 Hi {!firstname_fix} I am writing from the mid coast of Maine. I arrived to piles of snow and ice and have spent the last week getting settled and making my little rental look like home. My writing corner has two windows so it looks southeast to the lighthouse and an island with two houses. When the tide goes out, you can walk to it. I wonder what they do if the tide is in? The beach is huge when the tide is out. There are three or four liberated lobster pots that must have broken loose in the last storm. I am learning to regulate the heat. I keep thinking of oil at $3 a gallon and how it was $.18 when I was in high school. Horrifying to think I am that old, LOL. The dogs don't care. In the kitchen which has cold tile, they just sleep on the dog beds I brought with us in the car. They asked about new beds from LL Bean, but I said, "Not this year dear ones." I still cannot figure out how they know that the turnpike tollbooth has no treats while Starbucks produces them. My family will come up tomorrow for the day and then I will go down on Friday for a second Christmas with everyone. It is a tradition they have done every year for many, many years and this will be my first. I was included in the secret santa process, sort of bumbling my way through what it meant (smile)...they have all sorts of traditions that I simply didn't know so I had to be coached. I went up to LL Bean at 6 AM (they are open 24 hours a day) and got my official LLBean pull-on boots so when I take the dogs out, I don't have to lace up. They are in a routine now even though they really, really want to chase DUCKS! The first day they went swimming in the frigid water. I nearly had a heart attack but their opinion was that this is what they are hard wired to do. Humph! At any rate, I know many of you are caught up in plans for tonight and tomorrow....put the seminar in NY on your calendar to remind yourself to reserve a place if you are thinking about coming. It is one of the few things I do that has a limit to the number of people who can sign up. I will be writing my reflections about this time of year in my article....please know that I am thinking of all of you. And won't you come join us on our community map? These classes will begin Wednesday, December 26, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Learning About Depression is a key class for the Potatotes Not Prozac crowd. Learn in-depth information on the kinds of depression, why drugs will or will not work, how they work and how Doing the Food can help. I am particularly attuned this year since it is cold, dark, grey and gloomy much of the day, LOL. Using the Resources of the Community is our fun free guided tour of the community. If you are new to the community and want to have a general orientation, make sure to come on over. I always love having new people. These classes will begin Wednesday, January 2, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: New Brain Frontiers is a new class to take a look at the concepts of how the brain shapes itself. We will talk about the hope that the concept of neural plasticity brings to sugar sensitive folks. I am VERY excited about presenting these new ideas. If you want to learn more about where we are all moving, this is the class for you. Step 1: The Art of Breakfast is our foundation class to get you started. Learn all four parts of step 1 in a structured way. Learn how to progress through them with enjoyment. Let Step 6: Getting Ready for Detox is a class for those of you getting ready to detox. Often times the new year brings new resolve. I know that many of you are ready to make this step. Let me show you the best way to prepare. This is also an excellent class for you if you are ready to stop drinking alcohol as well. The class schedule is on line. Click here to see what is planned. You will note a few additions since the last time you checked. Cold winter nights have made me more creative. Note that I have added an ADD class into the schedule. And another round of the IBD class. Please do not sign up for classes that are not yet scheduled. 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 and you do not have to be at your computer at any set time. It does not matter whether you are in the US, Europe, the Far East or Australia, you simply respond on your own time. And although I advertise that the classes are one or two weeks, sometimes we are a little flexible and they may run longer. And please go read the questions and answers before you write to me. If you have trouble getting through the process, write the tech forum. 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 **********************************************************************
December 24, 2007 ** Quote From Kathleen **
You don't have to do years of therapy to get results. You can start changing what you eat and see the effects very quickly. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
I am including quotes from the men in our community so you can hear their voices. Our men’s list is growing. Do come join us. Hi. I'm glad to see everyone. Looking forward to your thoughts and ideas, as we 'do the food'. I am Step 7 for a year and a half. The changes are remarkable, in many respects. I am 65+... still working full time as a trust officer/wealth management person (no, I do not qualify as such a client...). Have five children, five grandchildren... I am the oldest of six kids. Jeanne is my most wonderful wife. I am really enjoying what I do and what I've become.
