For this season’s Newsletter I’d like to open the conversation about Hope. It is no coincidence that Christmas is in the Winter. We need it. Maintaining a sense of Hope through the long dark days and nights of Winter can feel like a Herculean effort….that is why Christmas is packed with symbols and references to Hope. You don’t have to be Christian to get in on the season of Hope; everyone is welcome. Hope belongs to us all.
Some of the symbols of Hope for this Holiday Season are:
> The North Star: to guide us in the right direction when we feel like we have lost our way.
> Pine and Spruce Christmas Trees: and houses, doors, and hearths decked in evergreen boughs: for thousands of years celebrated and marveled because of their ability to thrive during the coldest months. Evergreens are a symbol of the fortitude of life itself, reminding people of Hope and new life.
> Lights and Candles: symbolic of lighting our way so we don’t travel off course and get lost.
> The Wreath: a circular symbol of the eternal value of unending love…giving us the courage to have Hope when we so often forget that we live in a universe that supports us when we open up to it.
> Bells: guide sheep back to the fold. Bells are used in all cultures to bring us back to center so that we do not lose our way once again, but return to the eternal center of our hearts.
Having Hope is important. It is the very act of being human. To have Hope is to want an outcome that makes our lives better in some way. It not only can help make a tough present situation more bearable but can also eventually improve our lives. Because envisioning a better future motivates us to take steps to make it happen. Professor of Psychology Barbara Fredrickson says, “Hope comes into its own when crisis looms, opening us up to new possibilities”. She says “with great need comes an unusually wide range of ideas”.
Hope is not just a word, it’s a thought, an emotion, sometimes even a plan. Hope is in the category of high-minded ‘H’ words, like: happy, holy, heavenly, heart, high, highest, hooray, humor, humane, humanitarian, humble, helpful, heart-warming, honest, honorable, heaven, hero, harmony, hallelujah, harmonious, health and healthy……
It’s also a word that links our past and present to the future. We have a vision of what we Hope upon Hope will happen. Albert Einstein says “Learn from yesterday, live for today, Hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning and learning”. Which I equate to mean that you cannot just Hope away on the couch. Hope works best with action. And I have great respect for practical Hope.
The years before I was diagnosed with cancer I was struggling with early arthritis, chronic constipation, and all the symptoms of chronic fatigue. My short-term memory was so foggy, most days I couldn’t group three words together. My wheat, sugar and dairy consumption daily was WAY out of range. My life was in danger. But I would have continued on clueless if I had not been diagnosed with cancer and been forced to look for another way to live. Another way to solve my suffering. I was HOPE-ing not to leave Earth before my time. Hope can feel a little airy-scary, but facing the seriousness of my situation meant I would need to practice Hope as an action.
Later, passing on practical Hope motivated me to open a school. Hope as an action step taught to those seeking to get well. Then extending the training to teach students to become Certified Holistic Health and Cancer Coaches was my dream of reaching more people. As our graduates spread the message of actionable Hope…we together could touch more lives….and help others heal.
OPENING A SCHOOL: I have been so humbled and honored to work with amazing people who are of like minds. Who see the world the way I do. Working together with like minded people creates great strength, power, possibility. We learn were not alone….. Obi-Wan Kenobi is not our only Hope…we are the Force….the fate of the galaxy is in our hands….
As we come upon 2020, the last decade has been a wonderful adventure.
Our fun for the holidays has been posting flashback pictures of students over the years from our DFLS archives. It is only a drop in the bucket. So many amazing students have passed through the doors of this school. We can’t post them all, we have 6,000 pics…..but I remember everyone’s name…..
The school has grown, evolved and shifted over time. For years students traveled from all over the United States, Canada, Argentina, England, Oman and Australia to join us. Diann Love had to change flights 4 times to get here from the U.S. Virgin Islands to our tiny airport in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Thank-you a million times, Diann. But we came to know it just became too impractical for everyone.
In 2019 we added a web-based Holistic Health Coach/Cancer Coach component, and started to concentrate more on ‘Food As Medicine’ for chronic food related diseases. We wanted to get to the root of modern health problems. This has allowed us to go deeper as we work together as a group everyday for three months on-line. Again, we transcend the internet to connect, communicate and build bonds. That is who we are…..
We have so many more plans for 2020. We are launching a training for cancer fighters, survivors, educators and anyone assisting a family member with cancer. No matter where anyone is in their healing journey, one of the most important alternative therapies is adding a strong detoxification protocol with whole live foods and fermented foods. This is a powerful, practical way to put Hope into action. This training will also cover the most up to date alternative therapies provided at clinics in Mexico and Germany that strongly complement the healing foods. So much has been discovered in the last 5 years and we want to share it. In this way, we believe Hope becomes a support system. Our grandest goal for everyone!!!
As Eckhart Tolle explains, “This is a time of transition for humanity and also a time of crisis. I feel quite Hopeful because I never expected that so many millions of people would be open to a change in consciousness. I was surprised to see how many people seemed to be almost waiting for this message. There was something inside them that was ready for change.”
Thank You For Being A Part Of The Diet For Living School Family!
We Appreciate You Every One!
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Our January 2020 Class Is Full!
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OUR NEXT
‘CERTIFIED HOLISTIC HEALTH COACH/
CANCER COACH PROGRAM’
Date To Be Announced!
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