Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Creative souls sharing their life experience with the world! Today’s Spiritual Woman
2 MASABI Staff Lola Carlile Ph. D. Art Therapist & Editor of Today’s Spiritual Woman Cin Broyles Digital Creative Editor & Advertisement Liaison Mind and Spirit and Body Improvement is proud to present our Winter 2014 issue of Today’s Spiritual Woman. We would like to thank every contributor and are always looking for new submissions. Please send your articles for inclusion in our winter issue by e-mailing our editor, Lola at todayspiritualwoman@gmail.com. Advertisers! Tell us about your services or products. Full page for $200.00, half page $100.00, quarter page $50.00, your business card for $25.00 for photo ready advertisements. If you need us to create a graphic ad for you, we would be happy to for an additional $20.00 with the inclusion of your own logo and images. For more information or to place your advertisement, E-mail Cin Broyles. cinbroyles.masabi@yahoo.com MASABI
Advertisement Internship Available Help build awareness, revenue, and support for MASABI and Today’s Spiritual Woman Magazine. Qualified individuals may send in cover letter and resumé for this internship with possible commission to todayspiritualwoman@gmail.com. The position is ideal for a marketing or advertisement student in the Willamette Valley.
http://www.businessinsider.com/interns-voted-these-are-their-20-favorite-advertising-internships-in-the-us-2012-6?op=1
The views and opinions expressed in the articles of Today’s Spiritual Woman are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of MASABI or the staff of TSW. We encourage authors of our articles in their diversity and ask that as you read you keep an open heart and mind. Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else ~Leonardo da Vinci~
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Spirit
• Expand Your Mind
• Buddhist Boot Camp
• Ask Nana Jean About Making a
• A Mother’s Song
Difference: Reflections on Life • A Better Way to Deal With Control Issues
• Party Hardy Before Lent Burned Biscuits • Was Jesus a socialist?
• Homemade Thin Mints
• Oven Baked Beignet
• This Might Be The Scariest Trail
• ‘Spitting on the bride’ & other
In The World.
MASABI
unusual wedding rituals
Robin Halioua Winter Tale http://robinhalioua.deviantart.com/
Body • The Dangers of Microbeads • A letter to my daughter about Exercising AND TRUTH • Kaliah’s Story • A Cure for Eczema, Psoriasis or
Improvement • Phrases that Build Bridges Between People • Animal portraits • The Cinderella Syndrome • 10 Reasons To Stop What You’re Doing & Start Clearing Your Clutter
Just Dry Skin • ‘Insanity’: Belgian Senate passes bill permitting doctors to euthanize children
Back cover Peanut Butter Granola
Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Mind
MASABI
Alexander Stübner found on flikr Image name Head from the Madrid 2008 set. http://www.flickr.com/photos/15082599@N08/
Today’s Spiritual Woman
Expand Your Mind Mark Gorkin
Two events led to this mixed-conceptual piece – part poem, part poetic questionnaire. First, there was a powerful dream. When away from my normal Greater Washington DC work world, snowed in east of Cleveland, my brain seems to dream more vividly. I often awake to an integrated reverie-narrative. Two mornings ago, I bolted upright aware that I’d been dreaming about recent conflict with a family member in light of a personal history being emotionally taunted and bullied through much of my childhood. While the transparency of the dream was unnerving, it also was confirming. Akin to the current real world family drama, the dream reflected my refusing to be a passive victim. I quickly realized the need to convert this psychic theatre into some form of literary oeuvre.
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The second happenstance occurred when my girlfriend, trying to create more closet space, (is this a female fixation?), asked me to discard or refile some old articles and workshop handouts. In the process, I discovered a favorite piece written in the ‘90s – “WHY’s UP: 20 QUESTIONS” – that never really found a niche in my speaking repertoire. However, as I mulled potential poetic topics, I began to envision a complementary role for this existential survey. Here is my hybrid offering: Cowardice or Choice: From Vice to Voice A coward dies a thousand deaths; a hero dies but once ** No matter the total breaths; when it mattered…did you give your every ounce? The saddest part of cowardice, the sacrifice of peaceful sleep To cold night sweats of moral vice; a haunted voice that makes you weep. Still…that twilight coliseum, a dreamscape of battling foes A second chance for wresting demons; will you now go blow for blow? You may not win each contest; there will be trails of blood But you may slowly lay to rest that nightmare-stalking brood. Each hour brings another choice – to take a stand or run Even lacking true clear voice, in no way are you dumb. Dig deep for that rich ore of shame; you are close with fear or rage Let a guide reveal a novel game; get off the “b.s.” (be safe) stage. Lurking in shadows psychic, bubbling lava primal pain MASABI
Sculpt and dance until there’s magic; Pygmalion’s art shall rise again. No longer that once robot child, head twisting madly side-to-side Yes, pursue the “Call of the Wild”; beware that, “Well, I tried.” “Learn to Fail or Fail to Learn”; please forsake the craft of cool Fiery spirit will once more burn when com/passion and purpose rule!
So WHY’s UP: 20 QUESTIONS Why dredge up rage and shame? Why feel and reveal, instead of conceal, psychic pain? Why mourn, let go, and work with the same? Why confront “The Intimate FOE: Fear of Exposure”? Why become more risk-taking; why learn The Art of Designing Disorder? Why tolerate living with uncertainty and vulnerability? Why become less dependent on another’s approval or on respectability? Why learn to accept criticism without feeling so anxious, humiliated, or rejected? Why not just settle into the role or image that is typically expected? Why strive high and embrace failure, being home on the range with text and context? For the phoenix to rise from the ashes One must know the pain To transform the fire to burning desire! Psychologist Salvatore Maddi’s Existential Position: Life is a series of decisions, each of which can be made in a direction that propels the person into future-oriented growth through new experience or pulls him back into the stagnation of a familiar past. [** Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar]
Mark Gorkin, MSW, LICSW, “The Stress Doc” www.stressdoc.com – called a “workplace resource” by National Public Radio (NPR). For more info on the Doc’s “Practice Safe Stress” programs or to receive his free e-newsletter, email stressdoc@aol.com or call 301-875-2567. Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Ask Nana Jean About Making a Difference: Reflections on Life by Jean G Moule PhD (Author) , Arun Narayan Toke (Editor) , Jean Moule (Illustrator) September 12, 2013
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As an artist, writer and emerita faculty member at Oregon State University, Jean Moule’s collection of columns encourages family connections, understanding of racial issues and evokes sweet memories for readers. The book is a compilation of life’s experiences that create just who Jean Moule is – a black woman infused with black and white culture and the story of how she created a culturally competent family environment for her children and extended family. This full color second edition contains images of Jean’s landscapes. Easy and inspiring reading. Table of Contents includes FAMILY Reflections on Her Childhood; On Love Encouraging Passionate Pursuits; Expanding Horizons Cousins’ Country Camp; Learning by Working Together; Growing focused Human Beings; SKIN DEEP; About Hair; About Swimming; About Skin Color - Are You White? Are You Black? About Biracial Identity; Racial Identity in Children; ‘Blink of the Eye’ Racism; TRAVELS: Cycle of Enlightenment New Orleans: Remnants of Hurricane Katrina; Nana Jean Goes to Mount Kilimanjaro; Mt. Kilimanjaro. Part II reveals Grandparenting in China; Hawai‘i: The 50th State in the Union; Nana Jean Says Aloha On European Customs. In AIM HIGH Nana Jean faces a challenge in the air! Bessie Coleman About Role Models like Yourself; Teaching Faith in the Public Schools; Talking about Religion in Public Schools; Expert Teaching in Jamaica; Let’s Make a Difference in Our World; Jean’s Art Resource: Cultural Competence: A Primer for Educators. When asked one word to explain her philosophy, Moule smiled and said LEARN. Learning allows one to expand and live to the fullest. Indeed Moule has done so. MASABI
A Better Way to Deal With Control Issues By Deepak Chopra, M.D.
