So here we are in September.  The days are evening out and the stars are getting a little sparklier.  I love this time of year.  Traditionally, this is the warmest time of year here in Fort Bragg, but so far this year is pretty cold and wet.  Our students look cold, anyway.  I don’t think they were anticipating it being quite this “coastal”.  Oh well – we really don’t give them a much of a chance to enjoy or be bummed out by the weather anyway.  We pack as much learning as we can into their time here so that it isn’t wasted.  They spend all their time together becoming the next shining stars in the raw food world.  I get to watch them come to Living Light strangers and leave friends – the kind that have experienced a powerful life event together – the ties that truly bind.

Ever since I was a child I have been blessed with wonderful female friends.  Some of them are still with me from preschool days and some are newer, but I have always had solid sounding boards, loving arms and wise souls upon whom to rely.  What a gift.  I’ve been thinking a lot about friendship and what it means.  “Love means never having to say you’re sorry” used to be a popular saying, but I think most of us can agree that that’s not true.  Apologizing when appropriate is a big part of a healthy friendship.  I’m a firm believer in keeping one’s opinion to oneself unless asked for it too, but there’s nothing friendly about keeping too quiet when someone you care about is off track.  Basically, I try to be a good friend by being honest and open and as funny as possible.  And I must be doing something right because why else would I deserve all these amazing women who have stood by me for almost fifty years?  Cherish your friends.   Create ties that bind.