Detoxing the Body

I have taken on a new project. Project ME. My friend is studying Chinese Medicine and thought I might be a good case study. So I agreed. I need to repair my body, and make some healthy changes so I thought this was a great opportunity.

She interviewed me, asking me a bunch of health related questions, and then took pictures of my tongue. She could see from the tongue that there was lots of toxins in my system, and the sides of my tongue were swollen, indicating some kind of intestinal problems. SO we embarked on a strict diet, to get things moving inside, and clear out the poisons.

As I eat my breakfast of Oatbran, rice milk, and berries, I remind myself that the body is a machine and it needs a tune up.

I have been eating "Kale Delight", which is steamed Kale with leeks and mushrooms, add that to my bowl of rice, and my black beans, with a bit of organic salsa and it takes nearly as good as steak and lobster.

When craving sweets, have bowl of rice, teaspoon of organic sugar, and berries.
Today I baked apples with cinnamon on top.

I am excited really to embark on this journey, as I really feel that this is the year, the time to get things in order health wise. I feel very confident in the other areas of my life. But this is the one that holds me back. Eating healthy requires some work, some planning and some preparation. That is what I must ensure that I schedule into my day.

Will update with the diet, the cleanse and how I am feeling. Last night I felt very tired, but I suppose that is to be expected, such a huge and drastic change.

Off to drink my 6 glasses of water and drink some ginger tea!

Happy Canada Day!

Today is July 1/ 2008. Happy Canada Day and day off work. I noticed how much I have changed. I have never been able to relax, and I am now. I am able to not focus on time, and just know that when it is time to go home, I will know that it is by a feeling.





I am at Emerald Lake with the kids, Liam and Erin. A truly Canadian experience. The Great Canadian outdoors, with the woods, the lake formed in a quarry and BBQ’s. Canadians taking advantage of the little warm weather that they have and flocking to the water, a sacred retreat in the months of July and August. The kids are having a great time. I just walked down to the waterfront and watched them jumping off cliffs. I took a 3 k walk around the park.




I am practicing being observant, being in the now.
I saw a beetle crawling,
The buds of the cedar tree beginning to open up
The little bell flowers opening
I heard the birds,
The waves
The rustle of the tree leaves above my head
I saw the big white cloud sin the blue sky
The laughter of the children and the older man to my left.
I saw the seagulls flying
The butterflies flying over the bushes



People must really like coming to the lake, they all sit down, and laugh and eat at the BBQ’s. Life is pleasant. The worries of the working world are a day away and about 50 miles east of this little place.

Having Faith

Sometimes we just have to! There is a little nudge inside pushing me forward. Go on......... Go do it............ Just do it................... What is the worst thing that can happen?
I might end up with a broken heart........




Or I might not.......
If my heart gets broken it will heqal and I will move forward,
If not I might pass up a chance to love fully



I might end up losing money


Or I might not.........
If I do, I will still be okay, and I will move forward
If not I might pass up a chance to live and rest on my piece of Paradise

Sometimes I have to stop thinking and follow my heart.
I might not know the outcome but I know I'll be okay.
There are no 50:50, Phone-a-friend and Ask the Audience.

Sometimes You must let the heart lead and not the head.....
I think I will let God drive this one, and I will take a back seat as a co-pilot.

The only thing to fear is fear itself

I am taking a big plunge ! I am going to buy a place in Belize. I am a little afraid, but I know there is nothing to fear. It is not a lot of money, and it is a good investment, but still.......

I think about writing from my laptop on the balcony, overlooking the water, and seeing smiling faces walking down the beach. I think about the water. I spent a lot of time in a lawn chair under a palapa, looking at the water, and wondering if I could really have it all......... and now I realize that I can.

I can watch the sun come up in the morning, and in the evening watch the beautiful sunset into the ocean. My bones have been so sore. This week I have gone to the specialist, and the physiotherapist, and against my better judgement, I even had to take a tylenol to make it to work. In Belize I will walk into the warm salt water and let it heal my bones.

I will be able to do lots of volunteer work. When I am bored I can take a walk, look at nature, go to the ocean and look at the ocean creatures. I can visit with friends and dance on the beach.

That is my most memorable moment :) Dancing on the beach ............. oh how I could live my life dancing on the beach and my bare toes in the sand.

Just as I am writing this, I got a letter from Tim, the owner of Banana Beach, where I am thinking of moving. I loved it there.

