Shekhinah Mountainwater Crosses Over

Shekhinah Mountainwater died August 11th at 2:30 pm, quietly, in the company of her loving Goddess-sisters and her family. She had been battling cancer for some years, and she was ready to depart. Read more at Lunaea Weatherstone's Blogue
Visit Shekhinah's website at http://www.shekhinah.net/ to learn more about her.
She will be greatly missed! Peace, prayers and blessed be.

Staff Pick - Book Review

Since Al Gore’s documentry An Inconvenient Truth brought the very real and very destructive truth about climate change into media headlines and the consciousness of people around the globe, “going green” has increasingly become a lifestyle choice for those with the courage to take responsibility for what we are doing to our planet.
While the concept of changing a lifetime of patterns may seem both daunting and insurmountable to some, there are fortunately resources available that help to make the transition both easy and rewarding.
Crissy Trask’s It’s Easy Being Green: A Handbook for Earth-Friendly Living is one such resource. Trask dispels the common myths about green living in the first chapter, and in doing so, illustrates that living an earth-friendly life isn’t only for people with a lot of money and free time. From there she educates the reader on how our buying and living choices impact our planet, as a tool to inspire us to make changes that are healthy for ourselves and our planet.
The bulk of the book is presented in list form, with a check off system designed to track your progress on each item. This has been the most helpful part of the book for me, as it’s easy to revisit and pick items to focus on. From using a toaster oven instead of a full size oven for small dishes, to using night lights in infrequently used rooms, the book is full of easy and thoughtful things we can all do that, when combined, make a big difference.
The book even includes a directory of businesses, websites, groups and products that support green habits (including Ypsilanti’s Maggie’s Organics!) and educate on the truth of the state of our planet. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in making a difference who might not know where to start. (Hint: buying this book is a great place to start).

---Rachel P.

Staff Pick - Book Review

A Three Dog Life
by Abigail Thomas

Women and their dogs... what could be better? Abigail Thomas loves her three dogs. They provide simple, ever-present, non-judgmental companionship, comfort, and joy. I began reading this book simply because of the cover and title, not knowing what her three dogs replace. Thomas' husband has an accident, leaving him with permanent brain damage, no short-term memory, and the inability to take care of himself.
The subject matter is intense and deeply sad, and yet, the writing is so beautiful and poignant that Thomas' pain is bearable. There are even funny moments, unbelievably profound conversations, and out-of-the-blue psychic revelations. It's possible that when one part of the brain is hurt, another part becomes more refined and developed.
I read this book quickly, all the while grateful for my life and my intact love. It makes you count your blessings, but it also invites you in to the author's world in the way only good memoirs can. I was so interested in this couple's life; out of such an irreparable tragedy, they build (or she has built) another life -- good and introspective and satisfying, and still very full of love.
Highly recommended.

---Sarah N.