OooOoooo lala…I hope you’re all enjoying a MARVELLOUS Holiday/end-of-year Celebration time…

Myself and Mr. Monarch are still in Mexico, enjoying the winter sun. I am fasting on coconut water and juices at the moment for a few days, as it feels SO good to me. I passed Winter Solstice on coconut water and felt inspired now to just keep going…(loving the cocos)…onwards into the ever-expanding light with coconuts in hand…

We’re also excited to announce this week that we’ve started our own raw TV show: TheRawFoodWorld.TV
We’ve been posting videos daily so far, including interviews with Matt’s family (starting with his mum, who has seen great changes in her health since eating more raw foods and juicing), footage of our current residence in Mexico (complete with rescue dogs we’re rehabilitating on raw) and insights into a raw Christmas…You can see our vids at TheRawFoodWorld.TV, or click the picture below to watch a recent episode. If you have any suggestions for future episodes, please feel free to post them here on GSTF – we’d love to hear your ideas

We hope you’re all feeling perky and bright at Yuletide and we send you all best wishes and blessings for a marvellous, healthy new year…

All love,
Angela (and Mr. Monarch) in Mexico. xxx

Bruce Wayne wishes Alfred a Merry Christmas

In the words of Bruce Wayne – Merry Chrismas – Goodwill toward men …. and women

From Jonathan and Mandy at Fabulous Photo Gifts – we wish you all a very happy holidays and look forward to catching up with you all in the New Year.

Whatever your plans, please drive safely, drink responsibly and spare a thought for those less fortunate than yourself.

p.s – If you have an elderly neighbour who you know is on their own, please take a minute to stop by and see that they are alright. One of the most enriching Christmas experiences I had was one year the local ‘meals on wheels’ service wasn’t running Xmas Day. So residents were invited to cook or serve up an extra meal and deliver it to a user of the service.

We were assigned our ‘neighbour’ and duly turned up with a piping hot plate of food with all the trimmings etc.

What we found was a frail old lady living in a bungalow on her own. She had a cat (that had messed several times throughout the house and her, obviously living where she sat.

We spent 10 mins clearing up after the cat (our own dinner was also being served), and when we went back later with some tea and to collect the dishes had another tidy up for her.

She was so grateful – we felt good about ourselves – and you know, after all the excess of Xmas, it didn’t cost us a damm thing. One person can make a difference!

Arvind here with a Green Christmas Message on Christmas Eve when the parties should be in full swing.

Those of you not into celebrating Christmas, this very PC message below is just for you:-

Best wishes for a carbon-positive, environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low stress, non-addictive, gender neutral, winter solstice holiday, practised within the most joyous traditions of the religious, philosophical or other persuasion of your choice, but with respect for the religious persuasion of others who choose to practice their own religion as well as those who choose not to practice a religion at all, and a fiscally successful, personally fulfilling, and medically uncomplicated recognition of the generally accepted calendar year 2009, but not without due respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions have helped make our society great, without regard to the race, creed, color, religious, or sexual preferences of the wishes.

(Disclaimer: This blog post is subject to clarification or withdrawal. It implies no promise by the wisher to actually implement any of the wishes for her/himself or others and no responsibility for any unintended emotional stress these greetings may bring to those not caught up in the holiday spirit.)

And for those of you that are into celebrating Christmas, please turn on your volume and just click on the link below so you can have some childish fun decorating your own Christmas Cottage

Click here to decorate your own Christmas Cottage

Whatever your plans are, have a great time!

And please do add your own Christmas message below, Green or otherwise…

Merry Christmas!!!  Now, I know that was not politically correct and I hope I didn’t offend anyone.  But, sometimes especially during Christmas I feel that I need to hide that I am a Christian.  For me, Merry Christmas is the appropriate greeting.  It isn’t that I don’t respect or want to hear about other religions, but this is one of the two most important days of the year for a Christian.  The second being Easter, but the most important.

Although the video speaks to my heart as a Christian, most of it can fit all beliefs as it has the words, “plant seeds of love…lend a helping hand…keep an eye out for even the smallest chance to help someone…”  That is the challenge to have this type of spirit year round or even during the holiday when we are all soooo busy.  The background song is “My Desire” by Jeremy Camp.  Lyrics can be found by clicking on Jeremy Camp. 

With all the “things” that we “have” to do during this season, how do you continue to plant seeds of love?

During this next year, how will you plant seeds of love in your garden?  Try to think of something different that you are not already doing.

Happy Holidays!!  Season’s Greetings!! Merry Christmas!!