Here I was in March envisioning buying it............. maybe now it is a reality

New Things

So last night I am in the middle of my homework, and my computer freezes up. I try repeatedly to reboot it, and it is not working. I keep getting all blue screen and it says CORRUPT on it. I have no time to dilly dally. It is time to retire the old Pentium 3 and buy a lap top. I have been putting it off for a long time, and coincidentally my new Credit card came in the mail today. So I contemplate for a few minutes and set a limit on what I will spend . The limit is 500.00 for a refurbished one, from my friends at Rama Computers. I rush out the door, no time to brush hair, and run into the store. One laptop! 275.00 SCORES!

A new lap top is exactly what I have been needing, especially with my school work, and Directabundance, and plans on extended three month sabbaticals from work.

What!?!?

Three months. Yes another wonderful opportunity has presented itself to me. On my birthday I received a letter from the Holy Cross School http://holycrossbelize.blogspot.com/2008/06/storm-from-albert.html. They have invited me to assist with the opening of The Abused Children's Counselling Centre in Novemebr 2009. I am elated. Just praying work will co-operate. There are so many wonderful things going on with the school right now, The Recycling Program, The Computer Lab, The Gardening Centre, I wish I was there for it. However there is a time for all things and I think mine is soon coming.

I would like to get down there and help with an Abused Woman's Program and support centre, maybe some kind of job training. Life is very exciting with an array of possibilities.

So here I am mobile :) Laurie says getting my lap top makes me one step closer to travelling. I think she is right.

My daughter had some exciting news today too! She is going to Circle Square Ranch. Ironically ( well not really, synchronistic) she has been offered a placement in that camp and she was jsut researching it online the other day.

School went well. I managed to pull off an A- in Social Inequality and a B+ in Accounting. That is ok, never wanted to be an accountant anyways, but it is nice to know some new accounting things. Now I am taking Critical Reasoning and Sociology of Work. I will be finished this year, and have found a Master of Arts Program that I want to take at Florida State University.

I am loving my new job, and see old faces pass by daily. The other day I ran into my placement Supervisor from 1992. WOW! SHe looks marvelous and we will be meeting for lunch. I meet some nice people that are travelling. This job enables me to do nice things and smile. When people are short money, or need to get on the transit I can decide whether to allow them or not. I am pretty compassionate, so it would be rare that I say no, and people are generally Grateful, regardless of what we might think.

Yep......... Life is GOOD! LIFE IS DAMN GOOD!

JO

IN NEED OF A SHIPPING COMPANY

Today friend Laurie in Belize sent me a message on MSN. It was a post about how there is PLAYGROUND EQUIPMENT and MEDICAL SUPPLIES AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES that need to be shipped to the good children of San Pedro Belize that attend the Holy Cross School.

It made me cry, thinking that all these wonderful things are locked in a trailer somewhere not being used and appreciated. I remember talking with Vernon about how he wanted to get that shipment down to the children. That was over 2 months ago.

Today I sent out a letter, both to people named Adam. One is my personal close friend, and he has ties to large companies. The other is the Chair of the TTC, the company for which I work. I asked for their help in finding a shipping company or company sponsorship to pay for the cost. I wish I would win the lottery tonight. It would be the first thing I paid.

While I was writing the letters, I thought a good place to post it might be on Oprah's Angel Network. Maybe one of the people on the message board is connected to a shipping company.
Tomorrow I will begin mass mailing to shipping companies. I hope that FED EX OR UPS or something will happen and the winds of generosity will blow the playground towards San Pedro.

The most reasonable quote they have received is $6,500.00 for the transport from Houston through Mexico and into San Pedro


PLEASE LOOK AT THE EQUIPMENT THAT IS WAITING TO BE SHIPPED AND HELP THINK OF A WAY TO GET IT THERE.

http://holycrossbelize.blogspot.com/2008/05/discovery-zone.html

PEACE

Joanne

Good News !!!

I just got off the phone with the principal at my daughter's school. There is good news!
The school here in Mississauga is willing to do a pen pal program with The Holy Cross School in Belize. We won't be able to start until September, but I do have approval from the school, which is very motivating. I am trying to get some copies burnt of the slide show, so I can go and present it to groups of churches and schools that are interested in helping.

I am finished my winter university courses, and I did quite well. My Professor has encouraged me to carry on for a Masters Degree, and so I will likely be continuing after this year.

Today I made the decision to take 3 weeks off next year and go to Belize and volunteer with the school. I have written the school and asked that they send me a letter to present to my employer. I was so excited while I was planning it!

I better get back to the books. Today is pretty much all the time I have. I am doing a fund-raiser tomorrow for the Weekend to End Breast Cancer. I hope I will be able to raise a lot of money. I need to get to 2000.0 before September and I am at 610.00.