Thanksgiving Thought
Gifts From the Heart
According to legend, a young man while roaming the desert came across a spring of delicious crystal-clear water. The water was so sweet he filled his leather canteen so he could bring some back to a tribal elder who had been his teacher. After a four-day journey he presented the water to the old man who took a deep drink, smiled warmly and thanked his student lavishly for the sweet water. The young man returned to his village with a happy heart.
Later, the teacher let another student taste the water. He spat it out, saying it was awful. It apparently had become stale because of the old leather container. The student challenged his teacher: “Master, the water was foul. Why did you pretend to like it?”
The teacher replied, “You only tasted the water. I tasted the gift. The water was simply the container for an act of loving-kindness and nothing could be sweeter. Heartfelt gifts deserve the return gift of gratitude.”
I think we understand this lesson best when we receive innocent gifts of love from young children. Whether it’s a ceramic tray or a macaroni bracelet, the natural and proper response is appreciation and expressed thankfulness because we love the idea within the gift.
Gratitude doesn’t always come naturally. Unfortunately, most children and many adults value only the thing given rather than the feeling embodied in it. We should remind ourselves and teach our children about the beauty and purity of feelings and expressions of gratitude. After all, gifts from the heart are really gifts of the heart.
Michael Josephson
www.charactercounts.org
What Is Life Like
“Life is like riding a bike. It is impossible to maintain your balance while standing still.”
- Linda Brakeall, Author of Unlocking the Secrets of Successful Women in Business
“If you look at what you have in life, you’ll always have more. If you look at what you don’t have in life, you’ll never have enough.”
- Oprah Winfrey, Television Host, Actress and Producer Read more
Slow Down
Why we should slow down in daily life… Read more
Check Hospital’s Quality Ratings Before You Enter
We live in an age of increasing accountability. Safety and “on time” information is available about airports and airlines… public schools are ranked on standardized test performance and other measures… and hospitals now make public all kinds of information on medical errors, safety and infection rates that was once kept behind close doors, if it was recorded at all. The trend toward transparency in health care means consumers can — and should — look at data about a hospital before making a decision to become a patient there. The only problem is it’s hard to know where to look and what to make of the information you find. It’s easier to compare quality and performance data for cars and computers than to weigh the quality and safety of one hospital against another. Read more
Cloned Food Is Frankenstein Food
I was shocked when I read, in January of this year, that an FDA report says that food products from cloned cows, goats and pigs are as safe as those from traditionally bred animals, basically paving the way for their milk and meat to enter our food supply. Not only did the FDA say products from cloned animals or their offspring are as safe as others, they also stated that, because the products are “virtually” the same, cloned-animal products wouldn’t require special labels to identify them as such. Weird, right? It’s exactly how I felt. But I thought perhaps I was missing something so I decided to learn more about the cloning process. It didn’t make me feel reassured at all. Here’s what I found out… Read more
Make the Most of Seasonal Foods
Phase 10: Keeping It Fresh -Step 4: Make the most of seasonal foods
Thanks to advanced food-growing, packaging, and shipping practices, many produce items are available year-round at your local supermarket. It’s easy to forget that in the dead of winter the fruits and vegetables on the display tables may come from far-away states or countries.
On the other hand, some items pop up just for a short time, or taste exceptionally fresh in certain seasons. For example, when you think of summer foods, you might think of watermelons. In the fall, pumpkins might come to mind. Read more
Take a Cooking Class
Phase 10: Keeping It Fresh - Step 3: Take a cooking class
If you’re going to cook a variety of nutritious foods, it helps to have some skills in the kitchen. Knowing how to blend those healthy ingredients together to make a meal requires some ability. During this program, we’ve tried to offer plenty of simple ideas that don’t require much culinary skill. If you know how to open a jar of spaghetti sauce, chop up vegetables, and boil pasta, you can put together a nutritious diet. Read more
Expand Your Cookbook Collection
Phase 10: Keeping It Fresh - Step 1: Expand your cookbook collection
If you’re always looking for new foods and cooking styles to make mealtimes exciting, you’re doing just what it takes to keep your new diet fresh. A good way to take your meals to the next level is to stock your kitchen with a few cookbooks that teach you how to make healthy dishes you haven’t tried before. Read more
Smart Meal Planning
Phase 7: Healthy Meal Planning - Step 6: Smart meal planning
You should know a lot about the details of choosing healthy foods by this point in the program. Here are a few tips on how to take care of the “big picture” when putting together your meals. Read more
Tips for Healthy Shopping
Phase 7: Healthy Meal Planning - Step 4: Tips for healthy shopping
Your success at eating well and steering clear of unwholesome foods will be determined at the supermarket.
You already know how to read a food label to discover what kind of good or unhealthy things a certain food will be putting into your body. You know how to plan ahead, so you can bring home healthy foods for your next week’s meals and snacks. Read more
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