Baby Organica Newsletter
Summer 2006

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count.
It’s the life in your years.
Abraham Lincoln

Summer conjures up images of dripping watermelon, cloudless blue skies and ritual family get together's.  The laughter of innocence permeates the air as children run barefoot through backyard havens.  Summer is a time of simple pleasures, a chance to reconnect with loved ones.

We huddle together all winter, semi-hibernating, looking anxiously out our windows for some
sign of spring’s arrival.  As the snow melts away and the landscape slowly explodes in different shades of green, our hearts leap with anticipation.  The sun climbs higher as the days lengthen here in New England, and color bursts forth from winter weary flowers and joy filled trees.  In
one continuous song of praise, the landscape worships the Creator in color and hue.  This song reaches its climax in summer, when the world around us is full and lush and vibrantly alive.

To sit back and enjoy this natural phenomenon is our rightful gift.  However, many of us don’t take a moment to accept the free show. Instead, we race around frantically, teeth clenched,
hands tightly clasped around a steering wheel; off to work, shopping, errands, meetings….off
we go, day after day.  Sidetracked by the frenzy, we forget to stop and smell the roses—literally. We are continually, intentionally distracted by the never-ending availability of “things” we are supposed to “need”.  Instead of falling into this mind altering trap, why not refuse the insanity
and take a simple moment to explore your senses.  See, taste, touch and smell the summer world around us.

Here are some simple ideas to inspire you:

Turn off the television, open a window and listen to the bird’s chorus.  If you don’t have a bird feeder, purchase one and place it in front of your favorite picture window.  Build and establish
a friendship with your feathered neighbors!

Lay an old blanket out on the grass, find a good story book and sit outside with the kids and
read to them.  Bring some cookies and juice boxes and enjoy the warm summer breezes. In the
dead of January, you’ll have nice memories to share at the dinner table!

Start a Vegetable Garden, whether it is contained in a small terracotta pot, or encompasses
a large, tilled plot.  Use organic seeds or non genetically engineered seedling plants (check with your local nursery or search the web).  Growing your own vegetables and herbs (or flowers!) and enjoying the fruits of your labor is intensely satisfying and good for the soul.

Check out some books from the local library and sit down and read!  Get lost in a good story
and revel in the relaxation it provides.

Buy a hammock!  Alone, or cuddling with the kids or hubby, laying in a hammock instantly transforms you back in time.  After the giggling has subsided, close your eyes and let the sweetness of summer drift you off to sleep.