Letter from Publisher

December greetings! After a snowy Halloween and an early cold snap to end the growing season for all but the hardiest of vegetables and native perennials, we enjoyed a dash of unseasonable late November warmth to help us savor the final glows of autumn. Yet while a few late season migratory birds are still passing through our Midwestern flyways, signs of the season’s change are in the air. As I was working in the yard this past weekend, dozens of sandhill cranes flew high overhead in the blue sky, bugling loudly on their journey to locations further south. Late last evening, an overwintering screech owl called from a nearby oak tree, its distinctive, whinny-like vocals echoing off the now mostly barren tree canopy.

 

While a new season is in the air, so is the warmth, magic and spirit of the upcoming holidays. Our December theme of Natural Awakenings Chicago is Uplifting Humanity, and how giving, receiving and gratitude can help us to shift our moods and perspectives to focus on what really matters. In our main feature article, writer Carrie Jackson explores the grace we can find in the act of giving and receiving, showcasing the healing power of generosity in actions big and small. We also explore the power of journaling to better foster the inner strength we receive from a daily practice of gratitude.

 

We’re also honored to include an interview with Deepak Chopra, as he shares his thought-provoking words on the quantum body and the path to achieving peace.

 

As I prepared to write my notes to you this month, heading into a season of joy and love in a still complicated and conflicted world, I reviewed prior December letters, including my comments from our December 2015 issue, which I have modified slightly and I share with you again:

 

“I will keep my message simple, and yet it’s oh-so-challenging. Please try to find peace, make peace, keep peace. In your heart. And in your actions. In your morning intention when you awake, and in what you know to be true in your heart as you drift off to sleep. Make peace and love the central theme of how you interact with your family, your children, the pushy person at the store, the sarcastic person on social media and the rude driver that cuts you off in traffic. For we need each and every one of us working together to build collective peace, love and unity—and this is a grassroots action we can all become active in every day. Today and always, no phrase rings truer than the traditional message of the season: ‘… and on Earth, peace and goodwill to all.’”

 

 

        Happy holidays!
            And many blessings for the new year.