This January-February 2005 issue of Balanced Living Magazine focuses on many ideas and stories surrounding the idea of “New Beginnings.” Our two cover stories are accounts by individuals who overcame health challenges and moved on to flourish in their personal and professional lives, as well as help others. In his article, “Coming into My Own,” Andrew Hoffman recounts the story of permanently losing his sight as a teenager. However, in addition to sharing the adversity he experienced, he also writes about the steps he took to live a meaningful, fulfilling life. One of these choices was to become a psychologist. He writes, “I am committed to helping people benefit from all I have learned on my journey of self-discovery.”
   Jane Ehrman, the author of our second cover story, “For Me Cancer Was a Gift,” turned the experiences of her cancer survival into an avenue for assisting others. Now a mind/body medicine specialist, Jane explains, “The experience that I had with cancer prepared me for helping people walk the journey through serious illness and other life crises. In many ways, my life after cancer has been far better than it was before cancer. I wasn't nearly as alive and thriving before the cancer.”
   Perhaps in 2005, we should learn from Andrew and Jane's stories. Our New Year's resolution can be to make positive choices and find ways to feel alive and thriving. This issue contains articles that approach the topic of those yearly promises that many of us make. We hope to elucidate your path to growth and fulfillment, and help you find ways to keep those pledges. In their article, “Small Change: A Better Way to a Better You,” Susan and Larry Terkel recommend, “Make one of your small changes an effort to discover a passionate pursuit – an activity, hobby or subject where time will stand still and you will be totally absorbed, if only for a few minutes each day.” In our “Guide to Personal Growth,” we encourage you to “take the time to look around for those who may have advice, experience and encouragement to lift you towards your goal.”
   Regardless of how you choose to go about making resolutions, you will be far more likely to keep and fulfill them if you begin by loving yourself unconditionally. Each year around Valentine's Day, we reflect upon our love for the people in our lives. However, as Barbara Hribar explains in “Love Is All There Really Is,” we must first learn to love ourselves. “Begin to love yourself by accepting who you are and spending time with yourself,” she instructs. “Sincerely send love to yourself, your family, friends, co-workers and others, even those whom you do not really like. Use your power of imagination to send love. You will feel fulfilled when you do this.”
   The messages and guidance in this issue are intended to carry you through all of your life, not just these couple of months. Take them to heart, your love center, and share them with those around you. With Jane and Andrew as powerful role models, make positive choices and help others with the knowledge you have gained on your own journey of self-discovery.

Our best wishes for a happy, healthy, prosperous and loving New Year,

Balanced Living Magazine

   Even though I don't live in Cleveland, and have not lived in the area for quite some time, I still enjoy reading your magazine. I am a former Clevelander who now lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It's wonderful to see how involved and active the holistic community is in my hometown. Although I can't sample all of the wonderful spas, restaurants and so on that you cover in your magazine, I still find useful thoughts and suggestions in each issue. My best wishes for continued success in the coming year, and keep up the good work!

Erik Zsemlye
Albuquerque, New Mexico

   I appreciate that Balanced Living Magazine so uniquely and beautifully shows readers many ways to live more fully as both human and spiritual beings.
   To that end, I write to note the fine example of spiritual empowerment recently demonstrated by people in the Ukraine. The 10,000-plus men and women who gathered and stood to insist on a fair, transparent election process have not only changed the course of history, but they have also freed a long path toward greater human and spiritual possibility.
   A number of recent American efforts have also gathered a great deal of evidence demonstrating that our own election process is also in need of powerful, enlightened action. This is not a partisan issue; helping to rebirth this foundational step of democracy to freely reflect the true will of the majority is a soul duty of our times. There is a lack of factual information in regular U.S. news media about our need to amend our election process. This only further points to how deeply fear and greed can touch everyday life when we ignore political corruptions and power abuses for too long.
   For those interested in assessing this issue for themselves, I suggest you begin with such websites as http://www.votersunite.org, www.blackboxvoting.org and www.solarbus.org.

Thank you,
Adele Eisner,
Shaker Heights, Ohio

   This time of the year, I bring home and hearth to the forefront of my mind. I am thankful for my life and my many blessings. This year, however, my level of gratitude has ratcheted up several notches. My family and I are very thankful that I am able to walk without crutches. I am extremely grateful to be mobile and relatively free of pain, after having suffered from many of the symptoms of RSD [a disease of the Autonomic Nervous System following an injury, surgery or other condition that causes pain to spread to other extremities and beyond].
   I have had more than my share of doctor visits this past summer and fall, and I experienced dramatic improvement from a doctor who does acupuncture, a therapist who offers hypnosis-guided visual imagery and a therapist who does Reiki. Many of my symptoms are now gone. I do not need morphine, and I improved without the invasive blocks (shots to the spine). The head of the Pain Management Department at Cleveland Clinic was obviously impressed, and perhaps even astounded, that it had taken only one visit with my acupuncture doctor to result in such an amazing recovery.
   I write all of this simply to remind you that we often do not appreciate what we have until it is gone. When I first began experiencing the symptoms of RSD, I was in deep despair. It was so very sad for me to think that I might not be able to continue to teach my Tai Kwon Do classes as I have for the past 11 years, or go shopping with my daughter or possibly even just walk. I believe that fear is the source or basis for all negative feeling states such as anger, jealousy and even loneliness. It's impossible to feel fear when you focus on gratitude and love, so, please join me and stop each day to spend a few minutes in thankfulness.

Sincerely,
Michelle Martin
Kent, Ohio



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