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We are all the same size inside
We are all more
Celebrate small moments
Thankful for people
Children do grow up
No power tonight
The leaf is proud


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today 		"The things we want are really the times we share."

"The most important things we bring with us are within us."

"If I had only one thing I would take a smile over an iPod."

~ Rob Hueniken

From the category archives:

Moving forward

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One Good Step

February 12, 2011

One of the most important milestones in a person's life is when we learn to walk. This usually happens around 14 months of age (not at "one year" as the round-things-off folks tend to say to worried young Moms). While crawling lets us move around the room a bit, it was only when we started to walk that the doors opened to the horizon and to our futures. In our earliest days of walking we are always with our parents, as they show us the world nearby. Hand in hand, we are guided in safety. We get to see places [...]

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The strength around us

January 31, 2011

We see fire hydrants every day, fortunately not often in use. But there they stand, along our route and near our homes — silent, patient reminders of our shared commitment to safety and community. The fire hydrant, or "fire plug", dates back to the 1600s, when fire crews would prepare a water source by digging deep into the ground to reach the water table. Afterwards, they covered the well with a plug, so that they were ready. When a fire broke out they'd remove the fire plug and use a bucket brigade — a human chain — to move the [...]

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Honoring Others with Alternative Gifts

December 10, 2010

There is a growing and excellent trend moving through our society: honoring our friends and family with special gifts for their birthday and on holidays. While there are still times when people need a new iPod, TV, or other gizmo, a lot of people already have a lot of things, and enjoy going out themselves and buying the particular model they want. And while there are no shortages of sweet things and entertaining things we can buy for people we love, there is also no shortage of people in our world who really need our help, be it clothes, food, [...]

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Trying Hard – Still a Key to Life

October 30, 2010

Lost in the marketing maelstrom of our culture is an eternal truth: that life is hard and requires us to try hard.  It doesn't matter how many songs we have on our iPod, how many friends we have on Facebook, or how many dollars we have in the bank — without an understanding of our personal commitment to making things work out it all eventually falls apart. Others can help keep things running for a while, but life requires our own determination and action. This is not just about a person's career — trying hard is about all aspects of [...]

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Our Society’s Toughest Commandment (#10)

September 25, 2010

One of the main characteristics of our North American society is its focus on money and entertainment. Everywhere we look there are opportunities and offers of services, goods to buy, and recreation. Advertising blitzes us continuously, mostly portraying smiling, beautiful people sharing a good time and taking possession of something they really want. And if smiling, beautiful people can't sell us something then the marketing machine uses fear to convince us that we are missing out on something important or we're at risk. Either way, we have a society encouraged to want things, and to never be satisfied. In advertising [...]

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Waiting Long – a poem for moving on

August 23, 2010

I recently attended a party held outdoors in farming country. Near the road was an old piece of farm machinery, slowly rusting. I wrote this poem for what is past and unchangeable: Waiting long: For men to bind me to their task. For sun and wind and dirt and grass. For purposed motion past that tree. For harvests that are not for me. As the sun set I was struck with the awareness that each of us has had times of achievements — of getting things done, of doing well — but feel now that time is passing without the [...]

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The New Glory Days – Pruning back former glory to find new joy

June 28, 2010

One of my favorite summer flowers is the garden geranium, with its beautiful, summer-long color. It is the type of flower that you can count on, week after week, month after month. With only a bit of watering, and some essential pruning, they will continue to make your life brighter. Growing up, our family hung white pails of red geraniums from the trees along our laneway. They were a cheerful sight for guests and part of the colorful backdrop for my early years. What I didn't know then is that it is the pruning of geraniums that keeps them looking [...]

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Climb the Right Mountain

Thumbnail image for Climb the Right Mountain May 27, 2010

"It takes as much work to climb the wrong mountain as it does the right mountain," says Brian Warren, the Founder of KidsFest. In the same way that KidsFest helps low-income children achieve their full potential, each of us needs a reawakening, and a fresh commitment to truly living our lives. In our busy world there is always a lot going on — not all of it good for us or in line with our personal goals and values. Living in a culture of plenty can open a lot of doors for exploration and personal fulfillment, but it can also [...]

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Paleo-Plus: The caveman diet expands its hunting grounds

February 22, 2010

Berry-apple sauce and nuts is an easy Paleo snack. Adapting to their changing environment was essential for early humankind. Our ancestors learned how to fish, hunt and gather the foods they needed. In today’s world there are fewer cavemen (which some females might disagree with) but a renewed interest in eating well (“eating good” in caveman parlance). Going back to basics is a central theme in many successful lifestyle changes, and the Paleo diet has that at its core. With its focus on meats, vegetables, fruits and nuts, going Paleo provides a solid core for good nutrition. But just as [...]

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Going Paleo – Sandwich in a Bowl

February 18, 2010

Sandwich in a bowl : Tuna, cucumber and two types of peppers. Sure it’s a salad but I got it at a sandwich bar. Just ask for a bowl instead of bread ! Unlike other “diets”, the Paleo diet is actually a food lifestyle connecting us to our strong and healthy ancestors. As you can tell from its other names, the Stone-age diet and the Hunter-gatherer diet, the Paleo diet isn’t chock full of bread, cereal or deep-fried anything. “Going Paleo” means eating the great foods that were available before agriculture and livestock turned humans from lean, fit people into [...]

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