Editorial
Volume 29 Issue 6— March/April 2024
by Melva Armstrong

The days, weeks, and months are flying by, and already it’s the March/April 2024 issue. We’ve had incredibly mild weather, which has been a very pleasant break from our usual extremely cold winters. I love my daily walks because it feels so good to breath in the fresh air, and bask in Mother Nature’s healing and nurturing energies. Living in the country lets us see many beautiful skies and exceptionally beautiful sunsets and sunrises. Being out in nature is a true healer. I’m hoping you, too, will find time each day to be outside, even if it’s a short period. Your body, mind, and spirit deserve to include a nature break in your daily routine, and they will thank you.

Each issue that the designer, Cheryl McDougall, and I create together is always unique. Along with the regular advertisers and writers, whom I love and appreciate very much, there are always new ones. I get to learn about new modalities and discover the many talented writers and healers who are among us in our communities. I find it a most interesting and exciting way to do what I love. I totally enjoy meeting the people who are guided to me, and then finding ways to help them promote all the things they love to do. It’s like a “win-win” experience for everyone.

Because this issue covers the beginning of spring, what’s more perfect than information about something many of us love and live for, and that is gardening? And because our world seems to be leaning toward the importance of self-sufficiency and food security, collecting and planting seeds, and growing our own food is of utmost importance for survival.

We have two articles in this issue that address these topics. The first one is My Thoughts are Turning to Gardening: Featuring the Benefits of Interplanting (p. 8) by Stacey Wiebe, an organic farmer who lives with her family near Sturgis, SK. She explores the numerous benefits of interplanting flowers and vegetables, and how this promotes biodiversity, improves soil health, and contributes to a more aesthetically pleasing and sustainable garden. She points out how this popular approach to gardening provides a huge list of benefits. For Stacey, “Gardening is not just about growing food; it’s about cultivating a harmonious ecosystem where plants, animals, and humans co-exist.”

The second one is Planning Your Open-Pollinated Garden for Seed Saving, Part 2 (p. 12) by Shanon Hilton, who owns and operates 4 Acre Farm with her family, near Pilot Butte, SK. We had Part 1 in the Jan/Feb24 issue, in which she focuses on the difference between open-pollinated and hybrid seeds, and why she recommends choosing open-pollinated varieties when saving seeds. In Part 2 she focuses on the fun part—planning your garden for seed saving. There are a lot of things to consider in planning your garden for seed saving, and she provides quite a long list for you, so be sure to take notes while you are reading. Near the end she says, “If all this seems overwhelming, remember: you do not need to save every seed variety every year.” In our upside-down world in which our food supply appears to be threatened, I would suggest that seed saving is of utmost importance. Let’s all consider doing our part.

I also want to mention that there are Seedy Saturday events happening across Canada in March and April, where people do seed exchanges, and where you can purchase seeds from those who have saved them. You can find information on this website: seeds.ca/events, or you can do a general online search.

I’ve included an excerpt from The Culinary Pharmacy: Intuitive Eating, Ancestral Healing, and Your Personal Nutrition Plan by Lisa Masé (p. 26), because it addresses the importance of developing healthy eating habits. Lisa is someone who found herself in a very unhealthy state, and eventually had an awakening moment and began to turn her life around. She did lots of research and delved back into her ancestry, and found help from various sources. Then she was guided to share her journey of healing with others by writing a book about it.

Be sure to read from cover to cover as there are many more treasures to discover on these pages!

I am ever grateful for all those who contribute to WHOLifE in many different ways. You are all my WHOLifE family and I treasure and love each and every one of you. May you continue to support those who are part of the family and to support and care for one another. Happy Spring!

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