Forgiveness is letting go. Letting go of hurt, feelings of revenge, feelings of requiring “justice,” feelings of being owed, feelings of anger — all these negative feelings that serve to poison your heart…. While it is quite natural to respond with powerful emotions when a wrong has been done against you, there comes a time when the balance is tipped and it is time to release and move on. F orgiveness is not an act of condoning harmful action. Rather it is intention to forgive that allows for hearts to heal. From www.jocelyngraef.com

My mother-in-law Charlotte passed away a few weeks ago, at the ripe old age of 98. She had led a good, useful life and was a practical, strong minded, intelligent woman who was one of the first full time High School guidance counselors in New York City. Sometimes in life we are given an extra gift and that’s what I felt when I met Charlotte. From the very moment we met she was my ally, and throughout the years she proved this again and again, with her kindness and concern for my welfare…

” Wheatgrass juice increases red blood-cell count and lowers blood pressure. It cleanses the blood, organs and gastrointestinal tract of debris. Wheatgrass also stimulates metabolism and the body’s enzyme systems by enriching the blood. It also aids in reducing blood pressure by dilating the blood pathways throughout the body. Stimulates the thyroid gland, correcting obesity, indigestion, and a host of other complaints.”

There were so many nights when I, as a young boy, had to watch helplessly as my father verbally and physically abused my mother. I can still recall the smell of alcohol, see the fear in my mother’s eyes, and feel the hopeless despair that comes when we see people we love hurting each other in incomprehensible ways. If I dwell in those memories, I can feel myself wanting to hurt my father back, in the same ways he hurt my mother, and in ways of which I was incapable as a small boy. I see my mother’s face and I see this gentle human being whom I loved so very much and who did nothing to deserve the pain inflicted upon her.

“I had spent many hours and many days enjoying the atmosphere in Watkins Books when I lived in London. The new website offers a “Spiritual Map” of London, that anyone can contribute to. In that spirit, I would like to add to my sort of “Holistic Map” of what the internet has to offer: locally, throughout the U.S. and abroad.”

Has the food gardening bug hit you? If you’re not sowing seeds and tending tomatoes yet, your neighbors probably are. According to a report from the National Gardening Association, one in three American households are now growing food, which is a 17% increase from five years ago. The biggest jump has been from millennials – 18- to 34-year-olds – 63% more of them are gardening! For those of you who are now shin deep in radish greens, we commend you….

In a recent article in Spirituality & Health , the editors write about the power of words: All too often, we take the people we love the most for granted: our lovers, family members, friends, and even our children. We forget the enormous power of our words, as we carelessly lash out when under stress. We stick our noses in our laptops and smart-phones, assuming our loved ones know what we are failing to verbalize, sometimes until the relationships are disconnected or damaged beyond repair.

There is a quiet movement afoot among food maufacturers: without fanfare or publicity they are quietly removing or replacing the GMO ingredients in their food. Why the big secret? Because no one knows yet who will win the ongoing GMO battle: big agri-business with their fight to deny GMO labeling and expand their use, or the educated consumer pushing back for labeling, informed choice or removal of modified ingredients.