In the past, too often from the wrong place, from dogma or doctrine, whether religious or scientific.  More often lately from my inner-knowing, intuition, and synchronicity, which I've finally learned to trust.  And I've also come to accept and be content with what Thoreau so wisely stated: "A good question is never answered."

And as Barry Lopez said: "There are simply no answers to some of the great pressing questions. You continue to live them out, making your life a worthy expression of leaning into the light."

In the past few years the month of September has brought major changes to my life.

Three years ago, my body-mind came out of the Dark Ages with a visit to a compassionate neurologist who started me on a medication regimen that got my migraines "under control" for the first time in my life.  I'm still getting used to a life without unrelenting pain.  After three years it still feels foreign and new.  Knowing that I'm still triggering migraines but that I can abort them within an hour with some Zomig has made me very grateful for Science.

Two years ago my husband survived a heart attack and triple bypass surgery.  Even more gratitude for Science and the kindness of doctors.  But there was a negative in this, too.  Even though we had (and still have) expensive health insurance, it didn't cover much when all was said and done, and if it wasn't for the kindness and generosity of my father and Tim's aunt helping us out we might have lost our home to pay our medical bills by now.  We could have been like the thousands of others President Obama hears from every day...  This makes me uneasy because with his heart disease Tim is likely to have another heart attack sooner or later.  And even with prescription coverage we still pay about $200 a month for seven prescriptions between us.  When will people understand that public insurance and health care is not to be feared?  That it can coexist with private insurance the way public and private universities coexist?

One year ago I found Gaia on the internet!!!  I never had to become grateful for Spirit, but I've become so grateful to have found so many kindred spirits here!!  Friends from all over the world who have quickly become very dear to me and who I never would have met otherwise!  Friends who have introduced me to Reiki and who love quotes and believe in synchronicity, intuition and magic...  What a beautiful, safe, wonderful place this is!

And now this September we're rearranging our condo!  My sister spends several nights a week here because of her job and sleeping arrangements have been complicated and unsatisfactory since Tim's heart attack - it's a long story involving snoring and heating and air conditioning and constantly changing schedules and trying to accommodate everyone's health problems and requirements for a good night's sleep.  The past few days for some reason the three of us just started brainstorming and have come up with an amazing plan!  (And wondering why we didn't think of this sooner...  Sometimes people can get so overwhelmed by a situation that they just keep muddling along feeling powerless to do anything about it...)  There will even be a place to set up my new Reiki table.  Our son Nate is coming over tomorrow to help start the process of moving furniture - every room in the house (except the bathroom and the laundry room!) will be very different when we're done and it will probably take a few long days of hard work.  When we're done improving the functionality I'm looking forward to the pleasure and challenge of redecorating with a new focus on Spirit!

"Whether in the intellectual pursuits of science or in the mystical pursuits of the spirit, the light beckons ahead, and the purpose surging in our nature responds."
~ Arthur Eddington

For a while now we've been seeing chickens in a large grassy field on our way home from shopping.  At first there were just a few chickens, but as time went on there seemed to be more and more of them each time we went by.  There was a sign saying "farm fresh eggs," but nobody seemed to be there.  However, the other day we finally saw a car parked in the driveway and decided to check the place out.

A warm and friendly man appeared and introduced himself, saying that he kept running out of eggs by late morning so he kept ordering more and more chickens.  It was heartening to learn that there is such a demand locally for eggs from free-range chickens!  He now has 400 chickens, several different breeds, and they are such a pleasure to watch!  The owner, a doctor, showed us where the refrigerator was and explained that he used the honor system - we could help ourselves any time and leave the money in a box by the refrigerator.  Amazing!  We bought two dozen.

We make a big effort to buy locally or organically (preferably both) grown/raised food whenever possible, out of love for Mother Earth.  And it is generally accepted that true free-range chickens do produce more nutritious eggs.  One study claims their eggs have one-fourth to one-third less cholesterol; one-fourth less saturated fat; two-thirds more Vitamin A; twice the Omega-3 fatty acids; three times more Vitamin E; and five times more beta carotene.

Up until now we've been buying eggs from so-called free-range chickens at the regular grocery store, and paying more for them, too, because of our consciences.  But now I understand that "free-range" can mean "that a commercial animal has access to the outdoors for just minutes a day, with their diet regulated by their producer."  Now that's disturbing...

So, I went home ecstatic now that I can see with my own eyes the truly free-range chickens who lay the eggs we'll be eating from now on!