When thinking about control issues, there’s a simple starting point: everyone is happier being in control and more unhappy being out of control. The reason for this goes back to how your body operates. Its normal state is homeostasis, or dynamic balance. Homeostasis is like being a runner on second base in a baseball game. The runner has a stable place to stand while he watches the next pitch, but at the same time he is poised for action. Homeostasis works the same way. Your body exists in a stable place while at the same time being poised to go into action. Being in control, then, has two sides. You feel stable, well within your comfort zone, but you also feel ready to meet challenges and opportunities as they arise. Preserving such a state keeps you in control at all times. Yet even though our bodies want to preserve homeostasis, and we psychologically want to be in control, all kinds of things work against us. Here are the major influences that throw off the whole control mechanism.
• Stress, which forces the body to go into emergency mode, disrupting normal homeostasis. • Unpredictability, which creates a state of tense vigilance waiting for the unexpected to happen. • Negative emotions like hostility, resentment, and anxiety. • Frustration, which limits your freedom to act and react. To be in control, you must eliminate or minimize these things, and that has become increasingly hard to do. Consider how you feel at the airport waiting for a flight. Typically, it’s not certain that your plane will take off on time, or at all. Weather and mechanical problems are unpredictable. It’s frustrating that you have no ability to change the situation or escape it. The atmosphere often contains a degree of tension and resentment. All of this creates mounting stress.
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But normal working conditions can create the same sense of losing control. Others can tell us what to do, and if your boss makes arbitrary decisions, unpredictability enters the picture. There are frustrations, large and small, because no one at work is completely autonomous, or free to do what they really want to do. On-the-job stress goes with the territory that’s why so many people dream of running their own business. No matter how difficult being self-employed turns out to be, it offers an opportunity to feel that you are in control.
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But you can do a lot to stay in control if you take a better approach to your control issues. Look at them from the viewpoint of your body, which wants to stay in balance while remaining poised to act. From this vantage point, the do’s and don’ts are more clear cut. • Don’t shut out the stress that is throwing you out of balance. • Don’t shut down emotionally. Your body always knows if you are angry, anxious, or resentful, and it reacts negatively in various ways. • Don’t go passive and slack. This only makes mind and body become dull, reducing your ability to act when the time for acting arises. • Don’t become a control freak, someone who is critical, demanding, a perfectionist who constantly finds fault. Control freaks are trying to clamp down MASABI
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on externals while ignoring the real problem, which is inside themselves. Don’t become a slave to rigid routines and ways of thinking. Rigidity feels like control but turns out to be lonely, isolating, and a cause of stress for those who interact with you. Don’t mistake control for harsh self-discipline or dominating others. These don’ts should carry no surprise, since they are based on the most basic psychological truism - each one leads to greater unhappiness and frustration, which are the opposite of being in control. In the same vein, the things you need to do are aimed at making your existence freer and more balanced. Look carefully at the daily stresses in your life and address them. Examine if you are adding to the stress in your surroundings. If so, take steps to put an end to it. Be aware of your feelings, especially the negative ones, and take active steps to improve them. Follow a routine that keeps your body in a healthy state of balance, which means at a minimum adequate sleep, regular meals, and avoiding toxins like alcohol and tobacco. Be active. Mild physical activity at least once an hour, such as standing up and stretching, has
been shown to keep the body in a state of homeostasis. • Recognize the frustrations you face and do what it takes to resolve them.
Deepak Chopra’s Help Desk: How to Control Your Anger If this list of do’s seems like too much work, you are already out of control, because everything on the list is what comes naturally to mind and body when they are in balance. Homeostasis is the simplest, easiest, most natural way to exist. It takes effort to keep yourself out of balance, which unfortunately
has become the new norm. We push ourselves, ignore our body’s signals of discomfort, sleep too little, eat too much or at irregular times, and pride ourselves on how much stress we can take on. In reality, you aren’t in control just because you’re free to make bad choices. Control depends on a sound foundation in mind and body, a state that makes you feel secure, centered, alert, and ready for whatever comes next. Once you realize this fact, you are in a position to take a much better approach to the whole complex issue of being in control.
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Today’s Spiritual Woman
We all live and we die. In between we retire. Yet Austrian born and Texas bred Lola Carlile gave little, if any, thought to retirement. When the big R entered her life, she was taken aback and began amassing amazing experiences one after another; however, some were not that amazing and some downright unpleasant. Using her God-given talent, she began to record the ups and downs of retirement and it is her sincerest hope and prayer
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that others might benefit from her experiences. Dr. Carlile enjoyed a wonderful career in education and upon her first retirement returned to graduate school to become an art therapist...
https://www.createspace.com/4098892 Order your copy today for only $19.99 on Amazon books. http://www.amazon.com/Therapy-Retirees-Lola-Carlile-Ph-D/dp/1481265377 MASABI
Homemade Thin Mints Makes 3 1/2-4 dozen cookies.
2 1/4 cups flour 1/4 cup cornstarch 6 T unsweetened cocoa powder 1/2 t salt 1 cup white sugar 1/2 cup butter, room temperature 1/3 cup milk (any kind) 1/2 t vanilla extract 3/4 t peppermint extract Using a whisk, mix together flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder and salt. Cream together butter and sugar. Add in the milk and the extracts. Mixture will look curdled. Gradually, add in the flour mixture until fully mixed. Then divide the dough into two parts and create logs – about 1 ½” in diameter. Wrap these in freezer or plastic wrap and freeze until the dough is very firm. This is usually a few hours. Preheat the oven to 375F and slice the dough into rounds, usually less than ½” thick. Better to make them thinner so they are crisp. The recipe calls for using parchment lined baking sheets, but I spray mine with pam and am good to go! Bake for 13-15 minutes, until cookies are firm at the edges. Cool cookies completely on a wire rack before dipping in chocolate. Dark Chocolate Coating 10-oz dark or semisweet chocolate 1/2 cup butter, room temperature Combine chocolate and butter in a microwave safe bowl. Melt on high power in the microwave, stirring every 45-60 seconds, until chocolate is smooth. Chocolate should have a consistency between chocolate syrup and fudge for a thin coating. Dip each cookie in melted chocolate, turn with a fork to coat, then transfer to a piece of wax paper to set up for at least 30 minutes, or until chocolate is cool and firm. Reheat chocolate as needed to keep it smooth and easy to dip into.
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This Might Be The Scariest Trail In The World. But You’ll NEVER Guess Where It Leads. Unbelievable. OR I was never afraid of heights until I read this article! reddit.com
stairs, called “the Heavenly Stairs.” These stairs go so high up the mountainside, it’s hard to see where they end. If that wasn’t enough, the precarious stairs lead to the world’s most dangerous trail, the Hua Shan plank path. The plank trail leads high up the Hua Shan mountain just outside the city Xi’an. No one will force you to wear safety gear, although it’s strongly encouraged. The trail itself is dangerous and stunning, but what is at the top will really shock you. The stairs themselves, although beautiful, are daunting. And they are the easiest part of the climb. However, countless people make the dangerous journey for what’s at the top… As you climb the stairs, you pass little villages and houses that have cropped up on the mountain.
We hope you’re not afraid of heights, because this even made our palms sweat. What you see below is a mountain in China
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called Mt. Hua Shan. At its base, you’ll find a gigantic set of stone
Then, once you get high enough, you can take a gondola to the southern peak, where the plank path awaits. This is where the path turns truly dangerous, with nothing but planks to walk on and a rail of chains to hold onto.
Images from imgur.com & uqpu.net
MASABI
There’s almost nothing from keeping you from falling. ...Woah!
There are parts you must climb as well, with toe holes cut out.
But, if you’re brave enough to keep climbing… You’ll find something pretty interesting at the end of your journey. At the very top of the southern peak is a Taoist temple that was converted into a teahouse. Thousands of people climb the world’s most dangerous path to end up at a teahouse. So, either these people really like dangerous climbing, or they really like tea. Either way, you should probably check out the teahouse at the top of Mt. Hua Shan.
Our palms are sweating. just looking at this path.
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Today’s Spiritual Woman
Three Blind Men and a Lady Lola Carlile infused her life with the love of art and when she retired from education, decided to return to the classroom to study art therapy. Little did she know the road ahead would be filled with intense challenges working with mentally ill adults with little or no sight. She tackled the challenges head on, discovering that the easy notion of using clay with these clients would not work - at least not at first. Fall
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in love with the characters as Carlile relates their story of struggling day to day to find peace and happiness - an experience neither the author nor the readers will soon forget.
