Berlin and East Germany. On the larger scale it was also the symbolic boundary between democracy and Communism during the Cold War.

Just as my family, between 1949 and 1961 2.7 million East Germans had fled to Western Germany, including a considerable numbers of professionals which the home nation found hard to replace. The idea of the wall was to keep the East Germans hemmed in. Before East Germans were still allowed to work in West Berlin and vice versa. Now, that was all stopped overnight. I remember, flying ones into Berlin (the airport is right in the city near the borderline) and while we were going down (still over East Berlin) we could see the gray parts of the city with few light, few cars on the roads and little activities in general.

History behind the Fall of the Wall:

In the late 1980s Russian leader Gorbachev decided to abandon Russia’s satellite states to try and save his crumbling nation, allowing democracy to filter through, as it did in Poland. There were anti-government protests in East Germany and, after some initially stern words by East German leader Honecker which threatened violence, Russia refused to back him and he resigned. The new leader, Egon Krenz, decided against violence and instead ordered a relaxation of travel restrictions to the West in order to try and defuse rising tensions. However, when a politburo member called Schabowski briefed the media on November 9th, 1989 on the swiftly written decree he misinterpreted what it said, announcing that East Germans could freely use all border crossings to "permanently exit" the nation. Word soon spread and people gathered at the border crossings. Although the guards had no orders to do so, they reopened the borders with the rest of Germany, allowing people to cross freely. The wall ceased to function from that day forward, and people were soon chipping away at it, eventually knocking it down. The East German government withered away.

Here are some photos because words can hardly dscribe the picture of what Berlin looked like for more that 28 years: http://www.dieberlinermauer.de/berlinwallhome1024/berlinwallhome1024.html

Just recently, November 3, 2009, the chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, gave a moving speech to the joint session of our congress, thanking the Americans for their role during the cold war and reflecting on the fall of the wall.

It is good to remember historical events. By remembering the past we can learn the lessons and hopefully create a better future where people can live side by side in harmony with each other.

Dorn Method - adjusting the length of your legs

One thing my orthopedic doctor didn't pay any attention to or give me any guarantee that the length of my legs would be adjusted through the Hip Resurfacing operation. In the back of my mind I was always looking for a solution since my right leg had become about 1 1/2 inches longer than the left. My chiropractor had put a lift in my left shoe to correct it somewhat but it was not a permanent solution and only worked in my sneakers.
My massage therapist also worked on the trigger points of the leg muscles. Through the Dorn Method I actually discovered that it is pretty common and most of all that it is very easy to correct it.
The Dorn Method was first applied by a German layman after he had injured himself at work. Dieter Dorn followed the directions of a folks healer to get over his back pain and later developed this method into a healing modality which is now taught all over the world, mainly in Europe (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and the Philippines, where Dr. Thomas Zudrell started a school to teach this method.


There are also ways I can help myself with this method, in fact, even after treatment with a practitioner, I have to keep up with the exercises myself to reeducate my muscles. This is important especially if the injury which caused the misalignment is an old one. It takes a while to adjust the pelvis to go back to its original place.

I took the information to my massage therapist and he applied it for me. I am working on walking without a limp.

Randy Dellosa: ... the dorn method for spine alignment and leg length balancing ...

Randy Dellosa: ... the dorn method for spine alignment and leg length balancing ...

Homolateral Crossover

I met Donna Eden in the Fall of 2000 at the public lecture she gave in Cincinnati, Ohio. At the end of her presentation, she invited members of the audience to the stage. She was so thorough with each person that I was afraid that I wouldn't have a change to talk to her. But my turn came and to my amazement she told me that I was homolateral. She showed me a few moves and later, I read in her book Energy Medicine/ about the meaning of being homolateral.
It wasn't a death sentence. It means that my energies weren't crossing over and my two brain sides couldn't harmonize. It came as a clear answer to me since I had always difficulties reciting, dancing in harmony or just keep up a rhythm. The left side of my brain was dominating the right side. I did her exercises for a while and then forgot about it.

"When energy is unable to cross over, it (energy) slows down dramatically.
It begins to move in a homolateral pattern straight up and down the body
and the body's ability to heal is severely diminished."
- Donna Eden & David Feinstein, PhD

Since I haven't been well in the last few weeks and month, I have been asking myself many questions and search many alternative ways to get well. Somehow I always felt that there was still a missing link. Then I remembered Donna Eden's words and started reading "Energy Medicine" again.

