Editorial
Volume 23 Issue 2 — July/August 2017
by Melva Armstrong

We have finally made it to summer with its sunshine and glorious long days so we can enjoy lots of time outdoors basking in the beauty of Mother Nature—one of the great healers. Spring was very lovely, and I have to say that I feel very blessed to be living in Saskatchewan. I was born and raised in the province, so it is home to me. Although I lived away for a number of years, I returned in 1994 and was guided to create WHOLifE in 1995. And I’ve been enjoying publishing it ever since. I find it amazing how we can end up doing things we never imagined we would do. This work has been a gift to me, and my hope is that you are enjoying my gift of each issue to you.

I’ve been enjoying singing in the community choir throughout the spring. It is a lot of fun to be with like-minded folks who also love singing. I enjoy the harmonies as well as the laughs we have during the practices, and the concert at the end is always rewarding.

Every day I walk through our field to the end of the property and back with the dogs, and I’ve been fascinated watching the growth of the grass and alfalfa. In some parts, it is already up to my hips. It just takes some rain and sunshine and everything gets taller. And it will be a lot taller by the time it is cut for hay in July or August.

Living in the country has its perks when it comes to having access to home-grown products like eggs, meat, and vegetables, which we have been fortunate to get. I like to support local farmers and I appreciate knowing where my food supply comes from and how it is raised or grown. There are lots of folks in every community who are supplying the locals with their home-grown food. It’s great getting to know the farmers and hearing their stories of how and why they got started.

Once again, I’ve enjoyed putting together this new issue and working with all the contributors. I love getting to know new people, keeping in touch with the regulars, and learning lots in the process. Our regular contributor, Stacey Tress, continues to be a strong proponent of fermented foods and has written about their many health benefits in Cultured Summer – Delicious BBQ Sides and Drinks (p. 8). She begins by explaining what cultured foods are and goes on to provide recipes for creating them as a vehicle for your ongoing health and healing.

Thank goodness for people like Cherry Staszczak who was wise enough to recognize that certain personal care products that were used on her grandson as a baby were harming him. Through her detailed research, she discovered that manufacturers don’t have to list certain toxic ingredients in their products. This lead her to writing a book on this topic to help educate people, and now she’s written about it in her article, Toxic Chemicals in Our Personal Care Products (p. 12). I feel that everyone on the planet ought to read this article and her book. It makes one question the authorities that are in place to protect us.

As most of us move through our crazy, busy world, Abe Brown has some wise words of encouragement to help keep sane along the way in his article, Calm, Clear, and Centred When Everything Around You is Crazy! (p. 26). His wisdom comes from personal experience of being confused, worn out, and on edge. Not wanting to feel this way as he knew it was harmful for his health, he took time to find more positive ways to live each day. Today, he continues to share his knowledge with others as a life coach.

Ginette Séquin-Swartz knows how important it is to look after one’s body by releasing stress and tension. She is an Antigym® practitioner and trainer and has provided a specific set of exercises in her article, Tight Neck and Shoulders? (p. 10), that will help relieve muscle tension.

We are pleased to include an article titled BodyTalk Case Study Results (p. 14) by Certified BodyTalk practitioners Joanne Yanke and Sharon Koenning. They studied children aged 2 to 4 using BodyTalk distance sessions over a 12-week period. Their results are very positive and can be viewed online (see article for website address).

I encourage you to read on as there is still much more to discover on these pages.

May you spend time in nature soaking up her energy and light. Keep well and happy!

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