Order your copy today Through Barns and Nobel on-line
$12.99
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/three-blind-men-and-a-lady-lola-carlile-phd/1112896070
MASABI
Buddhist Boot Camp Your brother, Timber Hawkeye
To make a long story short... I sat there in front of the Tibetan Lama, wearing my maroon robes after years of studying Buddhism. “With all due respect,” I said, “I don’t believe the Buddha ever intended for his teachings to get thIs complicated!” My teacher looked around at all the statues of deities with multiple arms and chuckled, “the Buddha didn’t do this! The Tibetan culture did; this is their way. Why don’t you try Zen? I think you’d like it!” So I bowed out of the temple, took off my robes, and moved into a Zen monastery far from home. Zen was simpler; that much was true (the walls were blank and I loved it), but the teachings were still filled with all the dogma that sent me running from religion in the first place. There are many incredible books out there that cover all aspects of religion, philosophy, psychology and physics, but I was looking for something less “academic,” so to speak. I was looking for something inspirational that people today would not only have the attention span to read all the way through, but actually understand and also implement in their daily lives. I pictured a simple guide to being happy, and in it just two words: “Be Grateful.” Gratitude has a way of turning what we have into enough, and that is the basic idea behind Buddhist Boot Camp. The short chapters convey everything I have learned over the years in a way that is easy to understand, without you needing to know anything about Buddhism ahead of time. In fact, this book is not about being a Buddhist; it’s about being a Buddha. Each chapter is either a journal entry or a personal email that I had shared with my friends as a way to document my observations and realizations. The name of the book is what I would title my diary if I had to give it a heading. It is very possible (and perfectly okay) for someone who is Catholic, Muslim, atheist or Jewish, for example, to still find the Buddha’s teachings inspirational. You can love Jesus, repeat a Hindu mantra, and still go to temple after morning meditation. Buddhism is not a threat to any religion; it actually strengthens your existing faith by expanding your love to include all beings. “Boot Camp” is a training method, and Buddhism is all about training the mind. Many people claim they don’t have time to meditate every morning, but still want spiritual guidance without any dogma or rituals attached. That is exactly what Buddhist Boot Camp provides in this quick and easy-to digest format. Today’s Spiritual Woman
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A Mother’s Song Rhythmic, melodious crisp notes smoothly swirl about me as I think of beauteous moments in my life Remembering days before and after each son’s birth - wondering how those moments in time flew by Love in my bosom swells filling each pore within my corpulent body - I smile in total surrender
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My soul reaches out to you and touches every fiber of your being and all I desire is peace and love Love one another and love yourselves - that is the tonic to my unquiet and distress - peace be with you I pray you and your beloved learn to love one another as I have loved you - joyfully support one another
We are all part of a single structure and when one of us hurts, the others feel the pain whether large or small Just breathe and love and help one another on this journey and the good Lord will reward your efforts all MASABI
Party Hardy Before Lent By Vye Carlile Friend, Hollee Shomette, posted on Facebook a beautiful photo of her Three King’s Cake, which, she added, is also made at Mardi Gras. So I am thinking I gotta get going on preparations for Mardi Gras – I’ve always loved the parades, the glitz, and the glamour of Mard Gras from afar. Living in the far Northwest, I’m not aware of any such happenings in or near my neighborhood. But I tend to educate my student or clients, whichever the case may be, partly so I can partake in the festivities myself! Hollee say she uses the recipe from allrecipes.com, but says she alters the recipe somewhat. We do 2 fillings- we do a bottom layer of a cream cheese filling- 2 blocks softened cream cheese, 3 Tb flour, 2 tsp vanilla and 2 Tb milk- mix until creamy and spread over the rolled out dough. Then on top of this layer, we spread the filling that is called for by the recipe. We also bake it for longer than the recipe calls forusually around 30 minutes or so. http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/8144/mardi-gras-king-cake Much information is available on the internet regarding what Mard Gras is and what and why people celebrate. In short, Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday began as a prelude to a Christian religious time– the night before the forty days of Lent, people have one last hurrah and eat, drink, and are merry, because the season of Lent is one of fasting, abstinence, and giving up of earthly pleasures – or was intended to be that type of season. Traditionally, Mardi Gras is celebrated with vim and vigor in New Orleans – with parades, balls, and general debauchery. Certainly the church does not approve of behavior that is not in line with the teaching of the church…. however, participants give little heed nowadays to the church and party like there is no tomorrow. Or so I have heard…. One fun activity that I have done with children and adults is to create wonderful masks, using feathers, sequins, beads, and glitter. Add to that stringing some beads or even making them and painting them before stringing them….And, don’t forget the great jazz music from the bayou….Get your groove on and enjoy the moment.
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Burned Biscuits http://www.MidgetMomma.com A must read.... Burned Biscuits - A lesson we all should learn. When I was a kid, my Mom liked to make breakfast food for dinner every now and then. I remember one night in particular when she had made breakfast after a long, hard day at work. On that evening so long ago, my Mom placed a plate of eggs, sausage and extremely burned biscuits in front of my dad.
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I remember waiting to see if anyone noticed! All my dad did was reach for his biscuit, smile at my Mom and ask me how my day was at school. I don’t remember what I told him that night, but I do remember watching him smear butter and jelly on that ugly burned biscuit. He ate every bite of that thing...never made a face nor uttered a word about it! When I got up from the table that evening, I remember hearing my Mom apologize to my dad for burning the biscuits. And I’ll never forget what he said, “Honey, I love burned biscuits every now and then.” Later that night, I went to kiss Daddy good night and I asked him if he really liked his biscuits burned. He wrapped me in his arms and said, “Your Mom put in a hard day at work today and she’s real tired. And besides--a little burned biscuit never hurt anyone!” As I’ve grown older, I’ve thought about that many times. MASABI
Life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people. I’m not the best at hardly anything, and I forget birthdays and anniversaries just like everyone else. But what I’ve learned over the years is that learning to accept each other’s faults and choosing to celebrate each other’s differences is one of the most important keys to creating a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. And that’s my prayer for you today...that you will learn to take the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of your life and lay them at the feet of God. Because in the end, He’s the only One who will be able to give you a relationship where a burnt biscuit isn’t a deal-breaker! We could extend this to any relationship. In fact, understanding is the base of any relationship, be it a husbandwife or parent-child or friendship! “Don’t put the key to your happiness in someone else’s pocket--keep it in your own.” So, please pass me a biscuit, and yes, the burned one will do just fine. And PLEASE pass this along to someone who has enriched your life--I just did! Be kinder than necessary because everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle. “Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil--it has no point.”
Was Jesus a socialist? Edited by Lola Carlile Written by Stephen Kokx
According to Notre Dame Theology professor Candida Moss, yes, he was. Enter a Catholic debate of opinions and facts. . . . In an appearance on Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News program on October 2nd, Moss, who had excoriated O’Reilly’s latest book Killing Jesus in a column for The Daily Beast just days before, claimed that if Jesus were around today, he wouldn’t be a “free market capitalist.” Instead, he’d prefer a more socialistic economy. According to Kokx, O’Reilly is no theologian and although Kokx says some of what O’Reilly says is a bit off the mark, O’Reilly’s Catholic school upbringing has provided him with a pretty good understanding of the faith. A better understanding, it seems, than the PhD-equipped Moss, who, by the end of the discussion, looked less like a professor at Notre Dame and more like an undergrad who studies at a Jesuit school and blogs for Commonweal. Go to this site to see the entire interview and then continue reading this article. http://www.catholicvote.org/was-jesus-a-socialist/ If you watched the video, you noticed that when Moss argues that all rich folks need to give away all their possessions, O’Reilly rightly reminded her that Jesus himself “hung out” with rich guys – guys like Lazarus and Joseph of Arimathea. It’s not the most theologically-insightful point, but it’s still important. It proves that Jesus didn’t tell every rich person he encountered to sell everything they own. O’Reilly points out the difference between someone who simply has a lot of wealth – which brings with it certain responsibilities – and someone who is “owned” by their possessions – persons who, like the rich man who sought eternal life, are beholden to earthly goods. Not only is the distinction made that simply being rich is not a negative – it’s what is done with the riches and the life that the rich person might live. Moss, seemingly, cannot grasp this. Or isn’t humble enough to admit O’Reilly is right. Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Furthermore, after Moss contends that the “the most consistent social teaching of the New Testament [is] that the wealthy [need to] give away their possessions in order to help the poor,” O’Reilly rightly argues that there is a distinction between someone giving away their possessions and someone being forced by the state to hand over their goods so bureaucrats can redistribute them later on. Making this distinction debunks Moss’ argument that Jesus was a socialist. When someone gives away their possessions it is assumed they are doing so out of an authentic desire to do good. Doing so edifies one’s spirit, if done freely. When the state raises property taxes, assumes ownership of large industries or confiscates your wealth by instituting, for example, a burdensome estate tax, you, as an individual, really have no say in the matter. You are essentially forced into parting with your property. There is no “giving” going on. There is only “taking.”
