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I went to the Holistic Expo over the weekend and amongst an array of vendors was a company I would like to acknowledge.  Positive Thought Brand is “Apparel for the Soul”.  I love the organic bamboo clothing with inspirational messages such as:  ”Follow Your Bliss”, “Radiate”, Choose Love” and “Recreate Yourself”.  When I spoke with co-owner, Casey Murphy, I was very impressed with the efforts to be a “green” company.   It was also fun to suggest additional declarations–”Laugh for No Reason” or “Laugh for the Fun of It”. Check out the website at www.positivethoughtbrand.com.

Greetings!

     When I was a child, my mother   taught me two very important skills—how to pull weeds and how to take out a hem.  For the weeds, she said to dig deep enough to “get out the roots” so the weed was less likely to return.  To undo a hem, she said to find “just the right thread” and then the whole thing would quickly unravel.  I believe both of these skills taught me at a very early age the importance of “getting to the heart of the matter.”

     I have always loved gardening and have taken out my fair share of hems. Sometimes it took “a little doing” as Mom used to say, however, if I stuck with it, eventually I found the right thread and the hem was out in no time.  Just like dominoes—once you knock the first one over, they all fall down.      

     Globally, it is my prayer each day that any and all challenges are resolved at the “root” level rather than putting band aids on the symptoms.  That is  also my prayer for my personal life. 

     When I was a classroom teacher, my favorite science lesson was about “cause and effect”.  I felt that if students could understand how the scientific principles of cause and effect could be applied to problem solving, that was a great life lesson for them to learn. 

     I have been blessed with a mechanic for my car who gets to the cause of every needed repair without any “trial and error.”  Other situations in my life have been a journey of steps, yet, ultimately my greatest joy is when I feel I have reached the root or found that infamous thread to truly resolve a challenge.

     A personal trainer once told me to forget working out the arms or legs until my core strength was developed.  That meant working the abdominal area first, building the muscle strength there, and then branching out to the arms and legs.  This was another example of getting to the “heart of the matter” for best results.

     There are four words at the center of my personal inspiration—light, love and thank you.   When I keep them at the core of my thoughts, words and actions, life flows well. Same with the Buddhist guidance to center ourselves with the breath.  So simple and yet so powerful.

     I recently met a master health practitioner who shares my “root” thinking about healing.  She identified a chronic condition using the approach of “finding just the right thread” that unraveled a lots of symptoms.

     Getting to the heart of the matter works for me in learning something new, changing behavior, healing my body, reaching my dreams and so much more.  From my heart to yours, I encourage you to “go for the root,” get the “right thread” or as they say in math, “find the least common denominator.”  However you say it, I hope you are inspired to “dig deeper” and reap the rewards of “getting to the heart of the matter.” 

With Light and Love,

                                       Cheryl

Food For Thought

     Milk thistle has been used for 2,000 years as an herbal remedy for a variety of ailments, particularly liver and gall bladder problems. Several scientific studies suggest that substances in milk thistle (especially a flavonoid called silymarin) protect the liver from toxins, including certain drugs such as acetaminophen (Tylenol), which can cause liver damage in high doses. Silymarin has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, and it may help the liver repair itself by growing new cells.

       Milk thistle is also used for loss of appetite, heartburn, and gallbladder complaints.  Some people use milk thistle for diabetes, hangover, diseases of the spleen, prostate cancer, malaria, depression, and uterine complaints.   In foods, milk thistle leaves and flowers are eaten as a vegetable for salads and a substitute for spinach. The seeds are roasted for use as a coffee substitute.  Milk thistle gets its name from the milky sap that comes out of the leaves when they are broken. The leaves also have unique white markings that, according to legend, were the Virgin Mary’s milk. Don’t confuse milk thistle with blessed thistle (Cnicus benedictus).

StarHeart People

     Casey den Hollander could have been traveling the world when he retired from the Albuquerque Police Department.  Instead, the divorced, childless man became the father to a quadripelgic, blind and severely brain-damaged young boy that he could not forget once he handed Patrick’s case over to the D.A. after the boy was victimized by child abuse.  This is a classic story of two people who fulfill a meaningful purpose for each other.  Casey sums it up by saying that he doesn’t “know why we have this connection.  I just feel God put him in my life.”

    Chuck Sibley of Huntsville, Alabama couldn’t sleep when he thought about the employees who would receive pink slips due to a production slow down.  That’s when he came up with the idea he pitched to the managers of Navistar International Corp to retain all the employees at full pay and benefits.  Now those employees are working for local nonprofit groups to build homes, stock thrift-store shelves and carry out other projects to help the needy.

     Employees volunteered and got connected with three area charities.  They work 4-day, 10-hour shifts and the community has benefited with the addition of 47 wheelchair ramps, a dozen foreclosed homes have been cleaned up and several tons of clothing and household donations have been sorted.  “This is a Godsend” is the response.

