Our Blog is here to help keep you informed about new local projects, concerns, and news events going on in Maine and the country.
CAREGIVING | HUMAN TRAFFICKING | FOOD | SPIRITUAL | BUILDING COMMUNITY
Topic ~ Caregiving
Romancing the Kitchen This Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day has been celebrated every year since about the 14th century. Pakistan and Indonesia forbid the idea of Valentine's Day, but in America, many of us think about it and how we will make the holiday our own. Part of me isn’t a fan of Valentine’s Day,...
2020: A Year of Change and Perseverance
2020 had a nearly palpable veil of continuous uncertainty. Compared to some years, we had it hard. Compared to others, we didn’t. The best thing to do, of course, is not to compare. “Comparison is the thief of joy,” proclaimed Theodore Roosevelt. Well, Roosevelt’s...
Post Thanksgiving 2020: With Gratitude and Appreciation
The COVID pandemic put an intriguing veil over our recent Thanksgiving festivities. But no more than has been over the rest of the year. Our son and daughter and her girls were here. We were crazy busy baking, and in that regard, it was blessedly normal. The...
Topic ~ Human Trafficking
6 Things You Can Do Right Now to Help End Human Trafficking
What is human trafficking? According to the United States National Trafficking Hotline website, the legal definition of human trafficking: Sex trafficking is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, obtaining, patronizing, or soliciting of a person for...
The Hand that Milks the Cow
I continue to think of how results of Fairtrade practices filter down to farm laborers. Fairtrade considers fairness to farm owners but often leaves out fairness to laborers. This is often reflective of the need for awareness, education and a change in cultural...
Fairtrade – Conscious Consumerism Matters
The big news in my world this week is from Migrant Justice and Ben and Jerry’s, CEO. They signed the “Milk with Dignity” agreement in front of Ben & Jerry’s flagship ice cream store. Migrant Justice is a non-profit organization for Human Rights and Justice for...
Topic ~ Food
Happy National Chocolate Milkshake Day!
September has arrived with a gentle breeze and lower temps in the 70s. For many, September signals the end of summer. I’m still clinging to the knowledge that summer doesn’t end until it ends, no matter the date on the calendar or the number of pumpkin spice lattes...
21 Tips to Encourage Water Conservation
I read on the National Geographic website that Canada is richly endowed and unlikely to run out of water. The writer made some good points but failed to consider Canada’s rising population, increase in agricultural production, adverse effects of climate change, and...
Human Trafficking in US Agriculture
A few years ago, as I was doing my catalog Christmas shopping, I had a few questions, so I decided to call the company directly. Their customer service is excellent. As the representative was chatty, I imagine it must have been a slower evening. She asked me what I do...
Topic ~ Spiritual
We are Awakening and Remembering and it Feels Weird
Ripples of ribbon adorn our still bright green and well-lit Christmas tree. We say we'll get a smaller tree, but every year we don't. To some, our tree is small. To others, it is monstrous. Light causes glass icicles to glisten as they drip from the tips of random...
Hanukkah: The Miracle of Trust and Faith Bringing Greater Light to the World
Author's note: Somehow, in the busyness of the season, publishing this got lost in the hustle and bustle. But I think no story that serves to illuminate the world has an expiration. I hope you enjoy these brief thoughts on trust and faith. By the time this is...
Believe in Magic and Miracles to Experience Magic and Miracles
Christmas is the season of magic and miracles. I believe everything is a miracle and that there are extraordinary miracles, such as the wicks of the Menorah, that miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough for one day. And the extraordinary...
Love Lessons from the Dishes of Grandmother Dede
There are times when we must speak. We know this to be accurate, yet knowing when to speak, listen, or take action is not always as easy as it seems. Added to these words, wrote Mary Quinn in 2010, "not because you will change the other person, but because if you...
Topic ~ Building Community
We are Awakening and Remembering and it Feels Weird
Ripples of ribbon adorn our still bright green and well-lit Christmas tree. We say we'll get a smaller tree, but every year we don't. To some, our tree is small. To others, it is monstrous. Light causes glass icicles to glisten as they drip from the tips of random...
Hanukkah: The Miracle of Trust and Faith Bringing Greater Light to the World
Author's note: Somehow, in the busyness of the season, publishing this got lost in the hustle and bustle. But I think no story that serves to illuminate the world has an expiration. I hope you enjoy these brief thoughts on trust and faith. By the time this is...
Believe in Magic and Miracles to Experience Magic and Miracles
Christmas is the season of magic and miracles. I believe everything is a miracle and that there are extraordinary miracles, such as the wicks of the Menorah, that miraculously burned for eight days, even though there was only enough for one day. And the extraordinary...
Love Lessons from the Dishes of Grandmother Dede
There are times when we must speak. We know this to be accurate, yet knowing when to speak, listen, or take action is not always as easy as it seems. Added to these words, wrote Mary Quinn in 2010, "not because you will change the other person, but because if you...