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To be sure, the common good demands that we fulfill our obligations to Caesar, and, as Pope Benedict wrote in Caritas in Veritate, we cannot leave everything up to the free market. But, as Pope Leo taught in 1878, socialism is evil, as, among other things, it robs man of his natural right to private property. This doesn’t mean the state can’t play a role in making sure basic human needs are met, but it does mean that filling out a 1040 shouldn’t be understood as a corporal work of mercy. No matter how many millions of dollars we might fork over to the state during this lifetime, it won’t increase the likelihood that we will enter the Kingdom of God. While reading this article and watching the video a feeling of appreciation came over me as I pondered the wonders of our freedom to speak what we each feel and the ability to criticize others who do not. At the same time, I worried that our country, founded upon religious liberty, has begun to criticize and minimalize some religions over others. Let the kind debate begin…. MASABI
Oven Baked Beignet http://www.fitsugar.com/Healthier-Mardi-Gras-New-Orleans-Recipes Ingredients: 1/4 cup warm water (about 100 degrees F) 1 packet active dry yeast 3 cups flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp salt 1/4 cup sugar 5 T cold butter, cut into small chunks 1 egg 3/4 cup buttermilk (makes about 18 in about 1 hour) Directions: Combine the yeast, warm water and a pinch of the sugar in a small bowl and set aside for five minutes. The water will start to look foamy and bubble a little bit. That’s normal. Meanwhile, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and sugar in a large bowl. Using your fingers, cut in the butter and work mixture together until it resembles coarse sand. Mix together the egg and the buttermilk. Add to yeast and then add to dry ingredients. Stir together to form a soft dough and then continue to knead (or use your Kitchen Aid) until dough becomes smooth and elastic. If using a Kitchen Aid, keep your speed on medium and beat with paddle attachment (or dough hook) for 6-8 minutes until smooth. If using your hands, make sure you are working on a lightly floured surface. The dough will feel smooth like pizza dough when it’s done. Spray a bowl with cooking spray and drop in your dough ball. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 15 minutes. Then, roll out dough into a large rectangle or square on a floured surface. Cut square into five long strips and then cut those strips into squares. Place squares on a lined baking sheet, spray with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bake beignets for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden. Dust with powdered sugar and eat warm.
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‘Spitting on the bride’ & other unusual wedding rituals By YourTango
Would you drink “soup” from a toilet on your wedding day? By Kristen Droesch Everyone is familiar with wedding staples like tossing the bouquet and the first dance. But what about traditions from other countries and cultures? Have you ever imagined slaughtering a chicken or marrying a banana tree? Check out these unusual wedding traditions from around the globe. cairnside13 via YouTube, http://youtu.be/KDBNeOFm808
Video still of people participating in a ‘Blackening of The Bride/Groom’ ritual in Scotland (cairnside13 via YouTube, http://youtu.be/KDBNeOFm808)
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1.The Blackening of the Bride – Scotland
The bride and groom are slathered from head to toe in every disgusting substance their “friends” can get their hands on. Curdled milk, rotten eggs, spoiled curry, fish sauces, mud, flour, sausages, every nasty thing you can imagine. As if that weren’t enough, the couple is then paraded about, with well-wishers making as much noise as possible. Depending on the region, sometimes it’s just the bride or groom alone who is the victim of this particular pre-wedding tradition.
2. Crying Ritual of the Tujia People – Sichaun Province, Chin Staring 30 days before the wedding, the bride spends an hour a day crying. Ten days later, she is joined by her mother, and then ten days after that, her grandmother. I know what you’re thinking, but this is actually meant as an expression of joy and deep love.
3. Daur Chick Liver Tradition – Inner Mongolia, China Time to get mystical. To select a wedding date, the young couple must take a knife, and together slaughter a chick. The date is then divined by the appearance of the chick’s liver. If the liver has an unfortunate appearance, they must keep killing chicks until they find a good one.
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4.KumbhVivah – India Indian men and women born as Mangliks, meaning if Mars is situated in the 1st, 2nd, 4th, 7th, 8th or 12th house of a person’s Rashi (Indian astrological moon sign), are believed to be cursed. It is believed that Mangalik Dosha negatively impacts married life, causing tension and sometimes the untimely death of one of the partners. To cancel these effects, a Kumbh Vivah can be performed before the wedding. This is a wedding between a Mangalik and either a statue of Vishnu or a Peepal tree or banana tree. The celebrated Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai had one such marriage with a tree before marrying her husband, Abhishek.
5. Bathroom Moratorium – Tidong community, Indonesia/Malaysia After the wedding, the bride and groom are not allowed to use the bathroom for three whole days. They cannot leave the house, clear their bowels or urinate. The couple is watched over, and are allowed minimal amounts of food and drink. If the custom is not practiced, they believe it will bring bad luck to the couple, with consequences such as a broken marriage, infidelity or death of their children. After three days, the couple is allowed to return to normal life, and begin their marriage.
6. Spitting on the Bride – Massai nation, Kenya At a wedding ceremony held by the Massai people, the father of the bride blesses his daughter by spitting on her head and breasts. She then leaves with her husband and does not look back for fear of turning into stone.
7.The Kissing Tradition – Sweden If the groom leaves the room for any reason, all the other men at the wedding are allowed to kiss the bride. The same goes for the groom and female guests if the bride should leave the room.
8. La Soupe – France After the reception, the couple would be sent to their bed while the bridal party cleaned up the mess. This was done by dumping all the leftover food, drink and trash into a chamber pot. They would then barge into the couple’s room with a toilet full of garbage and would not leave until the couple drank it. Today, the soup is more commonly made up of chocolate and champagne, but it’s still served out of a toilet. The reasoning behind the tradition was to give the couple fuel to have sex. (Okay, a French wedding is officially out for me).
9. Shooting the Bride – China The Yugur people (an ethnic minority group in China) have a custom of the groom shooting three arrows (that don’t have arrowheads) at his bride. He then breaks the arrows and the bow during the wedding ceremony, symbolizing that they will love and live with each other forever.
10. No Smiling – Congo Weddings are considered a thoughtful affair in this part of Africa, and for everything to be taken seriously, the couple cannot smile during or after the ceremony. Nor are they allowed to smile in any wedding day photos. Today’s Spiritual Woman
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11. Falaka, or Beating of the Groom’s Feet – South Korea
12. Polterabend – Germany
After the wedding, before he can leave with his bride, the groom must endure a beating of his feet. It can be painful, but it’s over quickly and is intended to be more funny than harsh. The groom has his shoes and socks removed and his ankles bound by his groomsmen or family members. They then take turns beating the soles of his feet with a stick, cane or dried fish (yes, a fish). The reason for beating a
Guests arrive the night before the wedding, usually at the home of the bride, and break any porcelain object they can get their hands on. This act is thought to bring good luck to the couple. However, they cannot break glass, as it symbolizes happiness. After the porcelain has been broken the couple cleans it up, which is supposed to teach them that married life will not be easy, but by working together, they can overcome any challenge. Today,
groom on his wedding day is to test his knowledge, since he is usually quizzed during the beating.
the new generation breaks the porcelain on the wedding day rather than the night before.
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Now Booking for 2014
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www.heathercarlilephotography.com
www.heidihelserphotography.com
Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Today’s Spiritual Woman
The Dangers of Microbeads By Stuart Coleman
Originally published as “About-Face” in the January/February 2014 issue of Spirituality & Health magazine.
