Hi {!firstname_fix}

Well, we are down to the week before Solstice, Christmas and Chanukah - the time when the darkness starts to lessen and the light begins to come back. This is a funny time - a combination of traditions and joy and sometimes deep sadness and aloneness. I hope you will draw from the power of the community to hold you in both. Please let the light of this season hold you and wrap you all year.

We are finishing up several classes this week. We will be starting a special *wild card* class today called inviting the light which will be focused on making this time a sacred moment rather than a chaotic and crazy repeat of old patterns. It is called Holy Night. Click here to join right now for a very special reflection. There will be no charge for this class.

Also, I have put in a class for hormones and dealing with menopause. Sign up now to make sure you get a seat (smile).

You can see an updated schedule for the future by clicking here.

A number of you have asked me how the classes work. Check the class list page for more information on this. The classes are done online with one lesson each day. You do not have to be at your computer at any set time.

Please feel free to pass this week's newsletter on to your friends and family. Don't forget to let me know what you like and would like to see me cover.

Be sure to visit our Radiant Recovery® website and Community Forum regularly.

Warmly,
Kathleen

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December 19, 2005
** Quote From Kathleen **

What you are trying to do is learn to notice and record. You do not have to sort it all out, nor make sense of the feelings.


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** Testimonial for the Week**


Hi,

Now I have gotten to thinking about the "new" things I like about celebrating Christmas.

Mommy/grandma no longer has "melt downs" on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.

Planned snacks are the order of the days for the next two weeks. I want to have tons of energy and no blood sugar crashes.

I will have a celebration meal that is SARP friendly.

If it snows I will be outside playing with the grands.

I enjoy finding new foods for everyone to enjoy with me.

I have more energy to go out shopping and doing some of the cultural things the city has to offer.

If there is something that I don't enjoy I have no problem saying "count me out."

When I am tired I just go to bed. If there are things left to do and I don't get to them, than so be it.

I really enjoy seeing all the Christmas lights in the neighborhood.

I don't miss all the pain from eating Christmas "treats."

Everyone will eat a SARP Christmas breakfast. I want my grandsons to enjoy the day without being little ss grumps.

Hugs,
Ann

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**Recipe of the Week**


I grabbed this recipe out of the Radiant Recipe Cookbook because it is something so yummy and festive that you can serve it for your Christmas dinner. I also love to eat soup on such cold winter days, just the thought of this one, warms me up! Enjoy!

Spiced Butternut Soup

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and ginger and saute briefly until vegetables turn translucent and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add squash and broth. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 30 minutes or until squash is tender. Puree soup in batches in a blender, being careful to avoid spilling and burns. Return soup to pan. Stir in lime juice and remaining spices (coriander through cayenne) and heat until hot. Garnish with sour cream or yogurt if desired. Makes 4 servings. Prep time: 15 minutes. Cook time: 45 minutes. Beginner Skill.

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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**


Our last chat was on intimacy. Funny how these *other* topics come in. I think the reality is that our chat time is really our community time. You all work so hard and so diligently during the week, and then chat rolls around and we do the topics that meet your needs. I never cease to marvel at your insight, openness and humor. Chat is such a joy for me.

I thought it was going to be a weight loss program, heh heh. We got so much more. You all did that. Showing up and *chatting* has sure changed me (smile).

Come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun.
 


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**David's Corner **



Well, we had such a great response to the CDs of the "Southwest Coffeehouse"last week, I am thinking this would be a wonderful gift to your self for the new year. You HAVE TO get this product. It is just awesome!! I have one in my car and it is like listening to All Things Considered on NPR!
And I wanted to remind you that we have LOTS of shake now. A number of you are taking advantage of the buy six, and get a 25% discount so I thought I would feature shake again. I know that a number of you (including me) had to rely on other products in that gap. UGH! I am sooo happy to have real George back!
Don't forget the flavorings!
If you haven't been to the store for a while, how about just coming over and browsing. You will be thrilled to see all the changes!

Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better.

 
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**Our Online Groups**


When we first started this group, it was a hard one. People were just starting in recovery. There was lots of fear and rigidity. Now I cannot keep up with the laughter and joy over there! Those messages just keep rolling in. And now the recovery wraps and holds the newcomers with joy and hope.