She suggests in her book to do:

THE HOMOLATERAL CROSSOVER
• 1. First it is important to make sure you are hydrated. Drink a glass of water prior to the exercise and make sure you drink at least 8 glasses a day.
• 2. Begin by tapping or massaging the K-27 points while inhaling and exhaling deeply. These are the points immediately below the Collar bone corners and tend to be quite sensitive for most people as they are Neuro-lymphatic reflex points. Immediately after tapping or massaging these points, do a full body stretch that ‘reaches for the stars’.
• 3. Next do a ‘Homolateral Cross Crawl’ by simultaneously lifting the right arm and the right leg and then the left arm and the left leg for about 12 lifts each in a deliberate and slow manner.
• 4. Then march in place, doing a normal Cross-Crawl by lifting your right arm and left leg and then your left arm and right leg for another 12 times or so.
• 5. Then revert back to the previous pattern of lifting same-side arm and legs for another 12 lifts as per point 2.
• 6. Again stop and do the Cross-Crawl exercise (lifting opposite arms and legs) for another 12 lifts.
• 7. Do these Cross-Crawl exercise sequences for about three times in a row and end the exercise by again stimulating the K-27 points.

Additionally she has the daily activity which consists of:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9106521468609833299#


Five Minute Routine
Do this at least once a day, preferably night and morning, or any time when life is heading towards being too much!
1. Three thumps
2. Cross Crawl, or homolateral marching if you have right/left problems.
3. Wayne Cook both sides
4. Crown Pull
5. Spinal Flush
6. Zip up

If you can't do the regular Cross-Crawl, you can even do it while seated. Lift your knees alternately, and touching each raised knee with the opposite hand or elbow. Persons with chronic-fatigue and those who have experienced head trauma seem to benefit from regular cross-over exercise. They describe feeling more energetic, alert and clear-thinking than previously, and show improved response to other energy-work techniques.

Here are some links from Q&A sessions regarding alternative cross over techniques:
http://www.innersource.net/energy_medicine_faq/energy_medicine_QA_homolateral_crossover.htm
http://www.innersource.net/energy_medicine_faq/energy_medicine_QA_homolat_paraplegics.htm
Her company website link is: http://www.innersource.net/

Thank you, Donna, for your priceless advice.

The Benefits of Rebounding Exercise

Therapeutic rebounding has many different applications. The therapeutic aspect comes into the picture when we are using a rebounder instead of a mini-trampoline which sells in the department stores. The difference is the length of the springs and the legs of the rebounding unit. You have more buoyancy and no jarring on your joints. Rebounding is enjoyable and promotes self-healing. Along with being fun it also improves your posture, increases the vascular system, improves muscle tone and coordination, helps you sleep better and elevates your energy levels.
Here are the various ways to rebound:

· Health Bouncing
Without leaving the mat you just bounce up and down on the mat. The first benefit is that every minute you do that, you strengthen your immune system, fortifying yourself against colds, flu, etc.
This bounce is also good for re-cooperation from any illness, to get your lymphatic system going after being bed-ridden for a while. It helps in the detoxification process of the body and delivers oxygen rich blood into all the parts of your body. NASA astronauts are encouraged to rebound after space flights to counteract the anti-gravity they experienced while in space.
This means benefits for the cardiovascular system, for the digestion and for the cortisone hormone balance which means it is stress reducing.
Start out with 1-3 minutes and build yourselves up, never allowing yourself to get dizzy or straining yourselves.

· Jogging
This is a more vigorous bouncing where you actually leave the mat and do basic jogging. Because we take advantage of the anti-gravity movement there is no jarring or jerking on the joints. Jogging on the rebounder can be done without shoes and to any rhythm. It is actually more beneficial than running on the street while we have all the benefits of building muscle strength and tone, relieve tension, enhancing skills, improving flexibility, creating weight loss and weight management, as well as improve the body’s general physiological condition.
So put on the music and enjoy yourself!

· Aerobic Bouncing
Your rebounding becomes aerobic when you become vigorous on the unit. Leaving the mat, jumping higher and elevating your arms above your heart gives you the aerobic effect. That means that you increase the number and size of your blood vessels that carry the blood around the body. Therefore, more oxygen is carried to the cells of all the tissues and organs. It improves the functions of the heart and the lungs. The longer and faster you train will give you better overall endurance. According to Dr. Kenneth Cooper, who first researched aerobic exercise, you gain greater physical as well as psychological improvement which makes you feel better. You gain a more positive outlook on life as well.

· Strength Training
To increase your upper body strength, in addition to the G-force strength bounce, you can add weights by holding dumbbells or tying weights to your ankles.