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Researchers Marcus Eriksen and Anna Cummins were taking water samples from Lakes Erie, Huron, and Superior in 2012 when they noticed something puzzling—millions of plastic beads, each one smaller than a grain of sand. The California couple had spent years researching the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and studying plastic pollution in the world’s oceans. They were finding much of the same debris in the Great Lakes—bottles, bags, straws, caps, and countless other single-use plastics—but they were stymied by the vast amount of mysterious plastic beads in every trawl. After some research, Eriksen says, they realized the spherical particles were “the same size, shape, texture, and color of the microbeads you find in consumer beauty products”—facial scrubs, cleansers, and other common products that leave our skin clean but also send millions of plastic particles down the drain. The beads are so tiny that most pass right through our sewer systems and into rivers, lakes, and oceans, where they accumulate—a single tube of Johnson & Johnson’s Clean & Clear facial scrub can contain up to 330,000 plastic beads. Microbeads may be tiny, but they pose a big environmental problem, says Eriksen. The plastic particles can leach harmful chemicals into the water. At the same time, they can absorb toxic pollutants like PCBs, heavy metals, and oil—and when the contaminated beads are swallowed by fish and other marine creatures, they can introduce those chemicals into our food supply. But the tide may be turning on microbeads. Eriksen and Cummins led an effort by 5 Gyres to persuade cosmetics companies to discontinue the use of these plastic particles. So far, Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, Unilever, and Colgate-Palmolive have agreed to phase them out by 2015. What can you do? Want to cleanse your beauty routine of microbeads? Avoid products that include polyethylene or polystyrene in the ingredients list. Most major cosmetics companies have pledged to phase out the abrasive by 2015. Brands including Burt’s Bees and St. Ives use nonpolluting ingredients like cocoa bean husks and crushed apricot seeds for the same effect. MASABI
What would you do if your twelve–year old son began his period? That is the question one California family had to ponder in 1960, an era when rock and roll shattered the innocence of the 50’s. With impending doom from nations near out shores, the world was not ready to accept, discuss, nor tolerate a boy having a girl’s period. This American family was soon to be drawn into a world they never dreamed of, much less were prepared to cope with.
Lola Carlile is a writer, muse, traveler, and, most of all, an educator interested in the psyche of people. She lives on the West Coast with her husband and enjoys writing as a form of meditation. Stephanie Anne Stockton is a gardener, seeker of truth, and a woman in search of happiness from within. She also lives on the West Coast.
35 On Sale now through Author House Publishing online
Hardcover $28.20 E-book
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http://www.amazon.com/The-Twin-Within-painful-struggling/dp/1438958846/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=13406 71814&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Twin+Within
Today’s Spiritual Woman
A letter to my daughter about Exercising AND TRUTH By Laura Moriarity
I take my daughter with me to CrossFit every day. I want her to remember watching her mom lift heavy weights, climb ropes and sweat. I am writing this letter to her in hopes that as she grows, the lessons I have learned doing CrossFit will help shape her image of what it means to be a woman.
Dear Presley, You just turned 5. You love pretty dresses, sparkly headbands and drawing. You know you are talented, beautiful and creative. But, there will come a time when you will stop believing those things. You will start to look around, and you will see and hear lie after lie about what it means to be a woman. Slowly, if you are anything like your mom, you will begin to believe those lies. You will then spend too much of your life trying to fit the false models the culture has constructed for you.
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I have been practicing doing my life better. You know this because you have been with me. When I wake us up early to go to the CrossFit gym before school, it is not just for me. I want you to watch me struggle and succeed daily. I want you to say you want to “be strong like Mom.” Most of all, I want you to grow up stronger than I did, unaffected by the lies you may hear. CrossFit has extinguished these five lies for me, and it can for you, too.
Lie No. 1: Never be ugly I used to believe that no matter what was going on, I should never, ever be ugly. That is a lie. Let me tell you something. When I am in the middle of a WOD (workout of the day), my makeup-free face is scarlet and dripping sweat on the floor, I have chalk dust in my hair, and I am likely on the verge of tears — I am ugly and vulnerable, but I am focused and I am working. It turns out that in life, being pretty can’t always happen. It is OK to be exposed. There is bravery in people, especially women, who are not too proud to look unkempt.
Lie No. 2: If you are skinny, you are also beautiful I used to believe that skinny and beautiful were the same thing. That is a lie. I spent all of my 20s striving to be skinny. I disrespected my body. I pretended it was normal. I judged myself harshly. I want you to know that skinny is not the same as beautiful. Listen to these women. They know that while the pursuit of skinny can be the most powerful force in a young woman’s life, it can never be satisfied. Strong is beautiful, because strong women can see that skinny is an empty goal. I am doing life better because my goal is to be strong. A woman with a strong body and a strong mind cannot be stopped.
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Lie No. 3: Always be first I used to believe that it was most important to be first, no matter what. Life rewards those on top — it is our evolutionary prerogative to be the last one left standing. That is a lie. Now I know that first is a good goal, but it matters more what I do if I get there. When I finish first in the WOD, I get up off the floor knowing it is my job to be the loudest voice cheering for my competition. Tomorrow, I won’t come in first, and I will need someone cheering for me.
Lie No. 4: To fail is the same as being a failure
I used to believe that the fewer failures I experienced, the more successful I was. That is a lie. CrossFit has taught me that you will never hit a personal record if you are too afraid to reach failure. You go until you fail, and then you try it again. If you don’t get the lift, or the time or the muscle up, then that failure point defines your purpose. Failure, sweet girl, will help direct you to your next success.
Lie No. 5: You can’t When I first walked into the CrossFit gym, I believed that I couldn’t. I couldn’t climb a rope, I couldn’t deadlift 200 pounds, and I couldn’t do one pull-up — let alone 100. That was a lie. I have done all of those things and more. You can, too. Sweet pea, I have found something that has changed me. It has silenced many lies about being a woman that I believed for far too long. I want you to grow up strong. That is why I am going to get my CrossFit Kids certificate next month. I want you, and girls and boys like you, to be too strong to consider these lies. I want you to exercise the truth about yourself, with me, every single day.
I love you, Mom
Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Italian Bread Bowls Submitted By: Kerri Skrudland Photo By: footballgrl16 Prep Time: 30 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes Ready In: 2 Hours 15 Minutes Servings: 8
“These cute little bread bowls are a great way to serve soup in the wintertime. I usually serve a hearty potato soup when I have the time to bake them. They freeze for up to 1 month, if desired.�
INGREDIENTS: 2 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 2 1/2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C) 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 7 cups all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon cornmeal 1 egg white 1 tablespoon water
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DIRECTIONS: 1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Let stand until creamy, about 10 minutes. 2. Add salt, oil and 4 cups flour to the yeast mixture; beat well. Stir in the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well with an electric mixer at medium speed after each addition. MASABI
3. When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 minutes. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth and let rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, about 40 minutes. 4. Punch dough down, and divide into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into a 4 inch round loaf. Place loaves on lightly greased baking sheets sprinkled with cornmeal. Cover and let rise in a warm place, free from drafts, until doubled in bulk, about 35 minutes. 5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). In a small bowl, beat together egg white and 1 tablespoon water; lightly brush the loaves with half of this egg wash. 6. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Brush with remaining egg http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID... 1 of 2 11/17/13 7:23 AM Italian Bread Bowls (continued) 2 of 2 DIRECTIONS: (continued) mixture, and bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden. Cool on wire racks. 7. To make bowls: Cut a 1/2 inch thick slice from top of each loaf; scoop out centers, leaving 3/4-inch-thick shells. Fill bread bowls with hot soup and serve immediately. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Š 2013 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 11/17/2013 http://allrecipes.com/Recipe-Tools/Print/Recipe.aspx?recipeID... 2 of 2 11/17/13 7:23 AM
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Kaliah’s Story Kaliah Dailynn Holly Jeffery, by Chelsey Charles
Kaliah Dailynn Holly Jeffery was born on July 20, 2011. When I first held her, my entire life changed at that moment. Gazing at me with her big brown bright eyes, as I touched her thick brown hair, I couldn’t put her down. She was absolutely gorgeous. In the hospital, the doctor noticed I had a slight cough. I told her I’d had it for about a week. That night, my cough started to get worse. Still, nobody seemed too concerned about it. The doctors thought I was probably tired after labor. I was asked if I wanted to get the Tdap vaccine before I left the hospital. I said yes. I hadn’t gotten the vaccine in 5 years and I needed it for school when I was pregnant, but they wanted to wait till after I gave birth. They gave me the shot the next day and sent me and my perfect little family home.