Okay, I know that I am depressed and triggered by Christmas, but that is not all there is and it is quite common for many this time of year.  So, I am going to try to share a couple happy memories.  My grandfather, who I really miss this year, was the biggest kid of all. He would be the most excited and the first one up. Usually, until we moved out of the area, I spent the night on Christmas Eve. That was so much fun.

On Christmas morning, I would go out into the living room and there he would be sitting with a big grin on this face saying, “Ho, Ho, Ho.” I’d go, “you opened all your presents already, huh?”  He would smile.  He always opened up all his gifts except the ones from immediate family…usually.

Then, I would go check and see which presents that he rewrapped. Yes, he would open his gifts and then rewrap them. I never did anything like that, but Grandpa, YES. Then, we would just talk. I have no idea about what, but it didn’t matter because I was with Grandpa looking at the tree.  At the time, I never realized how special that ritual would become to me. It really is the little things that we don’t think about that become so important when they are gone.

(I really miss you and am so thankful for your presence in my life for without you I would not have had any experience of a good attachment and would not be alive to welcome everyone else a Merry Christmas.)  One which for some maybe filled with a mixture of feelings and I’m not talking about just loss…family get togethers can be stressful.  Holidays bring out intense feelings of all types including anger, sadness and happiness.  I hope that you can find joy, comfort and hope in one of your past memories and the new ones you are making.  I’m glad I did, but it doesn’t make my depression or grief go away.  But, they can coexist with happy memories.

“Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose.” ~ The Wonder Years

It just dawned on me (cue light bulb, please) that I think one of the reasons that listening to Christmas songs has been difficult is because they remind me of him. He loved Christmas songs and even let me play my Christmas music in the car. I can still hear him singing along with Bing Crosby, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra. Here is “White Christmas” sung by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra. Merry Christmas, Grandpa!! I love you!!!

Let’s be festive and sprinkle the garden with the wonderment of holiday snow!!!

So what is your favorite holiday or family get together memory or tradition?  (child, adult, sentimental, fun, silly, ROL which I have lots of, mundane or special)  Just share!!!

Or, what is one tradition or thing that you do to honor someone in your life that has since passed?

Hi, flower smellers! I’m loving the holiday weather from sunny Southern California.  Christmas came a little early this year because last week I received my first Christmas gift.  Better yet, I was told to open it and it was…

“This Tree Needs You” which is a replica of the sad looking tree in “A Charlie Brown Christmas”  shown in the clip at the beginning of this post.  I am sure this will be my favorite gift.  The special always makes me cry and I love the symbolism of the tree.  Linus’s states, “I never thought it was such a bad little tree. It’s not bad at all, really. Maybe it just needs a little love.”

My therapist tells me, I need a lot of love because I didn’t get that growing up and was told that I was bad.  People who are “difficult” or “prickly,”  just need a lot of love and acceptance too.  Underneath the “prickliness” is usually a lot of hurt. 

I always think that each and every person no matter how defended they are as that tree that just needs a little love.  Granted some need a lot more to become full and beautiful and some won’t accept it.  But, a little love goes a long way no matter what the response.  This Christmas I wish for everyone to receive a little more love and acceptance to grow in beauty. 

I also challenge you to show love to someone new in a different way.

What are some of your ideas in how to show a little love?

What have you done in the past to show a little love?

Or are you one that needs a little love and why…try to dig deep?

It’s getting close to Christmas Holidays for my kids here in Canada. And every day it seems like there is always a Christmas craft that comes home. I love that they do so many things in December, it really is one of my favourite times. So this week a letter to Santa came home and it was so cute that I had to share it. (Keep in mind that he is in Grade 1.)

Dear Santa,

santa claus I love you

How are your reindeer doing?

I want spike the dinosaur Please

Yours truly, Ty

I was so happy to see he had such good manners! And I’m so happy that he only picked one present instead of a million. This is the first Christmas for me in the whole time I have been living from my parents that I don’t have to worry about money. It makes this time a little less stressful. I have always worried that we wouldn’t even be able to afford a turkey most years. Even last year we had to make a trip to the food bank to get food during the holidays. It’s funny how the season has become how much money you have. This year will be so much sweeter because I don’t have to worry.
Do you have everything done and planned for the holidays?

I first heard of this letter many years ago. It appeared on September 20, 1897 in the New York Sun. Young Virginia had begun to doubt if there was Santa, her father had suggested she write to the Editor of Sun newspaper stating “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” The answer she recieved from Fancis Church has inspired many ever since. A war correspondent during the American Civil War, he saw great suffering and a corresponding lack of hope and faith in much of society. A truly wonderful letter, a beautiful response just as inspiring today as when it was written over 100 years ago.

Read this, you will have tear in your eye and a song in heart.

Read the rest of this entry »