· Body Bouncing
For those who can’t bounce themselves you can do the body bounce. Have a wheelchair bound person put their legs on the rebounder and bounce for them to get the benefits of getting circulation to their legs. Or a child could lay on the unit and you put your legs on both sides of the child and give them the benefit of bouncing in case of a fever or other disabilities.
You can also bounce your pet that way. I used to do that with my dog and he really enjoyed it.

· Senior Rebounding with support bar
For those who have trouble with stability, a support bar can be mounted on the unity and you can have them do the same activities on the unit by holding on for greater security.

For quality rebounder, please contact: http://www.needak-rebounders.com/ or call:1-800-232-57621-402-336-4083; Hours: 8:30AM to 5:00PM M-F Central Time and tell them that Jutta Tobkin send you.

Autumn Days

Autumn is my favorite time of the year. I know - some of those rainy days are not so grand but they make one reflective. My personality is also melancholic, so I like reflecting very much.
Well, this Monday afternoon was one of those reflecting days. It turned out mostly that I felt so very blessed to be alive. There is nothing wrong with being grateful in fact it is the most wonderful feeling where I feel deeply connected to my creator.

I went out in my yard and enjoyed some of the colored leaves and picked some late raspberries. We didn't have any frost yet here in Ohio, therefore, everything is still blooming and green.

I love the smell of Autumn, the wet earth and the decaying matter. I love the cool breeze. This Monday we had a little drizzle, just enough to keep everything moist and alive. Because of the long summer this year, the leaves are changing slowly. We will have to wait until November to dispose of the leaves. We usually just mulch them and use them for compost or cover up the plants.

When I came back inside I was looking for some autumn theme and found this video:

Enjoy and Happy Autumn!

Hip Replacement - Do I need it?

As we are hearing a lot of news these days regarding health care reform, I would like to have more choices in treatment in my health care plan. "Health care" is too much focused on the diseases. It doesn't give the individual too many options of treatment and certainly, in most cases, the benefit of really getting well.
Since the beginning of the New Year I started to develop pain in my right leg and hip while walking and standing. I contacted my family doctor for a physical and mentioned my concern with the right leg. She recommended an MRI, and after she had seen that report, referred me to an orthopedic doctor.

With a copy of these pictures, I appeared at the orthopedic doctor only to find that he preferred x-rays which he took in his local office. He showed me the pictures and pointed out that the hip joint was beginning to deteriorate. He was encouraging that I was still too young for a hip replacement and therefore suggested a steroid injection. That could only be done under ultra-sound at the hand of a surgeon in the hospital. What do you do when you only have two choices? I agreed to the steroid injection.
Unfortunately, it gave me only three weeks of pain relief. After that I went back to another doctor who had treated me for back pain earlier. I loved that treatment and the massages, but it didn’t bring the desired result. I heard that acupunture would give pain relieve. But it wasn't enough in my case. Next I tried a chiropractor. He was almost able to fix the difference of the leg length but couldn’t help with the weakness of the muscles and the hip pain.

My family went on a ten days vacation and I thought that is a good break. But since I was in pain most of the time I couldn’t really enjoy the time with my family, except that I discovered a new side in my kids, now they were taking care of me, wheeling me around and helping me walk.

What was I to do? When we came back from the vacation, I made an appointment with a different orthopedic doctor. He took another x-ray and convinced me that I needed a hip-replacement. The good news was that he suggested a partial replacement or what they call Resurfacing. It still makes an operation necessary by with lesser impact since the bone is resurfaced, kind of like a crown on a tooth. Again, I chose the lesser invasive procedure. The only thing was that they could schedule me except with a six week wait.

I was still looking at the perfect picture of a right hip joint every day (see above), wondering if there was any other way? If I was picturing the good outcome, then something better could happen, right?
Well, for about three weeks, nothing happen. Then, a friend of mine heard about my situation and he asked if he could talk to me about it. He is a licensed massage therapist, and he felt that he could help me. But the most important thing he suggested that I would ask a few other people to pray for me for three weeks to get some new direction. I was delighted, and felt bad that I hadn’t thought of prayer before.