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The next nine days everything was going pretty great. I still had my cough but it hadn’t gotten any worse. When Kaliah was about 10 days old I heard her sneeze. Like any new mother, I panicked. I started searching the Internet on symptoms of newborn colds. At first nothing caught my eye until I saw whooping cough “extremely dangerous for newborns.” The next day my cough sounded worse and I also heard Kaliah cough a few times. So, I took my baby to the walk-in clinic and told them that I thought we had whooping cough. The doctor asked about our symptoms. Then, he told me we “didn’t have the symptoms of whooping cough and that we appeared fine.” I explained to him about how I researched pertussis and that it makes you appear fine until you’re having a coughing spell. He finally agreed to test us, even though he said they had never tested a baby so young before. Two days later I got a phone call from the health department telling me that Kaliah and I were both positive for pertussis. I was in utter shock. How could this happen? The next day her cough got worse, she wasn’t keeping much food down, and she also looked a little blue around her eyes. We went to the emergency room. They told us we should stay in the hospital overnight so they could observe her. I thought we were just there for the night, but Kaliah wasn’t getting better. She wasn’t eating much, and when she did eat she would MASABI
cough so hard she would throw up. They had to keep upping her dosage of oxygen. She was getting weaker. On day3 in the hospital the doctors decided to put her on a feeding tube. I would pump breast milk and they would put her on a continuous drip. On day 5 we had our first big scare, she stopped breathing. Tons of doctors and nurses rushed in to help her. The doctors explained that it was time to put her on a ventilator. They let me and Tanner’s mom go into the room. We had to wear gowns, masks, and gloves to make sure she wouldn’t catch anything else. Kaliah was in an incubator with wires on her, an IV in her wrist, and a ventilator tube in her mouth. It was so heartbreaking to see my little baby girl in so much pain. The doctors told me to go home for the night to get some rest. Well, later that night my phone rang. The doctor started telling me Kaliah’s infection was taking over her blood cells. The next morning Kaliah looked so puffy. She could no longer open her eyes and they had her on pain medications. The doctors told us we could hold her hand or her foot and that we should talk to her. I grabbed her hand and Tanner touched her foot and we told her that we loved her. We both stood there and cried. I thought about how just a week ago she was healthy as can be. All of a sudden, Kaliah started twitching. We were watching our 3 ½ week old baby have a seizure. Tanner and I were so scared we didn’t know what was going to happen. They moved her that night to Children’s Hospital. The next morning a doctor told us she had yet another seizure that had lasted six minutes. They had done a blood transfusion and a spinal tap. The doctor brought up the ECMO machine and told me that if things got worse that it was our last option. This was the first time anyone had ever even brought up the fact that Kaliah might not make it! That was the very moment I started to shut everyone around me out, I didn’t believe it. “Not make it?” There was no way. This lady is crazy. We called our families. Within an hour everyone was there. As the doctors were hooking Kaliah up to do a brain scan they started to panic – not because of her brain, but because she had a very low oxygen level. Her heart and lungs were working too hard. Everything was getting worse fast. Doctors again explained the ECMO machine. It would pump blood out of her body into a machine, put oxygen in the blood, and pump the blood back into her body. Plain and simple it was life support, our very last option. Today’s Spiritual Woman
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After 3 hours of surgery to implant the ECMO machine, I remember going back in that room to see her. I could barely recognize her. My little girl was swollen everywhere. Her eyes were more puffy then before, she felt like her skin was tight and full, she was also really warm. There were two tubes inserted by her neck and right shoulder. The next morning the doctor told us “last night there were some complications with the ECMO machine. Her body is rejecting all the medication. Everything we’re putting in her veins is leaking out into her body. That’s why she’s so swollen. It’s part of the disease (pertussis). Her chances of survival at this point aren’t good at all.” I began to cry and I held her hand for a long time.
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On day 9 at the hospital, our entire families visited. Kaliah’s body was turning purple from all the blood and medicines leaking from her veins. It was so hard to see her that way. I tried my hardest to stay strong for her. I kept telling her I loved her, that everything was going to be alright. We sat in the waiting room for a long time praying she would make it. Four doctors came out to talk to us; they pulled all of us into a room. I remember exactly what they said. “We have all been working very hard on Kaliah and the machine just keeps cutting out. It’s just not working anymore. There is nothing more we can do to help her, she’s too sick. We are so very sorry.” Everyone in the room was crying including all the doctors. The doctors brought our whole family back into Kaliah’s room so we could say our final goodbyes. They sat me and Tanner down on a couch they placed Kaliah in my arms, for the last time. She wore striped pajamas with a monkey on the front; she was absolutely beautiful.
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I held my sweet baby in my arms, with Tanner beside me; we held her hands. I kissed her on the forehead and told her I loved her so much and she wouldn’t have to fight anymore. Tanner kissed her on the hand and told her he loved her. A few moments later we were doing the hardest thing I think I will ever have to do in my entire life. We watched the doctor take her off life support. Kaliah gasped for breath. We sat there and watched our little girl go. The doctor came in and checked for a heart rate and said “I’m sorry she’s gone.” He then took her out of my arms. Tanner and I walked out into the waiting room after saying goodbye to our 27 day-old baby girl. I am doing my best to educate the world by telling Kaliah’s story. Pertussis (whooping cough) is very dangerous for infants because they can’t be vaccinated until they are 8 weeks old. That means newborns don’t have a fighting chance. The best way to keep the babies safe is to get vaccinated. The more people vaccinated the better it will be. If you are against vaccination or just aren’t vaccinated I really hope my little girl’s story changes your mind. Whooping cough spreads very quickly. To protect babies everywhere please get vaccinated. Thank you. Chelsey Charles To learn more, visit http://kennethaskorner.weebly.com/.
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A Cure for Eczema, Psoriasis or Just Dry Skin http://www.lovelygreens.com/2012/05/handmade-healing-cream-for-eczema-and.html
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Several natural non-petroleum based options exist for treatment of eczema and psoriasis and at least one which can effectively clear up breakouts: Neem oil. Extracted from the fruits and seeds of the Neem tree, Neem oil is a thick red or green oil which is not only highly moisturising but is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and provides external pain relief. Though its smell can be quite strong its medicinal qualities are impressive and it’s relatively safe to use as a self-prescribed treatment. In fact the Indian culture has been using Neem oil for thousands of years for anything from skin diseases and inflammation to fevers and insecticide. There are Neem oil skin creams already on the market and if you’re interested in simply buying one then you’ll have no problem locating a few varieties. However, making a topical cream yourself is easy, relatively inexpensive and safe. It also allows you to control just how much Neem oil you want in the product: though Neem is a natural oil, it is strong in both effect and scent. MASABI
Neem Cream Makes one 110g pot
10g* /0.35oz* Neem oil (raw and cold-pressed) 40g /1.41oz Shea Butter 30g /1.06oz Cocoa Butter 20g /0.70oz Castor oil 10g /0.35oz Sweet Almond oil (alternative: Grapeseed oil)** 5 drops of Tea Tree essential oil (optional) 5 drops of Lavender essential oil (optional) * 10g of Neem oil will result in quite a strong smelling and acting lotion. If you’d prefer, you can reduce the amount by half to 5g to mask the smell and create a gentler cream. It’s also possible to add more than 10g of Neem oil to this recipe, but please test your cream on a small part of your infected skin before using it all over. Neem can be quite strong and if it’s placed on the skin undiluted it’s possible that it can cause contact dermatitis. ** For a more liquidy cream add more liquid oil in this recipe 1. Take all the ingredients except for the essential oils and place them into a doubleboiler. You can also place them in a metal or glass bowl which can be floated in a pan of hot water. The point of the double boiler (also known as a Bain-marie) is that you want to heat the oils slowly, evenly, and through an indirect heat source. 2. Melt the oils over a medium heat until they are completely liquid. Stir well and place the bowl in the freezer for five minutes. 3. Take the bowl out and beat it with a whisk, adding the essential oils in at this time if you’ve opted to have them in. These fragrances will help mask the scent of the Neem and are both ingredients that will help inflamed skin. Lavender essential oil is extremely soothing and anti-inflammatory and Tea Tree essential oil is anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial as well as having a soothing medicinal scent. 4. Make sure to scrape any oil that’s hardened along the edge of the bowl back down into the liquid oils then place the bowl back in the freezer for another five minutes - then take it out and beat it again. Repeat this process until the oils appear opaque and creamy then spoon it into a container which is fitted with a lid. You can use the cream after it’s set for about a day.