Hi I'm Heather and I'm the liaison for the Radiant ED list for people recovering from eating disorders. When we first started this group, it was a hard one. People were just starting in recovery. There was lots of fear and rigidity. Now I cannot keep up with the laughter and joy over there! Those messages just keep rolling in. And now the recovery wraps and holds the newcomers with joy and hope. We make new connections with our recovery every day, and the list is incredibly supportive. If you struggle with an eating disorder, whether anorexia, bulimia, or anywhere in between, come join our group and experience the joys of what recovery can bring.

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** **
Season's Greetings from Kathleen
Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D.

Well, it is that time of year. Days are dark early, morning is dark late. Lots of black sky and going inward.
For many years I have tried to reconcile the growing use of 'Happy Holidays' as a way to be inclusive. But I have felt a loss of hearing 'Merry Christmas'or 'Happy Chanukah'. I have resented losing the tie to unique celebrations for this time of year.

Naomi sent me a web link to a little clip about miracles. Chanukah is the celebration of a miracle, of sustained light. Light which endured and grew. And I have always felt that Christmas was not about the “stuff” so much as the generosity of heart and seekers being guided by the light to a promise of something new. So this year, I want to share some thoughts about the miracle of healing, the miracle of a light shining in the darkness of addiction and sugar sensitivity.

Every day I receive letters from people saying, 'I have looked for this answer for years and years.' 'Are you sure this can be true?' '“I feel as if my heart is opened up.' 'I felt as if you were reading my life story.'

I come to the lists and I hear you talking about new ways of doing your life. Early struggles with breakfast, midtime struggles and joys with meals, playing with potato dreams, taking the risk of letting go of sugar and all that surrounds it. And then there are the stories of the healing, what happens after a year, two years and now five years.

The other shoe does not drop. It does not go away. Baby steps become habits. Habits become a rock solid foundation. Desperation becomes hope. Flapping becomes humor. Isolation becomes connection. Panic becomes commitment. Over and over and over. It is not an accident, it is not an isolated personal experience, it is what happens when we do the food and we do the process.

Ten years ago, I took everything I had and laid it on the line because of my passionate belief in this program. I felt it was a light of healing risking all of me for. It is. But today I want to share what has become of that light. Here is a little story to show you.

Each morning, before the sun is up, I sit and meditate. I light one little candle that illumines a picture of the one who guides me, and a little image of a rabbit with a bowl with two eggs in it. The rabbit represents me coming with my little offering. It is a very simple ritual. This week was a VERY dark time in my life. A dear friend sent me a little tea candleholder. She didn’t 'know' anything about what I was going through. It was a gesture of the season. It holds six candles. Hm, I thought, let’s use this one in the morning. I lit all the candles and the whole room was lit up. I could SEE everything. The rabbit, the eggs, the whole picture. Not just a dim image, but a bright reminder of why I do all this.

One person brings a little light. Six make more. And as we grow from ten to a hundred to a thousand to ten thousand to the thirty thousand who receive this newsletter, we are creating a light of healing. Do not think this is just your story. If you are here, if you are receiving this newsletter, you are linked to something way more than just you.

It is like the candles of Chanukah. One becomes many and keeps burning. And when the lights are burning, we can see in the darkness. So, I would like to invite you to take a little time. Give thanks for your commitment, for the connection that sustains us. Give thanks for the process that guides me to guide you. Give thanks for the lonely, isolated person in Ogden, Utah who found the book in a used book bin and came on line to meet us.

From the bottom of my heart, I give thanks for you all. Your candle is lighting another.

I wish you the deepest blessings of the season.

Kathleen

©Kathleen DesMaisons 2005.

Here are the folks who are helping put the newsletter together:

Gretel, the liaison for the recovery list and the webmaster puts it all together
Naomi, liaison for big ones gathers the recipes
JoAnna, the liaison for affiliates gathers the testimonials
Marie, the liaison for diabetes gathers the info on the online lists
David, who runs the Radiant Recovery® Store talks about what new products we have.

You are getting the weekly newsletter from Radiant Recovery® in response to your signup. A copy of this newsletter may also be found posted on the web at http://www. radiantrecovery.com/weeklynewsletter.htm.

©2005 by Kathleen DesMaisons . All rights reserved. You are free to use or transmit this article to your ezine or website as long as you leave the content unaltered and use this attribution: "By Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. of Radiant Recovery®. Please visit Kathleen's website at http://www.radiantrecovery.com for additional resources on sugar sensitivity and healing addiction." Please notify me at kathleen@radiantrecovery.com to let me know where the material will appear.

Banner Photograph by Geraint Smith