There were still many concerns besides the operation. I was facing stiffness all over the body, joint pains and overall fatigue.
By the second week of the prayer condition, I felt motivated to look up the Internet for some answers regarding natural treatment for arthritis and joint pains. I came across a clinic in Cincinnati, headed by a medical doctor who was offering all kinds of alternative treatments. I got really excited and had an appointment within three days (I don’t know why allopathic practices need weeks of waiting).
In the meantime I had one visit with my massage therapist who with pressure points and exercise had me so limber that I could walk the stairs effortless. He told me that at the cellular level the body keeps memories like, I can’t walk right, this hurts and I have arthritis, etc. These are contraindicating messages to our mind and don’t help us to get well. Instead he suggested to focus on wellness, walking without pain, health and being whole. He also had me take a foot bath in ionic water which pulls out toxins from the body.
Then I went to the wellness center where the doctor had several alternatives for hip health. He explained that even though the bone of my hip deteriorated somewhat it is the muscles and the ligaments which become weak and need support. He had several options, like injections of joint fluid, prolotherapy which stimulates the soft tissue, ligament and cartilage repair or a third possibility, Platelet Rich Plasma injections which is adult stem-cell therapy. This sounded more like real solutions with a long-term pain relief.

On the very last day of the three week prayer I had my first injections. Even though it was painful I felt so grateful and hopeful that I had made a better decision with the help and support of my friends.
As some of you might face similar decisions in the next few years, maybe not regarding hip replacement, I really want to encourage you to trust your own heart and ask yourself, is this just a temporary solution or is this still going have me better in ten years. Because the body renews itself continuously, even into old age. With good nutrition, exercise and most of all a positive and hopeful mindset, we can remain healthy and well. And I belief that within the next few years we will learn of more modalities which actually support our health and not just disguise themselves as disease care (health care).

My present regiment for recuperation:
As I mentioned before, I had my first Platelet Rich Plasma injection on 9-21-09. Alongside with this treatment I am seeing a licenced massage therapist who helps me with muscle and joint stimulation through relieving acupressure points. I am able to do many of these exercises on a daily base by myself. He also uses an Ionizing Foot Bath to detoxify my body. Every time I do this, I am dumping more and more toxins, sludge and candida into the water.
One of my favorite exercise comes in handy with this situation: rebounding. Because of the low impact on my joints, I can do a light bounce and started to do even some jogging (not leaving the matt as yet). It also helps to strengthen the immune system which is a good protection for the colder months.
My vitamin regiment includes MonaVie juice, Microhydrin, Spirulina, Calcium, Vitamin C, Fishoil, and a Joint Formula. I also started juicing again to have the health benefits of the enzymes in the fresh pressed produce and the natural vitamins and minerals.
Last but not least the important thing is to believe in my recovery. God sees us as whole, healthy and complete human beings. With total faith and by participating in my health, I believe that I can be walk again very soon.

Bentonite Clay

Many of us have never heard of the healing benefits of Bentonite clay. It is an inexpensive, yet effective product that could clean out your intestines, detoxify your body of harmful chemicals, radiation, heavy metals, and bacteria. It can also strengthen your immune system, purify your blood, heal ulcers and wounds internally and externally, dissolve tumors, cysts, age spots, normalize your pH, create a balance of minerals in your body, alleviate pain, and more.

What is Bentonite Clay?
Bentonite Clay is a substance that can be found around Fort Benton, Wyoming.
There are two available types of natural clay - sodium bentonite (swelling type) and calcium bentonite (non-swelling type). Sodium bentonite is primarily used for industrial purposes (examples are in the drilling mud for oil exploration, in closing up and sealing subsurface disposal systems for used nuclear fuel and other hazardous chemicals, etc.). The richest sources of sodium bentonite can be found mainly between South Dakota and Montana, in the Southwestern parts of the Unites States and in Greece. Calcium bentonite is the form used in alternative medicine and is mainly used for detoxification purposes. The biggest deposits of this mineral are located in the Great Plains, the Central Mountains and the Southeastern portions of the United States. Another vast resource can be found in Chongzuo, Guangzi Province in China.

What are the benefits of Bentonite Clay?
Bentonite clay has strong internal cleansing properties. As a result, it has become a very popular ingredient in some detoxification programs. It has helped people who were struck with symptoms of constipation, like bloating and gas. It can also bring relief of symptoms from some diseases as serious as Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Other benefits of Bentonite clay are:
* After radiation treatment, it can remove heavy metals and chemicals
* Healthful bacterial balance in the digestive system is promoted
* Liver detoxificationCleanses colon of toxinsBoosts immune system
* According to Frederic Damrau, Bentonite Clay can help put a stop to diarrhea:
"When 35 individuals suffering from diarrhea took two tablespoons of bentonite in distilled water daily, the diarrhea was relieved in 97% in 3.8 days, regardless of the original cause of the problem."
Caution: Pregnant women and aged person should not take bentonite. Also be cautious when taking medicines or even supplements. They should be two hour earlier.
As with all situation, when you have any doubt or questions, consult with your health professional first.