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‘Insanity’: Belgian Senate passes bill permitting doctors to euthanize children
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BY JOHN-HENRY WESTEN BRUSSELS, December 12, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In 50-17 vote today, the Belgian Senate approved a bill that would allow euthanasia for children. The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for final approval before being sent to the King to be signed into law. Most political observers are predicting the passage of the bill. Currently the law in Belgium allows euthanasia requests for those over 18 and of sound mind, although it is acknowledged that these restrictions are widely ignored. The bill allows euthanasia, with parental consent, for children experiencing intolerable physical pain and who are suffering from a terminal medical condition. Since legalization of euthanasia in 2002, Belgium has seen a nearly 500 percent increase in deaths by euthanasia. MASABI
Since legalization of euthanasia in 2002, Belgium has seen a nearly 500 percent increase in deaths by euthanasia. Various studies have found that patients in hospitals are increasingly being killed without their consent or the consent of their families. Tom Mortier, an antieuthanasia advocate and lecturer in chemistry at Leuven University College in Leuven, Belgium, whose own mother was euthanized by one of the nation’s foremost doctors, called today’s vote “insanity.” He pointed to research showing the growing abuses of euthanasia in the country. “You can’t be a little bit in favor of euthanasia,” he told LifeSiteNews.com. “Then, you are lost.... you will open Pandora’s box and this is what is happening in Belgium.” In 2010, research published by the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) found that 32 percent of euthanasia deaths in the Flemish region of Belgium are done without an explicit request. A second study by the CMAJ the same year found that nearly 45 percent of euthanasia deaths involving nurses in Belgium were without a specific request. Research published the same year by the British Medical Journal also found that only 52.8 percent of all euthanasia deaths were officially reported, as is required by the law. According to some reports, there are increasing cases of elderly Belgians who are afraid of be hospitalized over the potential that they may be euthansized. “This law isn’t about the patients, but it gives a licence to kill for the doctors,” said Mortier. Mortier’s mother was euthanized by lethal injection in April 2012 by Wim Distelmans, the doctor most known for euthanizing in controversial situations. She had been suffering
from chronic depression. News that Distelmans had euthanized 45-year-old twins who were going blind made headlines around the world last Christmas, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. But despite his habit of pushing of the envelope, the Belgian government has Distelmans chairing the commissions that decide whether euthanasia cases have been carried out in accordance with the law. “Everything we know about Belgian euthanasia flows through the hands of its leading practitioner,” said Mortier. “Can a man who is judge, jury and executioner be expected to tell the world about the defects in his euthanasia empire?” In an opinion piece published in Canada’s Globe and Mail newspaper last week warning Quebec against following Belgium on the path to euthanasia, Mortier wrote about his mother’s death. “Her departure wasn’t the serene family gathering, full of peace and reconciliation, which euthanasia supporters gush about,” he said. “The University Hospital in Brussels phoned my wife the day after.” “It was the first we had heard of it. My mother died without her closest family at her bedside.” “This law hurts immensely,” Mortier said. “I don’t understand why my country isn’t questioning it more.” Ruth von Fuchs, President of the Right to
Die Society of Canada, defended the Belgian proposal today in comments to LifeSiteNews. Speaking for herself, rather than for the Right to Die Society, which she says does not have an official stance, she said the bill “acknowledges that young people can possess enough ‘capacity of discernment’ to decide that no life at all would be a better situation for them than continued life of the kind they are now living and will keep on living until they die without help.” Von Fuchs acknowledges that the Belgian law sets no age limit whatsoever for agreeing to euthanasia. “Many laws and regulations do set some (voting age, drinking age, age of consent to sexual intercourse, etc.) so people often assume that a law about aid in dying should set age limits,” she siad. “People who make this assumption need to remember that the design of the world does not include a minimum age for the ability to suffer.” However, for Alex Schadenberg the President of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, the Belgian Senate’s decision is “a logical extension of legalizing euthanasia in 2002.” “Extending it to children and people with dementia is a bad end to a disastrous law,” Schadenberg told LifeSiteNews. He warned that Quebec’s bill 52 is based on the Belgian law and must be stopped.
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Teaching Literacy in a Global Society The Big Book of Reading Authored by Vye Carlile Ph.D.
Teaching Literacy in a Global Society is an informational text that will guide the reader to understand the nuances of teaching reading. It serves as a general guide to the many components involved in teaching and learning to read. Publication Date: Apr 25 2012 ISBN/EAN13: 1469906406 / 9781469906409 Page Count: 164 Binding Type: US Trade Paper Trim Size: 6" x 9" Language: English Color: Black and White Related Categories: Education / Teaching Methods & Materials / Reading
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https://www.createspace.com/3770052
About the author: Vye Carlile is a veteran teacher who secretly loves to read picture books in her spare time! Dr. Carlile has over 38-years of teaching every grade except for 2nd. Her unique style of making reading appealing to even the most uninterested potential reader is reflected in her many awards, including Salem’s Crystal Apple Award. She teaches with enthusiasm and a special nod to all the intelligences - not just the auditory and verbal so often the only way school is experienced. Dr. Carlile is not only a reader, teacher, and counselor, she is also a writer. Past editor of Today’s Spiritual Woman, she also has written five children’s books and one novel. In her spare time she travels, stalks her sons on Facebook, and spreads art therapy throughout her community.
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Phrases that Build Bridges Between People Shared by Lina on Facebook and edited by Lola
Words – and what they signify – matter. Over time, your character, competence and caring may be revealed by your actions. In a micro world, though, it is the right words used at the right moments that spark conversations and build bridges between people.
Do you want to tap into the deepest yearnings of your friends, family, co-workers and employees? Try using some of the following phrases in your conversations and see the difference it will make….
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• Thank you. This is a common form of gratitude, but can you remember the last time you refused gratitude? This is a natural form of bonding. • I trust your judgment. Using this phrase will definitely secure the recipient’s heart. • I don’t know. This statement deflects from you knowing everything, because no one does. It will open the door for dialogue about matters. • Tell me more. This phrase will open up the door for communication. It shows that you care about what the other person is talking. • What I hear you saying is….This allows the other person to know 1) you are engaged and listening in the conversation and 2) allows that individual to review what your understanding of the conversation is. I’m on it. This allows the individual to be assured that you are listening and taking the conversation seriously. How can I help you? This phrase allows the other individual in the conversation to open up further and it facilitates truer two way communication. My pleasure. This demonstrates that you have received enjoyment and positive vibes from the person to whom you are speaking. Let me play the devil’s advocate. Now you are able to critique in a way that will not create defensive behavior in the recipient. It allows you to help that person analyze all parts of the conversation and perhaps add to or take away from the conversation. You’re right. Everyone needs to feel validated and having someone agree with them is perhaps the one single way to do so. Well done. Too many times we forget to applaud the successes of others. Doing so creates a positive atmosphere where individuals will be motivated to do more of the same. I understand. Validation and revelation of understanding sinks deep into one’s psyche and allows them to continue conversations in that vein. Yeah, I think that might be a cop out, too. This type of wording allows others to feel validated, as well as supported in their current thinking. Today’s Spiritual Woman
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Animal portraits By Katie Coleman Art has always been a part of my life, ever since I can remember. I’ve been painting, drawing, crafting, and doodling since grade school, but it wasn’t until high school when I fell in love with paint. I went on to get my bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts from Washington State University and then went on to get my master’s degree in Art Therapy from a school outside of Portland, Oregon. Not only do I have animal paintings, I dabble in other art media. Check my site out.
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I’ve experienced and witnessed firsthand the healing properties that come from making and enjoying art. I’m a very sentimental person which drove me to begin making portraits of my father’s dogs, who have been, and are, an extension of our family. I loved seeing the joy and happiness on his face when looking at his best friends immortalized in paint. Capturing the love and importance we’ve placed on our pets is what drives me to continue creating pet portraits.
