There are only two ways to live your life....

It has been a strange New Year's Day. I watched the Rose Parade from Pasadena. I've watched it for decades and always feel a "loss" when circumstances prevent me from viewing the Parade. Two years ago, I was the "companion" to a 96 year old lady (in Concord, NC) and she said "I hate parades." Obviously I didn't see the parade!! We were eleven miles out of Concord, and twenty miles from Charlotte, so the "rabbit ears" on my TV, in the RV, did not pick up the signal. Incidently, twenty-five years ago I was one of the million-plus viewers along the parade route in Pasadena, California. It is awesome to see "up close" plus "beyond description" to see the floats on display at the end of the route.

Perhaps prompted by the segment on the Today show (see my Dec. 29, '08 "blog") I found myself going through my cupboards pulling out food items. As I rearranged them, I marked them "2008." If they are still around this time next year, maybe I'll discard them?! Remember the subject of the TV segment was to toss all your spices, and food items, over a year old (and cosmetics, too). In an effort to use some of my "old" canned goods, I'm preparing a vegetarian chili with several cans of organic beans. I normally prepare dry beans but I guess, subconsciously, I think there may be some merit to using the food items before they get any older (ha!). Last year, New Year's Day, I followed an old "Southern" custom and prepared blackeye peas and collard greens. When in the South, do as the Southerners do?! I believe the custom also calls for ham, or pork, but I don't eat meat.

On a very, very positive note, I received a sixteen page Newsletter from Los Angeles County Employees Retirement Association and the front page declares in large print: LACERA's Fund is Positioned to Withstand the Current Financial Downturn. This is awesome news in light of all the institutions that are going "belly up" and the number of people who are newly unemployed.

Some of my readers know that I am working on a Network Marketing business to create extra income during this Recession (extra income to pay the rent and utilities). I've been afraid Los Angeles County might "go broke" too!! This Newsletter is such good news for me!! (How about you? Do you still have your job?? or your retirement?? If you are looking for an extra source of income, consider joining me in a nutritional supplement company.)

I'm also sorting through a stack of publications, reading them, and discarding them. I saw this quote attributed to Albert Einstein: "There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle." I subscribe to the latter.

Until next time, Lorraine wishing you a healthy and very Happy New Year!!