What is the mineral content of Bentonite Clay?
Silica- 61.4%
Aluminum- 18.1%
Iron- 3.5%
Sodium- 2.3%
Magnesium- 1.7%
Calcium- 0.04%
Titanium- 0.02%
Potassium- 0.01%
Moisture- 7.8%
pH - 8.3 - 9.1

Special situation when Bentonite clay was applied:
After the meltdown of Chernobyl in Russia, clay was added to chocolate bars and distributed to the masses to reduce the effects of the nuclear radiation. In addition, the scientists who went in afterward painted their bodies with a layer of clay mud before donning their radiation resistant gear to absorb any radiation that might have leaked through their suits and render it essentially harmless.During the Balkan War the British army used clay for cholera. The mortality rate was 60% for all soldiers who contracted this disease. However, when clay was used, the mortality rate went down from 60% to an amazing 3%. Since then the British army uses clay for treatment of poisoning."During the First World War, the Russian soldiers received 200 grams of clay along with their rations, andit was added to mustard in several French regiments, who remained free of the dysentery, which ravaged nearby regiments."
Additionally to the internal use of Bentonite clay, it can also be used externally in form of bath and poultices.

How to take Bentonite Clay?
Depending on if you bought liquid or powdered clay, follow the instructions on bottle, usually 2 Tablespoons of liquid equal 1 teaspoon of powder, dissolved in water.

Here is a recommondation from Hannah Krogers "Old Time Remedies For Modern Ailments" which I have done a few times:
Take 2-3 TBSPS. liquid Bentonite in one glass of water
Take 1 heaping teaspoon of psyllium seed in a glass of unsweetened juice.
Drink more fluids, like herb teas, water or fresh pressed juices for a total of 16 ounces.
Start at 7:00 AM and repeat at 10:00 AM, 1:00 PM, 4:00 PM and 7:00 PM for a total of 5 times during the day.
At 9:00 PM take an enema to eliminate all the waste from the colon and you can sleep soundly. Do this for 3-5 days. On the 4th and 5th day you will lose besides long ropes of waste, black matter which is the sign that you may start adding food to your diet like raw and steamed vegetables, and raw and steamed fruit. Discontinue clay after 7th day, re-establish friendly bacteria with acidophilus or yogurt, and go on a good natural diet.
This is a modern day fast, and you want feel too hungry. It is to avoid colon problem and will help you to stay well.

What's the Benefit for children with Autism being treated with Bentonite clay?
Many autism treatment centers are incorporating the use of Bentonite clay in their successful treatment regimens. Detoxing and chelating with calcium Bentonite clay baths is proving to be a key factor in their success. Studies are showing the clay`s unique ability to safely remove metals and environmental toxins from the body clears the way for greater results with behavioral and integrative therapies

Let There Be Peace ...

Did you know that we celebrate World Peace Day on September 21st? It was initiated through the United Nations since 1982 during the third week in September, coinciding with the opening of the General Assembly. In 2002 it was decided to mark September 21st as a permanent Peace Day. On an international level it encourages the countries to participate in a day of ceasefire, while on the individual level we are encouraged to create peace in personal relationships as well.
Their motto for Peace Day is:
"Peace Day should be devoted to commemorating and strengthening the ideals of peace both within and among all nations and peoples…This day will serve as a reminder to all peoples that our organization, with all its limitations, is a living instrument in the service of peace and should serve all of us here within the organization as a constantly pealing bell reminding us that our permanent commitment, above all interests or differences of any kind, is to peace."

Googling peace day and peace projects brings up an array of organizations promoting peace:
Peace Corp https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors
Peace One Day http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/welcome

I learned about Jeremy Gilley from a link I received from Evolution Ezine.com. He is a remarkable young man from England who about ten years ago started this project as a filmmaker. With the help of some celebrities and a whole lot of hard work, was able to request a ceasefire in Afghanistan in order to immunize children a few years ago. Just this year he finished his amazing movie which you can watch on YouTube:



World Dream Peace Bridge http://www.worlddreamspeacebridge.org/peacetrain.htm
Volunteers For Peace http://www.vfp.org/

International Day of Peace http://www.internationaldayofpeace.org/
Global Peace Festival http://www.globalpeacefestival.org/
Music for Peace http://www.music4peace.com/
Music Through Peace http://www.playingforchange.com/

World Peace Concerts http://www.peaceoneday.org/en/concerts/past-concerts
Children’s Peace Funds http://www.unicef.org/

All these are worthy causes and most of them are worldly or humanitarian oriented. There is only one religious figure whom not so many people know about yet. He is the Reverend Sun Myung Moon, a Peacemaker who more than any other person in the world deserves the Nobel Peace Prize. His lifelong effort of peacemaking follows a somewhat different strategy. He starts with the restoration of the individual, then addresses the unity in the family, community, country and finally the world. World Peace is a noble goal, but it is impossible as long as people are still fighting within themselves.
Nonetheless, Reverend Moon also started the Middle Peace Initiative, the Ambassador For Peace Project and was instrumental in the breakdown of communism in the 1980s through CAUSA International and the Victory Over Communism movement. On his countless world tours, he conveyed 15 peace messages, which show his deep concern for mankind.