I would love to capture your pet’s personality in paint. Please message me if you have any questions about the process or products. http://instagram.com/petportraitsbykatie
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Today’s Spiritual Woman
The Cinderella Syndrome By Lola Carlile
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Have you ever woken up with what you thought was an absolute brilliant discovery and, by chance, happen to look up the idea on the internet and found out it already existed? Bummer! I have been thinking a lot about relationships lately, in particular, the way I treat my sister. A pattern exists in our family and she has been the Cinderella. She played second fiddle to my first chair all the time growing up. Five years older, of course I did things before her. And the family praised and lauded me and set me up as an example for her. And when she didn’t produce the same stuff, everyone put her down for it. Why can’t you be like your sister? I realized my treatment of her was akin to that nasty stepmother in the fairy tale Cinderella. Why, I was treating her like a step daughter and one I was constantly trying to manipulate and change. There I said it! At first she was meek and kind and then turned angry and negative. Would one wonder why? So this holiday season I decided to pray and to evaluate how I treated my “little sister.” I came to the conclusion that I had to change. She was fine the way she was. But I could continue to teach her what I was doing on MY journey and, perhaps, she would come along with me…. Treating someone like Cinderella is a form of bullying. Picking on them, trying to improve them by indelicate comments, and lacking patience with them all adds up to creating a new Cinderella – a Cinderella in the beginning. The Cinderella in rags, cleaning, and doing menial labor without any compensation or any thanks. That is what we create if we are not careful. Now, in the story, magic happens and Cinderella is delivered from her torturers. In real life, the Cinderella or Cinderfella might just implode with negativity and anger, perhaps depression, and who knows what else… We need to teach our children and ourselves that relationships cannot be one sided. People are not pets. They can’t be treated as such. When we realize that others have feelings and rights, then what we need to work on is our own life. Do we treat others with dignity and respect? Not every Cinderella needs a man to complete her life, but she does need a sense of love and respect. I pray that this year we all re-examine our relationships and ourselves and better the world one relationship at a time. MASABI
10 Reasons To Stop What You’re Doing & Start Clearing Your Clutter BY DANA CLAUDAT
Collecting and being consumed by clutter on a grand scale is a relatively modern concept. Our ancient ancestors didn’t have a supermarket at nearly every corner, malls and online shopping at every turn. When life was less complicated, there were not nearly as many ways to accumulate excess, the unwanted stuff we call “clutter.” In feng shui, there’s a concept of energy flow and vitality known as “chi,” or “qi”. This life-force energy needs to move freely and in abundance in a space for it to promote heath, happiness and prosperity. Clutter creates an obstruction and stops that amazing flow. Clutter can be found in an array of places, and can be cleared on many levels. Here are a few common causes of clutter:
• Clothes that don’t fit, or that you don’t like in your closet • A refrigerator or pantry filled with expired foods or food that affects you negatively • Books you don’t want to read on the shelf • Excess paper clutter in offices • Email overwhelm and social media clutter of messages • Purses, wallets • Storage units, attics and garages
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And the list goes on. I could just suggest that you clear up your clutter — donate what you can, recycle, upcycle, file, store or safely dispose of the rest — and a few of you will do it. Many of you won’t. It is a chore. Clearing clutter is also an emotional process for many people, especially when the clutter is extreme. It can create chaos and frustration at the outset to clear your clutter.
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If you don’t quit clearing the clutter, even when it gets chaotic for a moment, this act of purging can be a life-changing activity! But, if you don’t know how it can help you, you might leave it undone. Here are a handful of the benefits of clearing clutter — the profoundly cool ones I have seen again and again — that might just motivate you to start clearing out some of your own space. 1. You’ll feel less anxious. Clutter is made up of stuff that is either junk, unfinished projects you’ve told yourself you’ll finish, or things that need to be handled that you haven’t wanted to confront. All of those messages looming in your environment, even stuffed in closets and drawers, are like trying to stuff a bad memory away instead of dealing with it in a conscious way. 2. Your days will be more productive. When you don’t have physical obstructions like piles of paper staring you in the face, you can do so much more in much less time.
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3. You may lose some weight! Several clients and friends have shown me that clutter can be correlated with excess weight. Since our environments are an external mirror of our internal mind and life, when you free yourself of the extra stuff, pounds tend to come off, even if you aren’t clearing your kitchen. 4. You’ll be free of emotional stagnation. The gifts from past romances that haunt you, the things you hold onto that you know are keeping you stuck in the past… releasing them will help you to feel more free and present. 5. Your mental focus will sharpen. Clear spaces and countertops are a feng shui way to express metal energy. Metal energy in feng shui helps you to think sharply and zero in on the tasks that you select as important. 6. Your creativity can flourish. When you shake yourself free of “stuff” you don’t need, you become more open to that “life force,” or “chi,” I mentioned earlier. Creativity on a high level is the expression of that energy running through us without obstruction. We say we are “blocked” when we can’t create freely. Clutter-clearing is a tool to get unblocked.
7. You’ll get allergy relief. Stuff collects dust, chemicals, mites, bugs… even mold and other organisms in the worst-case scenarios. 8. You’ll be open to opportunity. One much-reported effect of clutter clearing is finding money or greater opportunity, especially when you dig deep into de-cluttering your business emails, work space, office files and even your personal contacts. 9. You’ll get a self-esteem boost. Clutter assaults our self-esteem daily with reminders of things we don’t need or want to see: the broken, worn-out, bad-memory stuff that can drag you down in subtle but actual ways.
10. You’ll have more energy and be happier! When there’s nothing hovering in your environment — stuffed, piled or splayed out — to impede motion, you might feel lightness, exuberance and greater energy. If you’re overdue for a clutter clearing, give it a go. Slowly and consistently, you can create a massive change in your space and your life. If you have some stuff piling up regularly (emails, mail, receipts, etc), you may want to consider a daily or weekly practice of clutter clearing. Even a few minutes of clearing space can do wonders for your life!
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Today’s Spiritual Woman
Making My Own Bread – NOT! By Lola Carlile
How many times in my life have I been given the starter to this bread only to give it to someone else, thus denying myself the luxury and wonder of making my own bread? So today when my cousin posted this on Facebook, I took the first step by saving it. Who knows? I might change my procrastinating ideas and actually make this someday soon‌.
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Amish Cinnamon Bread that requires no kneading! You just mix it up and bake it. Batter: 1 cup butter, softened 2 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 2 cups buttermilk or 2 cups milk plus 2 tablespoons vinegar or lemon juice, 4 cups flour, 2 teaspoons baking soda, cinnamon/sugar mixture: 2/3 cups sugar 2 teaspoons cinnamon. Directions Cream together butter, 2 cups of sugar, and eggs. Add milk, flour, and baking soda. Put 1/2 of batter (or a little less) into greased loaf pans (1/4 in each pan). Mix in separate bowl the 2/3 c sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle 3/4 of cinnamon mixture on top of the 1/2 batter in each pan. Add remaining batter to pans; sprinkle with last of cinnamon topping. Swirl with a knife. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 min. or until toothpick tester come clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before removing from pan.
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Today’s Spiritual Woman
Peanut Butter Granola Recipe provided by Peanut Butter Fingers
Sprinkled on top of Greek yogurt or enjoyed on its own, this peanut butter granola is made with pantry staples, making it an easy recipe to whip up without making a special trip to the grocery store. Ingredients: Makes four ¼ c servings 2 tbsp. creamy peanut butter 2 tbsp. honey ¼ tsp. cinnamon ¼ tsp. vanilla extract 1 c. oats
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Directions Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray and set aside. Combine peanut butter and honey in a bowl and microwave until peanut butter melts (approximately 20 seconds). Stir. Stir cinnamon and vanilla into peanut butter and honey mixture. Add oats and stir until oats are completely covered in peanut butter mixture. Spread out oat mixture onto prepared cookie sheet and bake for 7 -8 minutes until granola is slightly browned. Let cool until granola is crunchy.
Issue 201 of Today’s Spiritual Woman is a product of M.A.S.B.I. PO Box 2663 Salem Or 97308
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