Yet, when it comes to buying organic foods and Seventh Generation Diapers we use our co-op or local grocery store because they are a bit less expensive.

April, I owe you a huge apology.  I have just realized that by choosing to join the regional  co-op I am taking away from your business!  For those of you who don’t know April, she owns and operates two local health food stores. She is an amazing person who does so much for our communities and families.  She is an advocate for our personal and global environments, and even more important to me, she is an awesome friend and fantastic mother to her son Matthew.

It seems like we should know better – especially since we are talking about someone who so aligns with our values.  April, I am happy to say that we caught ourselves and you will be seeing us in your store much more now!!!!

WE LOVE YOU APRIL – thank you for what you do!

As I researched, read, and discussed this approach with others, we uncovered something very important to us.  Sticking with the 100 Mile/Locavore concept eliminates some very important issues for us… what about organic?  

We have a colleague who is a local farmer and does a huge amount of business but he refuses to go organic.   Organic farming is essential to the preservation of our future, our daughter’s future.  Pesticides aren’t  just tainting our food and our bodies when we eat them.  They get in our air, they corrupt our ground water, we even learned that they lead to algae overgrowth in our lakes, ponds, and pools!

Ok, so where I am going with this.  Well, some people are taking advantage of the whole idea of organic.  Organic wasn’t just a system, it was a philosophy that supported the natural cycles and rhythms of our Earth.  Organic to me means – no pesticides,  no chemical fertilizers, not genetically modified (no GMOs), no supplementation or medication (antibiotics) of livestock, feeding livestock their most natural foods (i.e. cows don’t naturally eat corn as their primary food – grain fed cows is not natural, grass fed is).  

Going organic means companion planting to prevent pest infestation, rotating crops to allow nutrients to be brought back into the land.  Organic is more than just the certification stamp that different agencies put on foods.  Often, these foods aren’t truly organic… they only have to be ‘sort of’ organic and I use that term loosely as ‘sort of’ depends on what the agenda is and who is lining who’s pockets!

So, if you want to learn more about this, try reading the Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan.

In the mean time, the whole point of this post was to propose a new pledge:

Before anything else, consider choosing to do business with those who are authentic.  What do I mean by that?  Have you ever had a ‘hard sell’ from a telemarketer or salesperson that made you feel uncomfortable.  Stay away from those types of sales people.  Often I find there is buyer’s remorse when we aren’t comfortable with a purchase. 

Connect with people who are not only speaking their truth, but when you are making the decision whether or not to buy a product or service from them you feel good about it.   (It may be their truth but not yours….)    Follow your heart.  Remember your are not your mind, you just have one!  Don’t think too hard -  you will know in your heart if it’s the right choice for you.

If you choose Authentic first – then you can decide from there local/organic/fair trade, no animal testing, etc.    Hopefully they should all go hand-in-hand!

The first person who cared for my daughter Emma outside of our home was so incredibly loving. I thought she would keep Emma some times for her own daughter.  I comprimised on some issues that were important to me, such as not using cloth diapers, or minimizing her exposure to internal (preservatives, colourings, additives) and external (chemicals, cleaners, candles, etc.) toxins. 

Emma would come home covered in markers that didn’t wash out of her clothes, so I began to wonder what kind of markers they truly were.  Then Emma began bullying and hitting us and other kids, so I began asking questions and learned that this woman’s boys were bullying Emma. 

So, not only was my daughter’s physical health and well-being compromised but now her personal/emotional.  All the love the woman could give was wonderful but if our daughter was being exposed to bullying and toxins, what else was going on. 

Then the woman shared that she was having a company come out and spray her lawn because it was covered in weeds.  That was the last straw for me, as I love our native plants and understand and appreciate the importance of all of these ‘weeds’ to our eco-system.  And to use pesticides – well, that doesn’t just kill the plants it kills our planet.  So, I pulled Emma from this care.

Weeks later we ran across another family who had a daughter Emma’s age and another who was a couple of years older.  Great – no more bullying and maybe some softer, gentler, nurturing care.  They also used some solar panels, had their own chickens for eggs, and seemed real.  All was going fantastic until we saw the mother physically handle her daughter in a way that didn’t align with our parenting styles. A week later I showed up to pick up Emma and find that she is in front of the TV with no one around but the other toddler watching a horror movie on Scream TV.  UGH!!!!  There goes the spiritual/emotional support I was hoping she was getting. 

I was beyond hopeless and refused to take Emma anywhere.  She stayed home with me for almost two months and I ran across a woman who did child care and also raised beef without hormones and antibiotics.  Talking with her I was sure she got it.  She was so passionate about the cows, how they were raised, and that we ‘are what we eat’ I was thrilled!!!! 

