Editorial
Volume 18 Issue 3 — September/October 2012
by Melva Armstrong

I am still getting used to living on an acreage as each new summer day unfolds. Sometimes I have to pinch myself because I can’t believe I actually live here. It seems rather surreal. One day, when I was heading into town on our grid road, I saw a bear just on the other side of the hill. As soon as it saw my car, it ambled off into the woods. Then, on the August long weekend, a friend drove out for a visit and just before he turned onto our grid road, he saw two little bear cubs and took photos of them standing on the road near his car. He didn’t see the mother, so we are trusting she is still alive and looking after them. Country living happily includes all those lovely wild creatures that wander the fields and the woods, and swim in the ponds all hours of the day and night.

As you likely know, I am an enthusiast of eating healthy food, and organic food as much as possible. In the debate of whether to eat vegetables raw or cooked, I tend to like a bit of both, but I lean more toward cooked veggies. In this issue, Sandra Brandt has weighed in on the topic in Vegetables: To Cook or Not to Cook article (p. 12). She presents a variety of opinions including both pros and cons of eating them cooked and raw. The overall benefits of eating vegetables is something we have all been taught, but we haven’t all necessarily heard of how some foods are more nutritious when cooked than raw and visa versa, as Sandra explains.

When Wendy Lynn Conquergood suggested writing a piece on the health benefits of sewing, I was both curious and excited about the prospect of such an article. Wait no longer; The Mystique of the Sewing Room (p. 24) is revealed in this issue. I had no idea there were such large numbers of sewing enthusiasts who fill many of their waking hours tucked away in the privacy of their sewing rooms and their thoughts, excitedly coming up with truly magnificent creations. These folks see sewing and other types of needle-work as therapeutic. It is a form of creative self-expression that keeps their spirits high and brings them much satisfaction and pleasure.

The biennial Organic Connections Conference is back and being held this year in Regina on Nov. 2 and 3. Marion McBride explains the gifts this unique event has to offer in her article, A Vision of the Future – Organic Connections 2012 (p. 20). OC President Debbie Miller says, “Today’s families are not only more knowledgeable about the health benefits of organic food, but they also want to recover that connection with the farm, they want to know where their food came from, how it was grown and handled, and how it got to their table.” These are exactly my sentiments and how I have recently been approaching the food I buy and eat. I want to visit the farms where the food is raised and talk to the farmers who raise and grow it, so I know exactly what I am getting and eating. To me, it is important for everyone to start thinking this way. I attended the last Organic Connections Conference and loved it! And that’s why I highly recommend it to you.

As a student of A Course in Miracles (ACIM/The Course), I am ever conscious of the importance of practising forgiveness (the primary teaching of The Course), if I want to have peace of mind. Catlin Landriault, a recent graduate from Vancouver’s Clear Mind Institute where teachings are based on The Course material, has written an article called The Gift of Forgiveness (p. 42), in which she reveals how practising forgiveness positively changed her relationship with her father. Catlin will be in Saskatchewan September 14 to 16 co-facilitating a workshop called “From Fear to Love” (details on back cover).

It continues to be my great pleasure to create each issue for the benefit of those who want to find ways to live peacefully and healthfully upon the earth. There are many other gems inside this fall issue, so be sure to check out each page. Thank you to all the contributors for your gifts and support. They are greatly appreciated.

May you dance in the autumn leaves and feel thankful and grateful for the bounty of the harvest and the harvesters.

Namaste
(The Spirit in me honours the Spirit in you)