     Love those stories about people who turn their lives around?  In her new book, The Mighty Queens of Freeville, advice columnist Amy Dickinson has compiled a book of stories about surprising second chances.  www.mysecondchancestories.com

      For the past 25 years, Leonard Knight has spent his days and many nights by flashlight painting pastoral designs and biblical quotations on a three story mound he has affectionately named, Salvation Mountain.  Located near San Diego, Knight thought the valley  near Niland would be a perfect place for a religious monument.  Planning to stay a week or two, he couldn’t stop once he got started.     He has no telephone, television, lights, radio or running water.  He bathes in a natural hot springs nearby and eats many of his meals at a nearby restaurant. Since word got out, people come from all over the world to see what he has created and to hear his “docent rap” about the inspiration as well as the half million gallons of paint he has used.

      The Jeremiah Project 51 was set up by Jeff Lasater after his son committed suicide to stop the bullying he could no longer live with. In 17 months, the organization has expanded from the father’s crusade into a growing national network of parents helping other parents deal with the age-old issue of bullying.  Lasater is also working with school districts advocating for changes in how the bullying is handled in schools.  The website for more info is www.jeremiah51.com.

Thoughts to Ponder by Bob Scivique

What is life…If not an adventure.

What is an adventure…Without a surprise.

What is a surprise…Without someone with whom to share.

 Life for me has truly been an adventure..

Full of surprises.

 Some I considered huge successes…Some—disappointments.

 But…how would I know success without disappointment?

 The disappointments…Some call failure…I call feedback.

Something that made me change… 

What I was doing…How I was doing…When I was doing…With whom I was doing.

Each time I changed me (my thoughts, my actions, my beliefs)…

There was a new and different adventure…

With new surprises and new someones.

So…I choose life…to live to its fullest.

Point of View

     Helen Keller said, “The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or even touched.  They must be felt with the heart.”  In today’s world of so much busy ness in our minds, I appreciate this inspiration more than ever.

     What does “feeling with the heart” mean?  For me it is that uncontrollable burst of emotion that comes forth in many different ways—with laughter, tears of joy or sadness, or free-flowing energy and delight. 

     I believe “living large” is another way to describe “feeling with the heart”.  Does living large mean that we are rich and famous?  Does it mean we are popular or that “everybody knows our name?”  It could…or not.    Living large is about opening our heart, living a life that radiates from our heart, and feeling at home from that kind of consciousness. 

     Living large is defined by how we choose to live our lives rather than defined by the setting in which we live it.  Nelson Mandela lived large even though he was imprisoned for 27 years.  His mind was free to explore his innermost thoughts and he kept expanding his world even though his physical  world had restrictions and limitations.

     In this issue of StarHeart Express, Laurel Rund’s poem, Open Heart, is a beautiful expression about a place called home—a recipe for living large.  Other examples are StarHeart people such as Leonard Knight who has very little in the way of material possessions yet he is living large with his Salvation Mountain project.  He shows no physical signs of slowing down which I believe is an outcome of living large—the wellspring of energy that one feels when they are living life from the heart space.

     I had the pleasure of spending a day with Michael Coleman, a laughter yoga advocate in the San Diego area.  What I saw first-hand was someone who is living from his heart and from that space comes all of his energy and ideas.  Both are non-stop.  He has a vision to establish a non-profit organization that will provide funding for the training of laughter leaders who can lead 100 weekly senior laughter yoga classes.  Just watching Michael with his senior classes left no doubt that he is “living large.”

     As I look around, I find countless examples of people  of all ages “living large.”  I especially love seeing more and more young people who are discovering early in their lives the joy of being of service.  They are getting involved in existing organizations or they are creating one to help solve challenging social issues.  That’s living large!

     When I did not have my own “place to live” for a few years, and people asked me where I lived, I always answered that I lived in my heart.  Now that I have a place to live, I pray every day that I still live in my heart—the source of energy, the passion, the feelings that can’t be described any other way.  Gre

I was touched by a story in this morning’s paper about a serviceman who was killed in Iraq. At 61 years of age, he was the oldest serving in active duty.  He was also a StarHeart Ambassador.  In addition to being a role model for his unit, he befriended a stray puppy even when he was ordered to ‘get rid” of the dog.  Instead, he managed to side step his supervisors and keep the dog.  Now, with the efforts of a non-profit animal resuce agency, the dog is with a family in Michigan who knew the fallen soldier.  The dog’s name is Laia and to all involved in this heartwarming demonstration of light and love, I extend my thanks and appreciation.

Cheryl

Greetings to All StarHearts!

Thank you for visiting StarHeart Country and checking out the “share” link.   I am very excited to write my first BLOG  and look forward to “sharing” lots of StarHeart inspirations, stories and thoughts powered by light and love.  What is really fun about a BLOG is that as soon as I hit the “post” button, the words are out there for everyone to read.  While I love writing the StarHeart Express quarterly newsletter, there is at least a week delay from when I finish writing it and the publication shows up in the mailbox.  As of now, I intend to keep the newsletter because there are folks on the mailing list that don’t have access to internet.  Since I still love to receive good old fashioned postal mail, I will keep writing the newsletter too.

That’s it for an introduction…stay tuned!

Cheryl