Reverend Moon's simple definition for peace is, live for the sake of others (agape love), and forgive them.

Let's end this day of celebration with some insights from a book by The Arbinger Institute "Anatomy of Peace", which deals mostly with resolving the heart of conflict:

"First of all we've talked about the two ways of being: one with the heart at war, where we see others as objects, and the others with the heart at peace, where we see others as people. And you'll remember that we learned that we can do almost any behavior, whether hard, soft, or in between, in either of these ways. Here are two questions for you then: If we can do almost any outward behavior with our hearts either at peace or at war, why should we care which way we are being? Does it matter?"

Chapter 14, page 124-5

Claim Your Divine Birthright

On our path to awakening, we are looking to discover purpose in the pursuit of life, freedom and happiness. Living in the U.S.A., we have the constitution protecting us with:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Even the United Nations have a mission statement of:
"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."

Unfortunately, many countries in the world don’t have the same laws as the U.S. and we often hear about the violation of human rights. My point here is not so much to discuss what’s wrong in the world but rather focus on what our god-given Divine rights are, so we may claim them.


“Most people do not accept that within themselves is a power that can change all of those self limiting, self-destructive beliefs, a power that can indeed result in manifesting a person so self responsible that he/she walks and lives above the fray—in the world but not of the world. This is truly your birthright. Life is not designed to be only struggle.”
- Eldon Taylor, author of Choices and Illusions

What are those Divine Rights?
They come in form of a Blessing:
Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it: and have dominion. (Gen 1:28)
What precisely would it mean to "be fruitful", which is the first Blessing? A tree becomes fruitful when it becomes mature or when it blossoms and bears fruit. Similarly God's first Blessing to mankind is the blessing of individual perfection or maturity-a state in which the individual become one with God in heart.
("You must be perfect as your Heavenly Father is Perfect." Mt. 5:48)

It has been said that there is no success in the world that can make up for failure in the home, Divine Principle would affirm this as true, based on misunderstanding of God's purpose for men and women, as expressed in the second Blessing. This Blessing is the experience of an ideal family, a family in which God's love dwells. In the view of Divine Principle a man and a woman were first to attain individual perfection and then become husband and wife, giving birth to children and forming a family. As the center of love, this family would be the fullest basis for the experience of love for man and God. Had there been no fall, we may imagine that Adam, Eve and their children would have formed the first God-centered four position foundation on the family level.
In the family we experience all kinds of love, parental love, conjugal love, and fraternal love and children’s love.

The third blessing is: Having dominion, and it has been well done by mankind. We have created a functionable society and economic infrastructure. Now we have to learn from the ground up how to be mature individuals.
The greatest privilege we have as our human birthright is: Choices. Only humans have this ability, no other creature.

"Being miserable is a habit. Being happy is a habit. The choice is yours."
Tom Hopkins - Sales Trainer

This is the only reason why we are in this mess in the first place. Our ancestors made some wrong choices. Once we can understand that, we are already on our path to awakening. The first step is to recognize our “victimhood.” We have inherited wrong thinking, wrong beliefs, and most of all are ignorant about it.
The ego is trying to protect us and tells us we are o.k. or we are not enough, not smart enough, not pretty enough or too old or too poor, and wants to keep us in our comfort zone. But empowerment comes only when we make better choices, have different intentions, visualize and affirm a better outcome for ourselves.
The third step is the hardest – surrender. Letting go of our own ways, the past, and manipulations for the future. Suddenly we become participants in the process of our journey and take responsibility for our lives. There is no more room for judgement, criticism, and conditions.
At last we can melt into the Divine, accepting grace, mercy and forgiveness. By being grateful and living in the NOW, we can experience the “Flow” of life, a certain synchronicity which takes away all worries and pressures.

From this aspect we can choose to be free, happy, healthy, and pursue our hearts desire. We don’t have to work for deserving love, we just have to claim it because it is our Divine Birthright.

