Well we are starting into the grey on grey time of year. I have always loved the quiet of this time. Maybe because it is linked to my birthday (smile)....but I love the sense of settling in, being quiet and reflecting. As it gets cooler, I love snuggling in bed and thinking in the early morning. It is still pitch black these mornings, and the dogs will open one eye and say, *you have got to be kidding* and not stir one bit. It just makes me laugh. This class will begin the week of November 14, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Step 2 Journal: An Introduction will teach you the basics of journaling. The class will give you step by step instructions in how to record your food and feelings in a way that gets you excited. This class will begin the week of November 21, 2007. Please click on the name of the class you wish to join and it will take you to the registration page: Doing the Program on a Budget is a special free class for those of you with limited funding who are trying to make do. Come hear some fun ideas to maintain your humor and find tasty and inexpensive solutions. The class schedule is on line. Click here to see what is planned. 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 **********************************************************************
November 12, 2007 ** Quote From Kathleen **
You cannot heal addiction in isolation. *********************************************************************
** Testimonial for the Week**
Kath, Step 7 I have just finished a stint of 5+ weeks working relief (daily call ins) that turned out to be pretty much full time in the end. (I think there were 5 separate days they didn't call me.) And the eistedfodd season has hit, with a performance for one or both of my daughters every weekend for the past month and a bit. What emerged the longer I worked was a decreasing ability to be present. To myself, to my family, and even in my spiritual practice. But as I have decided to do something about it, I have been also been delighted by the healing that is under that exhaustion. This Saturday, my daughter went to watch her friend perform at the Eistedfodd, and I (ta da) came home! I got so much washing and housework done and I felt all virtuous doing it, I actually enjoyed getting to do it, and got a clean house as a reward. On Sunday after church I had a marvelous time in my clean kitchen cooking the meats I had bought on Saturday, preparing meal size freezer portions, and generally grounding myself in the abundance with which I am blessed. Yesterday I said "no I am not able to work relief" and I stayed home. My DH has been looked after by our 18 yo son (who works evenings), and that has made it possible for me to leave him, but he has been falling more lately and is glad for me to be home more. I caught up on emails, I attacked weeding the (large!!) vegetable patch in 10 minute stints, (the grass seeds are all about ready to drop). Other than that I was lazy, and did not feel guilty. I indulged myself. And then about 2pm, (yes, right about when pre RR I used to be groggily sleepy and unproductive) I suddenly got some energy, I wanted a food composition table book I had not seen for some time and thought it was on a particular table...the one in my sewing room that I say ahh, oh just put it there, I will deal with it later. What a mountain had accumulated there, LOL Hmm, and having stopped and done 'nothing' I suddenly have energy to tackle this? Wow. I found the book I wanted, I found all sorts of things, and I found a wooden table top! The amount of things I can manage to do and be well in all my being is finite. I have known it intellectually, and I am constantly amazed by the resilience of my body when called on to do more, but oh listening and responding to the needs is so good. This is living, not just existing! ********************************************************************
With the weather turning cooler, this recipe caught my eye and I fiddled around with it and took out the sugar and adjusted the apple cider amount and here we have a program-friendly and belly-warming meal. You can use the yummy wild rice from the store. Chicken and Apples
*When I altered this recipe to be program friendly I had no idea what "sweat off" meant. So, I looked it up and here is the definition: sweat, A technique by which ingredients, particularly vegetables, are cooked in a small amount of fat over low heat. The ingredients are covered directly with a piece of foil or parchment paper, then the pot is tightly covered. With this method, the ingredients soften without browning, and cook in their own juices. ********************************************************************
**Your Last Diet: More Than What You Think**
YLDonline is a membership program run directly by Kathleen DesMaisons herself. In Last week's chat we talked about the *secret* of weight loss (smile). This of course meant looking at what it is that allows us to continue doing it. The idea of *secrets* is so funny these days. There is nothing magical...there is the simply doing it...learning what will sustain and hold us when it is hard or boring or slow. I loved the chat. I think the power of your reflections is so sustaining and so warm - it always touches me. 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. It's a great time of year to try out new recipes. We carry some really fun cookbooks in the store.
Please send questions and suggestions. I love hearing from you and truly want to help you do your program better. ********************************************************* ***********
**Our Online Groups**
This is a wonderful time of year to check out or local social groups. We call them geo groups. The people in these groups live near one another. They have so much fun. And then they plan get togethers to talk and share. Northern California just had lunch together, the folks in England are planning a lunch soon, people in New York are planning a date in the city. Come check and see if you would like to join your local team. ********************************************************************
Feature Article**
Every Seven Years Kathleen DesMaisons, Ph.D. I recently spent some time in California working with some folks who do brain stuff. It was a personal journey, for my own brain. I love learning new things. I love working with people I respect and admire. And these folks are working on many levels - kinda like what we do here. You know, it seems like we are talking about *food* but we are really talking about life change. So it gave me a chance to think about some things I have not had a place to reflect on before. So this morning, I have been reflecting about it all. Fourteen years ago I made the decision to write a book about what I knew about nutrition and recovery. I wanted to share the healing with more than just the people in my clinic. From that decision came all sorts of other things - needing a PhD, going back to school, doing the research, writing a dissertation, writing a book, getting a book published, and starting an online community. So here we are....we have this incredible community. And something more is nudging me. I don't know what it is. I just can feel it pressing on my heart. So these will be days of quiet, of listening, of doing the laundry and just being present. I will spend time in meditation. And listening deeply to the whispers that come in the early morning when I am leaving sleep and coming back to daylight. I feel as if I am waking up. This is a very sacred time. It is hard to explain. I don't have words yet. I made a reservation to spend Christmas with my bother and his wife. And I will be going back east in January for the NY seminars. But something is stirring. And I know, I know that this very same thing is happening to lots and lots of you. I think it is bigger than just me. kathleen ©Kathleen DesMaisons 2007. 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 gathers the recipes. 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. ©2007 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 Patti Holden, Step 7 |
