Off The Grid News Better Ideas For Off The Grid Living
Dear Editor:
Christmas is upon us once again. We need to take the time to remind ourselves that Christmas is about love. It is a time of charity and giving, not of materialism and receiving. A new iPad or a flatscreen might keep you entertained for a time, but ultimately they are just empty objects.
Want to give a precious gift this year? Give your time. Ask anyone who has lost a friend or loved one if they would rather have an Xbox, or more cherished memories. Reflect on your own experiences, and then reconnect with someone you haven’t spoken to in a long time.
All too often we purposefully ignore the very same people that we should actually be trying to learn from. Don’t hide your face from the Salvation Army folks ringing their bells outside of stores. What are you afraid of? Go strike up a conversation with one. Look them in the eye and ask them why they volunteer their time. You will see pure joy and the Spirit of Christmas staring you in the face.
Do you want to give a great gift? Buy two cans of food on your next trip to the grocery store, and drop them off at a church on your way home. Volunteer at a soup kitchen or homeless shelter. Walk into a nursing home and volunteer to visit with the elderly for a few hours. Walk up to a soldier, look him square in the eye, shake his hand and say “Thank you.” It will change you.
Christmas is about love. We have forgotten that. I think it’s time we show the world how to do that again. Merry Christmas.
C-
Dear C-
Thank you so much for that wonderful reminder as we head into the Christmas weekend. God has said that as we continually pour out of ourselves for others, He will fill us to overflowing. There is no greater joy than blessing the lives of others with not just our time, but with ourselves. God is in the relationship business, and as His people, we are to be as well. Blessings to you and your family. Merry Christmas!
The Editor
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Dear Editor,
I know it’s still wintertime (actually winter hasn’t officially begun yet!), but I’d like to know what I can do to prepare for spring planting and my garden.
Eager Gardener
Dear Eager,
The first thing you’ll want to do is get on the mailing list of the seed company catalogs! Heirloom Solutions is in the final editing of its spring catalog, so go to www.heirloomsolutions.com to sign up for the 2012 edition! It will be available pretty soon. Heirloom Solutions has expanded their choices of fruits and vegetables and they’re quite excited about the seed offerings for the coming year!
After you get your seed catalog, start laying out your garden, if only on paper. Whatever problems you had last year (such as insects, poor-setting vegetables and/or fruit), research and prepare for before getting your garden in the ground. For instance, if your vegetables didn’t yield what you wanted them to last year, then print out the transcript from our radio broadcast here //www.offthegridnews.com/2011/04/08/are-your-vegetables-making-you-fat-episode-042/ and get the recipes for two foliar sprays—one to encourage healthy growth in your plants and one to set fruit. Just do everything you can to prepare for planting your garden now so that you can spend more time in the garden later.
The Editor
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