THE HOLIDAY ISSUE

Greetings and Happy Holidays

I hope this finds you happy and enjoying the holidays with your family and friends.

I know a lot of us feel sadness around the holidays, as there may be certain family and friends that we have lost.  I hope you can find solace in the thought that their spirits are always with us. And their memories live on through us.  The love they left us gives us the capacity to share love with others. I always find comfort in this quote by Khalil Gibran  On Joy and Sorrow,  from the Prophet.

In this newsletter I have highlighted some of the common herbs, scents and plants we associate with the holidays. I hope you will find it as interesting as I have that these plants and herbs have some spiritual and medicinal significance too. It is always good to bring more consciousness to our traditions and rituals.

The recipe section has some ideas for holiday tea drinks and organic foods. I have also included some substitution guides so you can make your favorite recipes using natural and healthy ingredients. It can taste good and be good for you too.

I have also included some alternative ideas for Holiday gifts this year. It is easy to get caught up in buying and giving from duty. But there are so many conscious gifts we can give as well. Consider a gift of health such as massage, organic body products, yoga classes and more.

There is a section on some Gifts of Sponsorship as well. I have included some organizations that I love that are helping people and communities to rebuild themselves.
About 5 years ago, I had an epiphany at Christmas time. I realized I had bought my last Barbie Doll. I wanted to share something with my nieces and nephews that would bring them the spirit of what I had learned on my many travels and adventures around the world. So I decided that instead of buying them gifts, I would let them each sponsor a child through Save the Children. We went to the Save the Children site and found the countries open for sponsorship. Then I pulled out a Globe and each kid picked the country he or she wanted to sponsor a child from. From there they were able to pick a child to be their new international friend and pen pal. I pay the monthly donations and my nieces and nephew correspond by mail and email with their children. We have children in Egypt, Mali, Malawi, Bolivia, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. I have visited most of the Children through arranged meetings by Save the Children.  See my Angelina Jolie photos. Hee hee hee.

I think that my nieces and nephews are getting more out of it than the kids they sponsor. They are always thinking about them. They have learned so much from this. They have had wonderful insights such as:

“Poor people can be happy too”
—Rachel
“It is more fun to give presents than get presents”
—Nicholas

Last summer my nephew Jamie had the idea that he would like to have a Lemonade Stand to raise money for his friend in Malawi, Lamak.  So my sister and him set up a Lemonade Stand outside of their apartment building in Manhattan with a picture of Lamak and raised several hundred dollars in an afternoon. It was Jamie’s idea and he was only 5 at the time.
Every year I ask them if they would prefer presents or to continue sponsoring. They always say they want to continue to Sponsor.

Now they are growing up with these children and it is beautiful.

I know it is easy to get caught up in the stress of the holidays. When this happens to me, I feel out of my body and my mind wanders to the past and future. It makes it difficult to enjoy the present moment and the love and abundance around me. I go to a small Gratitude ritual in which I breathe in and out very slowly. Then I give thanks for all the gifts in my life.  I am grateful for my love, my family, my friends, my patients, my health, and the list goes on…I am back in the moment.

The greatest present you can give yourself
and your loved ones is to be Present.

Enjoy this reading On Giving by Kahlil Gibran.

Merry Christmas
Happy Hanukah
Eid Mubarak
Om Shanti

Peace and Happy New Year too!!!!

Dr. Gabrielle Francis