What brings us joy?

Savoring a piece of fine chocolate. Praying a good prayer. Laughing with friends or at yourself. Learning from other cultures. Making, not buying, a gift for your best friend. Lingering over a mouthwatering dish at your favorite restaurant. Ahh, the simple pleasures of life. What is it that makes an experience pleasureable? It has something to do with relaxation and fun and connection.

It's easy to forget to have fun and make connections with others when times are tough. The recent storms and the deaths of thousands of our kind not too far from here have taken their toll on us. I don't know about you, but I've noticed a subtle withdrawing inward in myself and the people around me. Is the sky falling? What will happen next? Should I hide in my house and bar the door? Should I pack up and move to higher ground? Just like a good massage therapist working on a tense muscle, this issue of New Life Journal encourages us to release the tension a little and remember the brightness and lightness of life. Drowning ourselves in the standard media offerings of death and destruction takes a toll on our gentle spirits. Where is the balance we all crave?

My friend Ted Williams, who died two weeks before this writing, spread his joy to all who knew him. We are fortunate to have received the only English language written version of his tribe's traditional Thanksgiving Address, a prayer, of gratitude that flows from the hearts of all of our ancestors, which. we've reprinted in this issue as a tribute to this great man. Ted knows that reconnection in this way is a good way to handle life's hardships and bring yourself back to harmony and appreciation for the pleasures of life.

Teresa Soule finds gratification in a bite of chocolate, Michelle Horvath in laughter, Greg Hottinger in family gatherings, Jennifer Charlton in giving a massage, and Suzann Roalman in feeding the birds. Whatever your pleasure, you'll fred it in this special issue. Personally, I found mine in a boisterous party in Mexico. Pleasures are about connecting, about the fire within. As we enter into this cold part of the year, how can you share your fire, your spark of inspiration with the ones around you? How can you play your part in brightening the candle flame? This November, remember all that you're thankful for, all the wonderful things you've been given by your life and the people around you. Then take a look around you and see how the world has changed from your gratitude.

We offer this issue in gratefulness to you, our readers, writers, and advertisers. Thank you for nearly seven amazing, healing, growing years!