I just want to share this photo of our sweet "uncle Lou" and me at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas in August. Lou Tabat was the Constable of Las Vegas and boxing judge of the famed Muhammed Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard fights. Lou recently survived a heart attack in the middle of life-threatening lymphatic cancer surgery. Neither the doctors nor his wife Annie thought he would survive, even though many were praying for him. I focused on seeing him healed perfectly, the way Divine Mind, Truth and Love would see him — with perfect breathing, perfect lungs, a perfect heart. I focused only on the spiritual qualities that reflect God, or omnipotent good. This is the metaphysical way I have learned to pray. And the next day his breathing came back, his lungs were strong and he came back full force. Everyone was astounded at the miracle. God Bless you Aunt Annie and Uncle Lou -- two of Earth's angels!! _____________
FOCUS ON THE GOOD
Despite appearances, there is so much good going on in the world. This is the perfect time for all of us to get together and get rid of old ways of thinking, competing, reacting, building, creating energy and farming.
Shepherd Bliss - “Feeding people can be as patriotic as protecting people.”
The Farmer-Veteran Coalition http://www.farmvetco.org/ seeks to help our returning veterans find employment, training, and places to heal on America’s farms. At the same time the Coalition hopes that some of these young men and women may help address our country’s critical need for more good, hard-working people entering the field of agriculture.
The coalition is acutely aware of the high number of soldiers entering the military from our rural communities and the need to improve both job opportunities and veteran services in these areas. We believe that our family farms, the sustainable farming movement and growing support for local and regional agriculture could all be well served by people already accustomed to hard work, discipline and dedication. If given the opportunity, our returning veterans can benefit from and help to stimulate the growing green economy, even in these hard times.
Our goal is to start with an initial program focused in California, and move quickly into a national organization.
The organization will hold strictly to being politically neutral and take no position on the war.
Shepherd was the first speaker at the benefit dinner in Sebastopol. Drawing from his experience as a military veteran, small farmer, poet and psychologist, he talked about the “broken systems” of our country’s veterans affairs and farming industry. Having been working with veterans for many years, he understands the healing potential that comes with working with living plants in the fields. He knows the power that farming holds in the transition from warfare to civilian life.
Posted on on September 24th, 2008 in Land, Support, Transition, veterans
Nadia McCaffrey - “Let’s do this!”
Nadia McCaffrey is a Gold Star Mother: she lost her son in the Iraq War and is doing something about it. She founded Veterans Village to provide compassionate healing and living environments for returning veterans damaged by their war experience.
In these clips from her address - following her introduction by FVC’s Michael O’Gorman - she describes the expansion of Veterans Village to sites in Minnesota and New York, where land is avaiable for farming and gardening - important components for both the healing and livelihood of the communities.
Nadia sees a clear connection between Veterans Village and the agricultural training goals of the Farmer-Veteran Coalition. We hope to soon be helping vets become the competent farmers and gardeners that they can be.
