Every now and then, I will come across something that is so simple yet so powerful that it astounds me. 

It is easy to get carried away and overwhelmed with the holiday season.  It seems like every celebration has an element of chaos within it, which is what makes them so exciting.  All events that signify or reflect something about who we are carry with them a dimension ranging from the positive to the negative.  The key in a great celebration, therefore, focuses on maintaining some balance so we can make it through it all in one piece. 

For those of us with varying degrees of energy and strength, that can be pretty tricky.  There is a product that I use to help me get in the spirit of things as well as sum up my experience at the end, as a means of making sure I keep my focus more on the positive after all is said and done.  Not an easy thing to do during the holiday season.  I know that the “support” theme is being put off for future PFAM carnivals, but I can’t help it.  This product is something that I give myself (and use with others during our work together) that can be applied to any setting and the holiday season is an absolutely perfect time to explore what it can do for you.  Today’s PFAM, hosted by the Queen of Optimism herself, is about Must-Have Lists, and this idea tops mine.

My friend Julia Lambie offers Flying Wish Paper  and has been featured on Jay Leno, Martha Stewart and other shows.  I was honored to meet up with her in March this year and we had a wonderful chat about how her idea fits in well with the work I do with others living with illness.  I learned about her inspiration, the responses that come in from people who have used it to bring special meaning to their events and how simple ideas can sometimes surprise us all with the power behind them.  I use her papers with the crisis, family and one-on-one work that I offer here in Oregon. The best way to describe the power I’m referring to would be to tell you a story about someone who recently learned the relief of how forgiving herself brought out more hope than she believed possible.

“Sarah” was recently ‘undiagnosed’ with Fibromyalgia, simply because her rheumatologist couldn’t identify enough pressure points in order to keep her original diagnosis.  He began mentioning Lupus, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) and MTCD…rattling off other illnesses that soon made her realize that she was about to embark on another long, drawn-out journey to seek out a new reason why her life was filled with so much pain.  She had just settled with her family on recognizing that her pain was real “because a doctor said so.”  Now, without her doctor behind her, she felt alone and embarrassed, as if she had been playing a game of ‘Crying Wolf.’  A friend of hers mentioned my website and we were able to chat online to get acquainted with what she needed right now, buried underneath all of her feelings.  What she needed, she told me, was to have more power in her life.  To not respond as much to what others thought, but to pay more attention to what she thought and “be heard’ by others.

Once she began to focus on her needs, she noticed that her feelings of frustration, depression, fear and anxiety were lessening.  She realized how much more pressure she was placing on herself by responding to what she thought she heard from others rather than focusing on what she thought her needs were and doing something about them.  She was feeling out of control because she didn’t know where to begin with herself. 

I recommended that we meet in person to celebrate her new perspective and sense of control she had reclaimed.  I brought with me Julia’s papers and, after talking a little more about some of the problem solving and planning Sarah wanted to pursue, we closed our time together with a wish for forgiveness she wanted to offer herself.  On a sheet of this special Flying Wish paper, Sarah wrote down all of those feelings that she had been beating herself up with for the past month.  She loaded that paper up pretty heavily with as many feelings as she could fit and then I rolled it up for her and placed it on the platform.  I handed her the match and she lit it, watched it burn and, as it reached the bottom of the paper, all of those negative feelings she had felt that were very ‘human’ floated up and away.  She was left with a sense of peace and assurance that in the days ahead, what mattered most is that she forgive herself to feel the fear and encourage herself to seek more personal options to identify the problems she was facing so that she could begin on a plan to move forward.

I can’t tell you how many times I would have the right tool to use, but would still lack the clarity or motivation to use it, mainly because my heart just wasn’t into it.  For the holidays this year, focus on what your need is behind the gadget or object you’re asking for from others (or yourself.)  Be sure to recognize that those feelings we all share with others can sometimes mask what we truly need and lead those who care about us astray in their gift searching.  And, above all else, give yourself the gift to wish for what your heart requests openly and honestly with those you love.

Julia’s Flying Wish Paper is only one tool I use, but it is a powerful one.  I encourage you to visit her on her website and check out all of the wonderful designs including the Holiday Trees  (they’re running out quickly, though!)  She has a video that shows the process that Sarah and I shared, which will give you some perspective on how many ways Flying Wish paper can fit into your daily life.

Happy Wishing!

Well, better late than never, but November has been National Pomegranate Month.  I meant to mention that earlier…

Over the past few months, I’ve been testing out different products that have added pomegranate, so that I could start taking advantage of this seemingly powerful source of antioxidants.