Peace and Joy Jim ********************************************************************
This recipe is one of my all time favorites from the Radiant Recipe Cookbook. I think it very festive and perfect for cold winter days. Just the thought of this one warms me up! Enjoy! Spiced Butternut Soup
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**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself. Come join me in a Christmas Day Open house. I will be in the YLD chat room from 7-8 AM EST (this will be 12 - 1 in the UK) and from 7-8 PM EST if you would like to stop in for some cheer and celebration. Because we are starting a new weight loss readiness class early in January, this is an ideal time to prepare for your new year's resolutions about your weight and join us. Everyone who takes the class has a super time. We will get you settled down, focused and set with a plan of action. Remember, YLD is a lifetime membership, so if you want to come back, we will welcome you with open arms. If you haven't started yet, what a super time to do so. If you are not a YLD member, come and join us. Click here if you are ready to change your life or just plain ole have fun. ********************************************************* ***********
**Radiant Recovery Store **
David manages the Radiant Recovery Store. He is also Kathleen’s oldest son. I will be leaving for my annual trip back to New England on the 26th. So if you have orders, get them in ASAP to be filled before I go. Otherwise, the store will be off duty til right after New Year's. We will have messages picked up, but mostly I will be playing with my daughter and her cousins and her grandparents. This year is the first time that all children, parents and grandparents will be together celebrating. I hope you all have a very pleasant Christmas if you celebrate it. Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* ***********
**Our Online Groups**
I have heard from a lot of people who have many years of sobriety in AA but have just recently come across Radiant Recovery. Won't you come and join us over on the recovery list to learn how to integrate sobriety and doing the food steps. If you want the promises to come in a way you have not imagined, it is a great time to come over. ********************************************************************
**Feature Article**
Holy Nights Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. If you have been raised in a Christian Tradition, it is easy to think of this time as year as *Christmas time*. As we have been doing the Holy Nights class, I have been reflecting on many of the traditions from different cultures that honor this time of the light returning to the darkness. At one point when I was working with the people from Hopi, they explained politely that they would not be available during the midwinter time called Soyal. I was not familiar with the ceremonial period, so I went to the web to learn a little more. The concepts of Soyal have become a part of my life. I would say that, in fact, these concepts have informed the Holy Nights Class more than anything. What does it mean to sit with the darkness? To be quiet, to not screech around and make noise, whether with our mouths or our energy? How might the year be different if we welcome it with reflection and gratitude? How might we shape our journey by being intentional and thoughtful? As you know, I have recently come to the coast of Maine for the winter. I left bright blue skies in New Mexico for the whites and greys of the beach by the sea. It starts to be dark at 3:30 and dawn straggles in after 7, sort of as the grey turns a wee bit brighter. When I arrived, I wondered, *what have I done?*...but as the darkness has wrapped me, I am quieter. My soyal is now growing, flowing into my heart. I want more than anything to ask the spirits to listen to me and bring the rain of loving care down upon the world. This happens as we connect. As each of us gets quiet, remembers to be grateful and works to be be healed, the rain of loving care flows everywhere. I wish you a deep and wonderful light in the darkness. May radiance wrap you and hold you always... Read now about Soyal. Soyal is a 16-day ceremonial period, practiced by the Hopi for generations, that is supposed to establish the mood for the coming year. All major Hopi ceremonies last 16 days. Other ceremonies may last 9 days. Like other ceremonies, Soyal begins with an expression of assurance that the ceremony will accomplish its purpose, and end with a feast of celebration and a public Kachina dance. The dance acknowledges the success of the ritual and shares its blessings with the other members of the village. As we follow what the Traditionalists have done for all of their years, we come immediately to attitudes and feelings. "Soyal time," the Elders say, "is a good time to teach children to respect others, so they will continue to practice it throughout their lives." "There must be no disturbing loud behavior or running during Soyal." Why not? Because loud behavior is self-centered. It interrupts others, and it disturbs the deities who are involved in the cycle as well. Below are some ideas about creating your own Soyal and how to benefit from these ceremonies: Make it a sixteen-day period in January during which you will do the following things. While you are doing them, concentrate on attitudes and feelings that will bring you closer to loved ones and to the rest of the world. Remember that as you carry out these actions you will achieve a magnificent sense of inner peace. As you work, your problems will either go away on their own, or solutions to them will come to you. You will fret less since everything is being taken care of. Beyond this, you will be building an inner strength that will shield you when future prophecies are fulfilled. Following the instructions will accomplish your survival in every way.
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