Jeff, Emma and I went to visit and were distressed to find a home filled with Glade plug-ins, candles, chemical based cleaners, processed foods, children drinking non-organic cows milk, and children who seemed miserable and detached! 

I was so confused.  How can you be passionate about raising chickens, saving energy, raising cows yet not seem to carry that passion into raising children?  You can give your cows 90 acres of pesticide free grass and raise them without hormones or antibiotics but you vaccinate your child or take them to the doctors for a round of antibiotics for every little ear ache???  

Parents, we have a whole responsibility to our children – body, mind, spirit – these are special kids. They are sensitive to everything that is not natural.  Their future is dependent upon us all working together to remove the non-natural elements from their lives… not just chemical and physical but the emotional and spiritual.  Forcing education, religion, and societal shoulds down their throats is just as bad for them as giving them bleach to drink in their drinking water (yes, that is what chlorinated water is!!!!) 

Giving them ‘self mastery’ experiences and teaching them about faith, love, hope and compassion — those are gifts that will last forever.  Teach them material things don’t create happiness they just create pollution of our hearts, minds, bodies, souls and planet. 

OUR CHILDREN ARE AMAZING — please don’t ruin them with the things of this world.  They are the world they don’t need anything but your sincere focused love and care and nourishment of their bodies, minds and souls.

My Dad used to be proud of me. I was an honours student, an all-star athlete, and could handle myself with grace and a smile in any political or social situation.

Here I am about to turn 39 and my Dad is no longer proud of me, but I am living the life of my dreams.  My husband and I live on two acres overlooking the most beautiful view I have ever seen.  The full moon is a golden colour just setting over the snow covered cedars and lake in the distance.  The sun is rising on the other end of the house painting the snow drifts in florescent watercolours.  I am going to make some eggs for breakfast courtesy of our 13 laying hens.  My two year old daughter and husband are cuddled on the couch so Mommy can type something that she was just inspired about (this).  And, although our financial situation is not overly desirable, we are living our truth…. and my Dad is no longer proud of me.

He called me a new age greenie.  I was really hurt when I learned that a few months ago.  But now I hold that ‘title’ with pride. 

I am proud of me.

Be proud of you. It’s your reflection looking back in the mirror.

With love!
Colleen

I am working on a web site for Emma’s son Cole: www.LettersToCole.com  Thanks for your letters and comments.  Unless you share otherwise, I will make all comments public.  Thank you for your love, compassion, and choice to turn such a tragedy into something powerful and enduring.  I have heard from many who are so moved and inspired by everyone’s comments and letters.  Even Emma’s Dad called yesterday and expressed how moving all of the support has been through Facebook, these web sites and emails he has received.

With love and appreciation, Colleen

Rob has been put back in the hospital – somehow they missed the multiple cracked ribs, punctured lung and spleen?!?!?

We have admired Rob since we met him as he has put his family first and was always there for them no matter what. In fact, he left work over the weekend in the middle of a shift to be there for Emma as she had quite the challenging events. On Saturday night Emma was in a car accident in the Peterborough area after being T-boned by a gentleman who passed out during a Parkinson’s episode. Thankfully the driver and the two toddlers in the back were relatively unscathed, however it was quite the scare as Emma was pinned and couldn’t see her son (or get to him) while encased in an air bag. She wasn’t even supposed to be here, however, she had to come home from an intensive weekend at school as her son Cole had the stomach flu and she wanted to make sure he was ok and provide him with breast milk to keep him hydrated and nourished.

Emma shared with me Monday after coming over to teach the yoga class that she just had to slow down and be there for her family and that she will figure out the rest of the stuff in life later. It just seems so wrong that she will never have that chance now. Even more tragic is that a beautiful baby boy will only have a scar on his head to remind him of the last day he saw his Mom.

I know that it’s easy to forget what’s important during the holidays and with all the crap going on in the world. Things kind of fall into perspective, though, when tragedy hits.

Rob is on Facebook – Robert Bonathan (Toronto) — if you get a chance, perhaps add him to your friend’s list and send him and Cole some healing light and love. They are both still very battered physically and I can’t even imagine how wounded they are emotionally and spiritually.

I wish you and yours a safe and blessed Christmas.

excerpted from Celia Fenn – http://starchildglobal.com/earthlogdecember2008.html

Allow your actions to represent your intentions.

Stay tuned for my intentions and the actions I will take to support them.

Thank you bro for the inspiration!