Pomegranates are seasonal fruit that reach their peak in availability beginning in the Fall and run through early March.  Both the seeds and the juice from these fruits are power sources rich in antioxidants and potassium (more on that in a minute).  Results from research suggest benefits in decreasing damage resulting  from such diseases as cancer, diabetes and heart disease.  Although more longitudinal (long term) research is still needed to fully endorse this fruit of  its health benefits, putting a little more antioxidants into our daily diet is generally a good idea and this fruit  is a good source for that.  Besides, they are one of the better tasting options and are now being added to a variety of products including juices, honeys, breads and so on, making adding them to your diet extremely easy to try out.

Earlier this year, I received a generous gift from POM to try out their product and I offered to mention them in a blog post about pomegranates.  I will say that their samples gave me a ‘boost’ in trying this fruit and I added their juice  to my homemade baking, teas, honey and jellies, salads and marinades I made this summer.  I wasn’t able to drink it straight, simply because the acidity is too much on my medication-laden tummy.  Adding it to everyday foods and beverages, though, worked really well.  Another reason to add a little at a time is because it is expensive to buy it through stores.  Nonetheless, I liked their product and invite you to visit and explore their website, learn about what others are saying about their product and try some of their tasty recipes.  There is a current contest going on right now and we tried a version of last year’s recipe winner for our Thanksgiving dinner this year.  It was wonderful and you can check out this recipe on their website.  They also have an online “community” that you can participate in to learn more from others in using this product - and pomegranates in general.

Now, the clincher about these fruits.  As I mentioned earlier, they are great for boosting the antioxidants in your diet, but they are also high in potassium.  Those of us with kidney involvement with our lupus and other illnesses need to watch how much potassium we take in.  When I introduced the pomegranates into my diet this summer, I was doing very well with my lupus symptoms.  However, in the last few months, I have noticed some changes in my health that is causing me to take a closer look at nutrition and exercise as a means of gaining back some personal control over my lupus. 

According to the National Kidney Foundation (NFA), this mineral can be found in nearly anything we eat and builds up within our systems.  Their webpage offers some guidelines on what are safe levels of potassium that you can determine through your dietician or medical provider.  On their website, they list pomegranates (one whole fruit and juice) as a high potassium source, among some others that we should manage also.  The NFA doesn’t necessarily recommend dropping these sources, as many of them (including pomegranates) are extremely beneficial to our daily health in moderated quantities.  Moderating is especially true for all high potassium foods if you are currently undergoing dialysis.  Their website also offers a way to reduce some of the potassium levels in vegetables through a process called “leaching”, which I found to be really helpful right now, with my recent health/kidney changes. 

I’m not a medical practitioner, so take my discussion here as how pomegranates are being used in my personal health management.  Overall, I really like pomegranates and have enjoyed experimenting with their flavor and health benefits.  As always, check with your medical team (dietician, doctor, pharmacist, naturopath) before introducing anything new into your treatment and/or daily diet.  Remain on the cautious side if your lupus is in a flare and remember that kidney trouble rarely shows any outward symptoms until things are severe. 

Above all, enjoy what food can offer and experience the abundance we have available in our local farmers markets or grocery stores.  We are fortunate to have so much variety available to us.  Introducing a little adventure into our lives, with the support of our medical team, is probably what we need when we are feeling our worst.  I have a daughter who loves to cook and she helps me when my energy levels are low.  Find someone you can have as a food adventure buddy to cover those days when cooking is just too much work.  The laughter and companionship during the preparation is good for helping us manage our emotions as well as our bodies.

Food is necessary for us~ why not make it count for both our health and our hearts?!  If you have introduced pomegranates into your diet, please feel free to let us know through recipes, health-related information or other websites that would be great resources for our community to check out.

Jen Adams, Market Director for Chinook Book/EcoMetro here in Portland, passed along this information about their coupon book offer and their efforts to help keep our Portland communities thriving: 

“During these more challenging economic times, more people are looking  for ways to save money across all aspects of their life.  Chinook Book offers people the ability to save hundreds of dollars and maintain the  high quality of life they’re accustomed to living.  There are over 300  coupons with discounts on fine dining, theater, products for the home  and natural and organic foods and are available for preview here:  

Holiday Special on Chinook Book  

As we’re heading into the holidays, this is an ideal time to offer  folks new and creative ways to stretch their dollars. With Chinook  Book people save money and help keep dollars in our local community,  which is increasingly more critical today. 

“Your readers might also be interested to hear that  during the month of December,  Chinook Book is on sale for $15 at New  Seasons, Whole Foods, Bales, Food Front Coop, Alberta Coop, People’s  Coop and Powell’s Cedar Mills.  We’re also offering free shipping (a  $5 value) for orders placed on ecometro.com.   We currently have 150 school and community groups selling Chinook Book, so folks who are interested in picking up a copy of Chinook Book should check with these groups first.“    

This is going to be a season of caring – especially now.  Please show your support for our local communities and pick up this great stocking stuffer or hostess gift.   EcoMetro is permanently listed on our Resources page. 

Thanks, Jen ~ and to all who purchase one!