ARTICLES
A
Gathering of Friendship
Meditations:
Soapbox of the President
Membership
Makes A Great Gift All Year!
Connections
on KVNF: November: A Framework of Family Values
Our
Business Members: The Soul Garden
A Gathering of Friendship
Connections Release
Friends come and go over the years, some stay in the circle
for a long time while others move on and return. When friends
are with us, they light our lives and add texture and
excitement to our everyday existence. Nearly everyone
describes friends and friendship in different terms, but
there's always a common denominator - a silver thread that
bonds friends together.
Take a little time to think about your friends and the
relationships you've built during your life. To be a friend a
person should start by being a friend to themselves. If we are
willing as humans to be at our core and to learn about
ourselves, we naturally extend toward the periphery of our own
being. Our circle widens to include friends.
Friendship is a mystery. New friendships are full of
discovery and exploration. Who am I? Who are you? Old
friendships are much like aged wine or a book you've read
several times, always discovering something new each time.
Have you ever wondered why humans seek friendship? Theories
come and go in the blink of an eye, but it's the human factor
that sustains us all. Loving others is eternal and the essence
of love and friendship never changes.
When we pass through a hard time there is nothing more
golden than support from a good friend. Laughing with friends
or sharing happy times is a TRUE BOND. Nothing's more
therapeutic than a good giggle session.
When we look at our memories, it's true that we remember
sad times, but often it's the happy moments that come to the
surface where they belong. A poet was asked once about his
relationship to his wife. He stated, "I know her so well that
I may miss the changing beauty of who she really is - so I
must rediscover her over and over again"
We all want to be involved in a strong company of friends.
The dreams we have for our families, our communities, and our
world become supported and expanded through the rich tapestry
of rediscovering some of our most familiar friends and
offering your friendship to someone new. That person may be
looking for a friend to share their dreams with too! Come to
our gathering of friends for support and renewing of future
dreams and a joyous good time.
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Meditations: Soapbox of the President
by Larry Lemser
Hasn't our weather been delightful for the past month? It's
almost good enough to dim the memory of summer heat, lack of
rain and fires. But we won't forget, and, as a community, we
will tackle the formidable task of dividing up our precious
water resources.
While the mission of The Whole life Network is to promote
environmentally friendly measures to restore nature's balance,
we can not disregard the needs of existing agriculture and
municipalities. Ultimately the answer will lie in a
combination of conservation, innovation, and legislation. That
is why we rejoice in the passage of Senate Bill 156 which
gives Colorado a powerful new tool for in-stream flow
protection. This law allows the state to purchase or accept
donations of senior water rights to improve the health of
Colorado's rivers.
Many would scoff that the "tree huggers" are saving some
lowly fish at the expense of the needs of the general
population. Aside from our contention that the fate of the
fish and human survival are intertwined, let's examine the
issue from the point of view of practicality. Fishing in
Colorado generates $1.3 billion in economic activity each
year. Rafting? Kayaking? I don't know the numbers, but I can't
imagine our Colorado without water recreation anymore than I
could imagine it without mountains.
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and give thanks every time
that we are inconvenienced by rain or snow falling on our part
of Mother Earth.
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Membership Makes A Great Gift All Year!
By Sue Lemser
Membership Chairperson
Hunting for a Christmas gift for a special person on your
list who has everything? Here's an idea: a gift that keeps on
giving for 12 months. Give a membership in The Whole Life
Network.
What could be easier? Just fill out the membership
application on Page 3, put a check mark in the box
"Christmas gift," and mail it back
with your remuneration. You won't have to spend hours driving
to the mall and fighting for a parking space. As a bonus, you
can claim your gift as a deduction on your Federal Income Tax
return. When we receive notification of your gift of a
membership for a friend, relative, or neighbor, we will send
the recipient of your gift an original designed card
announcing your gift along with the most recent edition of
"Connections."
This holiday you can support your Whole Life Network, give
a gift that lasts all year, and get a tax deduction all in one
operation.
What are you waiting for?
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Connections on KVNF: November: A Framework of Family
Values
by Arlyn Macdonald
Family is the essence that helps define our very identity.
Life begins at home and home is where the heart of the family
dwells. Children learn their most important lessons from
living in a family. Thanksgiving is a time for families, for
renewing our bonds, for reconnecting with those family members
we haven't seen for awhile, for remembering our roots and
where we come from.
In this modern day, families have drifted apart and often
live in different states and sometimes in different
countries.
How do we keep the family together under these fragmented
conditions? What makes a family? Is the family the oldest
living unit of community? What traditional family values are
passed down from one generation to the next and how do they
effect us today?
Whether your family is just sitting down to eat
Thanksgiving Dinner or you are still cooking, tune in on
Thanksgiving Day, November 28th at noon to
Connections, the Whole Life Network's radio
program on KVNF. Join Joshua Hayward and Arlyn Macdonald for a
meaningful discussion of family, how to establish a framework
of family values, and the importance of the mother and the
father in the family. Arlyn will share "The Five Primary
Family Values" from her second book, Parenting for Heart, Mind
and Spirit, based on traditional Hawaiian family values and
the Hawaiian concept of the Inner Family.
Don't miss this special Connections
program as we celebrate the Thanksgiving season with
family.
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Our Business Members: The Soul Garden
By Larry Lemser
On a recent visit to The Soul Garden, Heidi Hotsenpiller
and Jim Riddell, co-owners/co-operators, greeted me with the
following word game: "Would you describe The Soul Garden as:
A) quaint; B) cute; C) funky?" My response was d) none of the
above. Wholesome? YES! And the atmosphere (energy) is simply
uplifting.
Before too much rambling on, for those who have not had the
pleasure, The Soul Garden is the newest purveyor in Montrose
for coffee, tea, soups, salads, and decadent treats such as
peanut butter brownies. Here the similarities with other
establishments ends. Imagine, every single drink or meal
served is 100% organic, as good for our environment as it is
for our taste buds and our bodies. Here is our chance to vote
with our food dollars and enjoy organic nourishment that is
obtained from local growers whenever available.
Located at 833 S. Townsend Ave. (in the previous Mocha
Joe's location), The Soul Garden is open from 7 a.m. until 4
p.m. every day except Sunday. Come in and relax with your
friends or take advantage of convenient carry-out.
Should You Buy Organic? That's the title of an article from
the Sept. 30, 2002 issue of Newsweek. From page 55 of that
article, "Creating a sustainable food supply may well require
advanced technology as well as ecological awareness. But an
organic ethic could be the very key to our survival."
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