Editorial
Volume 22 Issue 1 — May/June 2016
by Melva Armstrong

I am looking forward to the coming months of spring and to enjoying the warmer temperatures and the joyful feeling of the sun warming my face. There is something very special about experiencing the renewal and reawakening process of Mother Earth each year. It’s a sense of uncurling from our winter cocoons and spreading our wings. A very freeing and expansive feeling that comes with invigorated energy and a desire to get things done. It’s time to clean up the yard and plant a garden and dig our hands into the earth. A time to reconnect with nature in all its beauty and to enjoy noticing the many creatures that also come out from their cocoons and begin walking the earth and climbing the trees once again. There are also the winged ones who return from the south and grace our skies with their delightful presence and sacred sounds. There is simply something magical about this time of year and I trust you will all be enjoying it to the fullest along with me.

The winter was a mild one with a small amount of snow and no severely cold temperatures, which was a pleasant change. We are really blessed in this part of the world, for it feels safe and the people who live here are kind-hearted and loving folks who help each other out and care for one another.

Although the news tells us there is a lot of chaos in the world, I choose to think positive thoughts and to spread good news wherever and whenever I can. We create our own reality, which means we can choose how we feel and react to what life shows us. We don’t have to be at the effect of world circumstances. I’ve been listening once again to Louise Hay’s You Can Change Your Life CD, and her affirmations on positive thinking make a big difference in how I feel as I go through each new day. She’s an amazing teacher and an inspirational human being. She really walks her talk and lives her teachings, so I would highly recommend her work to all of you.

This issue celebrates 21 years of publishing WHOLifE Journal. I am grateful for all the support and contributions I’ve received over the years, and continue to receive. It is a wonderful and rewarding experience to be doing this work and being able to be of service to the people of this province, and beyond. I thank everyone who has ever been a part of WHOLifE, including all of you who pick it up and read it every two months. May you all continue to enjoy it, and to find it helpful in living a healthy and wholistic lifestyle.

It’s been a pleasure working with all the contributors to this issue and they have provided a lot of great reading to help you out on your natural health and wellness journey. So, be sure to read from cover to cover, as you don’t want to miss any of it.

In Stacey Tress’s Mindful Eating column, she shares her knowledge and experience about those first vegetables that sprout up through the earth in the spring and how much nutritional value they each have to keep us healthy and well. Find out why she says we need to be eating vegetables (organic and raw) every day, in her article, Late Spring Garden Edibles (p. 8). The bonus are her recipes.

It is the season for growing our food locally and I am grateful for all the creative people who have dedicated their life energy to providing that food for all of us to be able to live healthy and happy lives. We have featured another local farm family, near Lumsden, in Dean Kreutzer’s article, Over the Hill Orchards Owners Offer Local Nutritious Organic Products (p. 14). Dean’s story is very delightful, unique, and describes the true grit of being a farm family.

An innovative group of people have brainstormed and discovered a way to grow food throughout the year in Saskatchewan. To learn nire about it, read Frank Tecklenburg’s article, Garden Tower: Grow Your Own Food Year Round (p. 10). It is a unique method of food production and you can find these folks at the Saskatoon Farmers’ Market from May until October.

There is a lot more to read, so don’t skip a page or you’ll miss out on some valuable information that could make a positive difference in your life. Thanks to everyone who was part of this new issue. For all of you, I am truly grateful.

May you enjoy the sunshine and longer days and keep well and happy!

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