From the editor...
Seasons
As sure as the wind blowing through the trees creates a rustling to let you know that things are shifting, so are the seasons of change.
Webster defines seasons as periods of the year that are designated into four parts. It could also mean to mature, age or harden. A further explanation describes it as to heighten the flavor of, as in food, and then finally; to move through different phases as in periods of ones life.
Unlike any of the four seasons, the end of summer always brings to mind the shift or change that is taking place as we put away the casualness of lazy days and turn our minds to the more serious nature of living.
I have always loved the summertime, sans the intense heat, as we are given permission to pull off the masks and let our consciousness be swept freely in the warmth of the summer breeze. No one seems to mind if your “game” face is slightly off-kilter or if you take an afternoon to “goof off” in order to reconnect with yourself. It is the time when you grab all the good books that you have put off reading and allow yourself to get lost in the imaginations of the “word-masters” who have skillfully prepared and set the table for your time of stealing away.
As we savor the remaining days of summer it is perhaps time to take a moment to explore what seasons mean to you. This is an opportune time to think not only of the changing of summer into fall, but also to reflect on the seasons of your life and the lives of your children. As you examine the changes you and your family have experienced over the last year, think about the benefit or impact it has had on the way you now live and how you hope to live, as you venture into the future.
We live in a time of great uncertainty; unlike any time that I can ever recall. In times such as these it becomes critical to assess where we have traveled in order to know how to navigate the road that lies ahead. When faced with such uncertainty it becomes critical to know what is truly important and to put aside those things that are not.
As we move into the next season of our magazine, one thing that is very apparent to me and our wonderful editors, and that is that we have much good work to do. And that means each month we must serve up the truth and all that it means as it has to do with helping you to nurture you and your families. This magazine has a specific purpose and that is to provide you with information and tools in order to help you to navigate the seasons or moments of your lives as you work to create a safe and nurturing haven for you and your family. We are not here to imitate the world and popular culture, but rather to create the culture that the rest of world chooses to imitate. We recognize the fact that when everything else around you is crumbling, your family, friends and community is all you have to hold onto. And for that reason, we must, as people who have been invited into your homes, do everything we can in order to help nurture, protect and preserve what is in fact your most valuable treasure.
We all have families to raise, children to educate, good food to prepare and celebrations that are waiting to be shared. And with your support and input, despite the uncertainty of the things that are happening around us, we can continue to create the Recipes for Good Living, that each of you so richly deserve.
In the meantime, enjoy what remains of your summer. Oh, and don’t forget to let us know what you think. Until next time —
Eat, Live, Be Well, Thrive!