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3-D Living Newsletter - February, 2010 Issue
February 1, 2010
Welcome to the February issue of the newsletter. I hope this year has begun well for you and that you have made progress in fulfilling goals you have set for yourself.
In this issue:
Ann's Article: "What's Love Got To Do With It?"
Nutrition Nugget: Honey
Supplement Spotlight: Bee Products
Featured Products: Heart Aid; Bee Energetic
Words to the Wise: LOVE
Ann's Article: "WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT?"
Moonlight and roses, romantic dinners, expensive gifts, candlelight and soft music. Do those images conjure
up marriage?? Hardly. Anyone who's been married or involved in a committed relationship for longer than a year or two knows that those things fade, and pretty quickly at that. This is not to say they aren't fun and exciting and wonderful while they last. It's just that they're like ice cream and cake. Delicious, but you can't live on them and be healthy. Being married for the past twenty-seven years, I can personally attest to that. As you work at it, all that fluff grows and develops into something richer, deeper, more durable and substantial. What you end up with is a real, honest relationship based on shared values, beliefs and experiences. The purity and awesome beauty of the love you share can sometimes become obscured by the everyday trials and tribulations of life. Add the blessing and stress of children into the mix, and well, there are days when we barely do more than pass each other on the way to ballgames and dance classes. We sometimes forget how amazing it is to have found that special someone God has chosen for us to love and share our lives with. However, once in a great while you have the privilege of witnessing true, pure, selfless, unconditional love, as our Creator intended it to be, and it totally revolutionizes your understanding and concept of just what real love is. It shakes you back to reality and makes you appreciate what you have with your spouse, as imperfect and sometimes frustrating as it may be. I was fortunate enough to witness this first-hand and I will be forever impacted by it.
An aunt and uncle I have been extremely close to all my life moved back to Florida years ago. Over the last ten years of his life, my uncle (Theo Costa is what we called him) had to battle cancer, prostate disease and finally Alzheimer's, with my sweet, soft-spoken Aunt Ruthie right there by his side through it all. They had no children and no family living close by, so my aunt literally took on all of his care, every decision that had to be made, single-handedly. My Theo Costa was raised by his mother, my little Greek grandmother, Giagia. She was widowed at 26 and raised her three children alone. As many Greek mothers did (and still do), she shamelessly spoiled her two sons. Aunt Ruthie picked up right where Giagia left off and has always spoiled my uncle. She learned to cook his favorite Greek dishes just the way he liked them. She carefully monitored his diet and health, made it possible for him to do the things he enjoyed most and worked well into her seventies to provide them with a steady income and security, all without complaint or even a hint of self-pity. As much as I have always adored my handsome, charming, fun-loving Theo Costa, I have to admit, I'd never have married him. He drank, to excess at times, gambled, was totally unconcerned with finances, a true free spirit. I know I'd have ended up resenting him had I been his wife. Not Aunt Ruthie. She accepted him exactly as he was. She may not have liked many of his habits, but she understood what made him the way he was and she loved him unreservedly, unconditionally and sacrificially.
When he was suffering from Alzheimer's and it became impossible for her to continue to care for him by herself at home any longer, she was at the nursing home most of each day making sure he was clean, dressed, fed and well cared for. She protected him from those who were callous and indifferent and considered his care just another job. She cried over instances when he was frightened and misunderstood. She considered his every need and wish to be of paramount importance and did her best to fulfill each and every one. His safety and dignity were her priority in those last months.
She so thoroughly and completely lived the description of love in 1 Corinthians 13 that I feel ashamed by my occasional pettiness and lack of generosity and kindness in comparison. Her example has served as an unforgettable reminder of what I promised in my vows twenty-seven years ago, and sometimes, just how far short I fall in fulfilling them.
Theo Costa passed away several years ago, and I can honestly say he was a blessed man. He may not have been wealthy, or owned a huge, expensive home, or been famous or influential, but he had so much more. He was privileged to have my Aunt Ruthie, a woman who truly loved him with all her heart for forty-two years.
Actually, he was one of the richest men I know, if you consider the priceless value of being truly loved.
NUTRITION NUGGET: HONEY
Honey is mentioned many times throughout scripture. It is one of the most powerful healing foods around. Honey has exceptional germicidal properties - in fact it is an excellent anti-bacterial, anti-viral and anti-fungal agent. In a study involving 105 children aged 2-18 years with upper respiratory tract infections of a week or less and night-time coughing, a single night-time dose of buckwheat honey was as effective for relief of nighttime cough and sleep difficulty, compared to a single dose of dextromethorphan (DM) cough syrup. Just be sure to use raw, unheated honey. Processing destroys the natural phytonutrients and other beneficial compounds this liquid gold contains. And as always, use it in moderation - it is still a sweetener that can impact blood sugar.
SUPPLEMENT SPOTLIGHT: BEE PRODUCTS
Royal Jelly, Bee Propolis and Bee Pollen are all produced by honey bees. Studies show they fight infection, improve energy and overall general well-being. They are among nature's most precious and potent substances. Be careful to choose products from reputable companies to ensure the highest quality and purity.
FEATURED PRODUCTS:
HEART-AID
Cardiovascular problems are a leading cause of death among men AND women, and claim more lives than cancer and AIDS combined. Besides proper nutrition and exercise, Heart-Aid is a supplement that includes herbs that strengthen the heart muscle, improve circulation and oxygenation, dilate blood vessels resulting in lower blood pressure and may help reduce dangerous blood fats.
BEE ENERGETIC
This supplement contains nature's most energizing foods - Bee Pollen, White American Ginseng, Cordyceps and Spirulina. When you need an energy boost, Bee Energetic will provide the focus and energy you need, while boosting your immune system and all without stimulants like caffeine or ephedrine.
To order either one, call 1-888-747-6733 and use sale code 11379 to receive your 20% discount and be set up as a preferred customer. Subsequent orders can then be placed online by visiting http://www.phporder.com/11379. You'll then receive the same 20% discount on ALL subsequent orders!
WORDS TO THE WISE: FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT - LOVE
Love is our foundation and how appropriate to begin with this month! The Greek word for the God-kind of love is agape. This is that selfless, unselfish, giving, sacrificial, committed love that God has toward us. Agape loves regardless of feelings and loves the undeserving and unlovely. Agape is a verb - an action word not simply a noun. To truly "love" requires you to DO something. This love is the foundation of the Christian life because God IS love, all the other fruit of the Spirit are an outgrowth of this love. Also, faith - without which we cannot please God - will not work without it (Galatians 5:6). Love is THE KEY.
If you enjoyed this issue of the 3-D Living Newsletter, please forward it to anyone you know who will benefit from it. They'll love you for it! If a friend forwarded this issue to you - just go here to get your own free subscription: http://www.threedimensionalvitality.com/Welcome.html.
Until next month, as always, I wish you and your family abundant health, peace, LOVE and joy!
Ann
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