A Deeper Look at the Meaning of Labor Day

Today is Labor Day, a day off work for most of the American people. We enjoy this last day of summer with outings, B-B-Qs, and maybe a last minute swim. To celebrate Labor Day is not only to take a break from work but can also be a time when we express gratitude. Especially for those who during this time of economic slowdown, still have a job to go to on Tuesday morning.

History of Labor Day
Labor Day originated during the labor union movements of the 1800s as a way to celebrate the social and economic advancements of the United States and pay tribute to the driving force of our economy—the American laborer.
As the Industrial Revolution took hold of the nation, the average American in the late 1800s worked 12-hour days, seven days a week in order to make a basic living. Children were also working, as they provided cheap labor to employers and laws against child labor were not strongly enforced.
With the long hours and terrible working conditions, American unions became more prominent and voiced their demands for a better way of life. On Tuesday September 5, 1882, 10,000 workers marched from city hall to Union Square in New York City, holding the first-ever Labor Day parade. Participants took an unpaid day-off to honor the workers of America, as well as vocalize issues they had with employers. As years passed, more states began to hold these parades, but Congress would not legalize the holiday until 12 years later.

Why do we work and why is labor so important?
Most of us work for a living, to support our families. Nothing in our daily lives impacts the family more than the work we do. Let someone in the family lose his/her job and the family enters into extreme stress.
Another important factor is self-fulfillment and personal satisfaction in doing a job well done. It makes us proud and gives us the respect of others as well as a certain social status. It also stimulates us to a certain point and makes our lives meaningful.

God honors our labor and encourages to take a brake
The biggest reason why we work hard is to resemble our creator. God created the universe for our use and pleasure. He also purposed us to be responsible members of our society to make valuable economic and environmental contributions. "Protestant work ethic" was always a source of pride, the idea that hard work was a calling from God dated back to the Reformation and the teachings of Martin Luther. For those who work and fulfill their responsibility, he gives the sabbath or days off for our entertainment. Our work gives us personal fulfillment but it is not depending on receiving God's love. Because we are love, we have the source of joy and happiness already build in. It doesn't depend on how much or how little or even what type of work we do, we are human beings, created as the children of our Heavenly Father. He wants bless us and bestow his grace on us.

Prov. 12:14 “From the fruit of the mouth one is filled with good things, and manual labor has its reward.”
Ps. 104:23 “People go out to their work and to their labor until the evening.”
Heb. 4:9-10 “So, then, a Sabbath rest still remains for the people of God, for those who enter God’s rest also cease from their labors as God did from his.”

New definition of labor in the electronic age
With the advancement of the internet and the conveniences of computers, cellphones, and other gadgets, certainly Labor Day takes on a whole new meaning. Many of us don't work in big factories anymore. In fact, many companies outsource their work to home-based workers or free lancers. Researching some of this "new way to work," I came across this article:

The “New Way to Work” contest begins on Labor Day, September 7, 2009 and ends with the winner announced on December 11, 2009. The contest will give the broader world of online workers and their clients an opportunity to earn their moment in the spotlight.
To take part in the contest, participants need to:
1. Showcase their “new way to work” through any medium they choose, be it photography, a blog article, a Web page, YouTube video, tweet, cartoon, art installation, song, haiku, or any other means to demonstrate their point.
2. Publish and promote their example to capture the attention and imagination of a broader online community.
3. Notify contest judges of their effort via Twitter (use #new-way-to-work) or by posting a link on Elance’s Facebook fan page.
Get more info on the contest on the Elance blog.
That's looks like fun.

Do yourself a favor participate in continuous education
"Becoming a leader is synonymous with becoming yourself. It's precisely that simple, and it's also that difficult."
-- Warren Bennis, On Becoming a Leader

Whatever your work status is right now, do yourself a favor and continue to learn. Learn about your particular field of expertise, this will give you an advantage in the workplace. Learn new skills and interests, which will help you to take responsibility in our changing society.
Education is also the key to successful leadership. Our founding fathers believed very strongly in education. But they weren't concerned with the amount of education, but the quality of the thinking that resulted from a proper education.

"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
-- Thomas Jefferson

All troughout history, man had to overcome ignorance. Through science and study of history we can learn about principles which work in all areas of life. Today more than ever we want to learn how God sees "his-tory." The providence of restoration reveals parallels which are obvious and teach us how to participate in this restoration. So we can participate in the ultimate vision for our lives, which some people call the Kingdom of Heaven;" others call it the ideal world or just peace on earth. We all can be leaders, in our families, in social circumstances or on a larger scale in the way our country is going.

