My Daily Rind Journey of a Mom: Reflections on Health, Unschooling, and Love.

Dear friends,

I was reading my great friend, Michelle’s blog (Pure Raw Joy: see link on right of page), and I was deeply moved and humbled by her words of praise, encouragement, and support from her about me.

It got me thinking about relationships between women and our power to elevate and destroy each other. Harsh words, I know. But think about it. Women have a primal (albeit subconscious at times) need to “keep” what is theirs. There is a built-in jealousy and competitiveness between women, whether we are aware of this or not. Many of us have transcended this “nature”, but it is something to which I think we all can relate. If you’re not willing to admit to relating to it in your Own Life, then I’m sure you can recall feeling this competition from another woman.

I believe that a vital component in healing our world, our relationships, our selves is healing our relationships with other women. We are mirrors for each other. What if I were to look at you, dear woman, and see your beautiful eyes, your joyful spirit, how graceful you are, your strength in the face of adversity, and I HONORED ALL that I saw? What if I were to actually TELL YOU THAT? Wouldn’t I be sending out a Giant Vibe of Love right out into the universe? Wouldn’t I be loving you and ME at the same time. You are my mirror, right? Doesn’t love heal all things?

Women, we are powerful! We need each other. When my dear husband compliments me, I feel happy and noticed and appreciated. As a wife, I need to hear these things. But when a woman authentically compliments me, I feel blessed. I feel honored. I feel CONNECTED to the Earth and all creation in a deep way.

We come from our mothers, regardless of how that relationship unfolds in our lives. She is our beginning.

Two weeks ago, my best friend of 4 years, or so, disowned me. She didn’t explain why. She just said that she didn’t feel safe to be in a friendship with me. My beliefs led her astray from what she knows to be true and right. She would say no more. I was extremely hurt and angry. I’m okay with friendships concluding and people moving on. What hurt so much is that after all these years of confiding and what I thought was an open, loving connection, she could not give me the gift of feedback. Her words were vague and noncommital – cowardly. Doesn’t she know me well enough by now that I want to hear the truth, no matter how painful? That’s how we GROW!!! Anyway, the mystery of what is going on within her about me will remain, perhaps. The truths and mirroring that I offer in a friendship can be painful and hard for some. But, dear friends, I love you and I care about your highest good. My intentions are always from this loving place. I am releasing this friend now, trusting that she is taking care of herself for her highest good. I am no longer a part of it.

So, you see. We are connected and need eachother’s honesty, grace, love, and connection. We are the fabric of life. We are the keepers of the hearth.

Thank you my dear friend, Michelle, for honoring and blessing me with your love. I love you. All that you see in me is YOU!

Being the beauty that You ARE,
Shawna

Not only is this the last line spoken in the play “Mouse Trap”, but it’s what we had for lunch. Only, this time I didn’t have to rush off to rescue my burning pie from the oven (I was in this play in high school) because it was ALL RAW and amazing. Now when I say Oh my pie, the inflection is on oooooh, because it’s soooo gooood.

Here’s how I performed kitchen magic today:

Crust/crumble:

• 2 cups walnuts
• 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened, raw)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• equivalent of about 1/2 cup dates, not packed in (I buy many varieties of dates by the case, so it’s mixed)
• 1/2 cup raisins

Pulse walnuts, coconut, salt, nutmet, and cinnamon in food processor fitted with S blade until coarse. Add the dates and raisins and pulse blend until it becomes crumbly and sticks together. Don’t overprocess.

Filling:

• 8 cups total of blueberries, cherries, peach, and apple (or ANY combination of fruit)
• juice of 1 lemon
• pinch of salt
• scant 1 T vanilla extract

Stir well and let sit while you prepare the pie pan.

Take about 1/2 of the crumble and firmly press into a standard pie pan. I only went up the sides about a centimeter. Pour fruit filling into crust. Place remaining crumble on top and press down slightly. Decorate top for the pure joy of it.

Enjoy your lunch or dinner or breakfast or whenever you choose to relish this summer treat.

Love to you,

Shawna

My son requested “the purple drink” for breakfast this morning. So, here it is:

• 3 cups frozen blackberries
• 2 1/2 frozen bananas
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1 heaping tsp spirulina
• 3 cups water
• sweetener to taste, such as stevia, dates, or agave nectar. I used about 1 1/2 T agave in this one. The berries are just not sweet. I usually stay away from agave, especially for my son, but I was feeling too lazy to pit dates!

Blend it all in your high-speed blender, adding more water if needed to get things moving.

I’m drinking mine now in a pint glass with a straw. It’s my favorite color!

I’m not drinking enough water. I can feel it. I’m not struggling with staying raw, but I’m not feeling satisfied with food. I am paying attention to what my body is telling me. One, is the water. That’s crucial. I don’t know why I struggle with that piece. Our water is pristine well water. Delicious stuff, for which I am so grateful. The other piece is fat. I forget to add enough fat into my diet too. The third thing that comes up for me is sodium. Sodium is so important for all of our body functions. When our sodium is low, we can feel sluggish, weak, hungry, and have cravings. If one is drinking enough green smoothies, then you’ll get the sodium and fat. However, I’ve been slacking in the green smoothie department. They’re just not sounding that good to me right now. Ebb and flow.

Here’s what I joyfully ate today:

• 16 oz berry shake for breakfast
• BIG serving fruit cobbler for lunch
• Big green salad for dinner
• snacked on dried mango a little
• 4 chocolate nut balls (Bliss Balls)

I napped for a couple of hours. I didn’t exercise. Cleaned the house a little. Played with my son. Did computer stuff. Lazed around.

I’m surprised that my food list is so small. Seems hard to believe that I ate so little. I probably grazed a little here and there that I’m just not remembering. But maybe not.

Sweet Dreams,
Shawna

You’ve just GOT to visit her blog. How can you resist such a name?

Click here to go there and check it out. Yummy recipes and pics.

Thanks Zucchini!