I am just now reading "The Coming Aristocracy" by Oliver de Mille. It is quite an eyeopener and we can't afford to be bystanders. By reading and learning we can keep up, even when our "formal education" is finished. We all owe to ourselves to be informed.

For those who would rather be entrepreneurs and start their own home-based business, I suggest: MonaVie, the nutritional beverage company which is taken America by storm and it's supporting TEAM business with its turn-key learning system.

For The Love of Food ...

Food played always an important part in my life. When I grew up in East-Germany, we never went hungry but we had to be satisfied with just the basic foods like bread, potatoes, some sausage, and cooked vegetables. We didn’t have refrigeration in the early 50’s, so the only conservation was canning and pickling. We did alright as a family since we had a big garden and grew some delicious fruits and some vegetables.
I started to experiment with cooking during my teenage years. By that time my parent had fled with our family to West Germany and we enjoyed during the winters fresh citrus fruits and more variety of food choices.

My mother is a very good cook but she could not teach me because she never measured her portions. So I learned mostly from cookbooks and in home economics. I very much enjoyed making international dishes with names I could neither pronounce nor really knew what they were supposed to taste. My family was not always excited to eat what I had cooked, especially when it included strange things like nuts in a gravy or spices they had never heard off.

Before I came the U.S. I had never opened a box to make a meal or bake a cake. I had made everything from scratch and still do when I have enough time. The flavor and spices I use are just not in the frozen dinners or come in a boxed cake.
When I later traveled to France and Italy, and very much later to the U.S. and the orient, I came to appreciate international foods.
To give myself a treat this week, I invited my daughter to watch to movie “Julie & Julia.” I have only one thing to say, it was hilarious, I laughed so hard because I could relate to so many situations in the movie and was comforted when Julia scraped potato pancake from the stove and put it back in the pan or when Julie overslept the timer and forgot to take out her “Boeuf à la Bourguignonne.”
It’s amazing how one women, Julia Child, changed to whole kitchen scenery in the U.S. and brought American women back into the kitchen. And Julie, bless her heart, went through all the trouble, in making all the 524 recipes from the “The Mastering of Art of French Cooking” without getting the approval or acknowledgement of the master chef herself. But why was she sad when Julia passed away in 2004? In her own words: she had grown to unite with Julia in spirit and action during the year she committed to the cooking project and even though they never met, she felt as if she had know her.
View one of the official trailors:



Bon Appetit! Enjoy!

Kiwifruit

As one of the 19 fuits in the MonaVie drink, Kiwifruit is pact full of valualble nutrients.

It is mostly known for its outstanding content of vitamin C, containing double the amount of an orange. It is also rich in minerals and trace minerals, such as: Potassium (more than bananas), calcium, iron, magnesium, copper, manganese and chromium. It also supplies a rich amount of soluble and un-soluble amount of fiber as well as flavonoids.

The kiwifruit is a fruit of a perennial vine, it is brown, egg sized and covered with fuzz. When sliced, the fruit yields an attractive emerald green flesh with rows of small, dark, edible seeds, and a light cream colored center. Its flavor is similar to a blend between strawberry and pineapple.

History

The kiwifruit is native to the Yangtze River valley of northern China and Zhejiang Province on the coast of eastern China. Seeds were first brought from China, by missionaries to New Zealand at the turn of the century. Early nurserymen there favored the fruit and it became popular for a backyard vine. Plants were sent to the Chico Plant Introduction Station in California and still exist. Kiwifruit is also grown commercially in Italy, Chile, and South Africa.

Healthbenefits

Eating kiwi fruit is clearly a healthy choice, and it is particularly useful in these cases:
· Prevents Asthma
· Prevents wheezing and coughing, especially in children
· Protects our DNA from mutations
· Provides a healthy amount of antioxidants and vitamins
· Helps prevent colon cancer thanks to a high fiber content

How to use?

The simplest way to enjoy kiwifruit is to peel and slice it. Here are some ideas for adding extra sparkle to salads, beverages, entrees, desserts, and other recipes:
* add kiwifruit cartwheels to fresh fruit salads, coleslaw and chicken or turkey salads,
* top cereals with kiwifruit slices,
* give cheesecake a touch of elegance with a kiwifruit glaze,
* use as a garnish on pies and cakes,
* float kiwifruit slices in punch and cocktail recipes,
* blend kiwifruit into frothy fresh fruit blender drinks,
* scoop kiwifruit halves right from the skin with a spoon,
* garnish poultry and meat dishes with kiwifruit,
* fill avocado, melon or papaya halves with sliced kiwifruit,
* use as a meat tenderizer.

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