The Blue Heron

Shaklee Independent Distributor

2011-04-22T14:45:00.000-06:00

In August Shaklee Corporate implemented some cool changes Independent Distributors like me can benefit from. All I have to do is fill in the template pages for my updated site. Working on it now. Will probably edit every couple of days until I get it right. But take a look. I'm proud of my relationship with Shaklee. Shaklee Independent Distributor

The Gratefulness Solution

2009-05-14T12:19:00.003-06:00

I've been feeling a lot of stress lately. Seems like I'm letting things get to me more, seeing but not following the path to relaxation or relief. With my shoulder healing and the weather improving I'm thinking that getting outdoors to mow will help. Resuming my yoga will no doubt help, too.

I have all these solutions, but moving them from my head to make them work successfully in body and soul is a challenge.

One thing new I've been trying is "walking" an online labyrinth called Gratefulness Labyrinth. Only problem is that I zip right through it without resting, without meditating, without silence. It's a really beautiful, peaceful, and paced walk, the rhythm and splendor of which I acknowledge but ignore as I hurry on. I use the excuse that it takes too long. But that's exactly the point, isn't it? It is supposed to take a while.

Moving from the world of turmoil to the world of gratefulness requires transformation, not translocation. The lesson of this labyrinth is that gratitude transforms, and transformation takes time.

To Life.!

Being "Intensity-Challenged"

2009-04-25T12:39:00.003-06:00

Right now I have too much going on in my life and I'm getting low on patience, energy and concentration. A vacation will help. But the reality is that vacation relief is just temporary and I can't always take one when I need it.

I was talking to Barb yesterday. She's planning on quitting smoking May 1st. I remember when I quit in '77. Such a confidence crisis I had for several months. I finally figured out why. It was because after I quit smoking I no longer had a convenient way to step back from whatever was going on in me or around me.

Without a timely smoke screen, aka cigarette break, I found myself being overwhelmed by intensity. For me, not smoking was like watching a movie. No commercials, just intensity. I generally don't like movies, simply for that reason.

So, beginning today I'm looking at all my habits and questioning them in relation to feelings of intensity. Do I snack, change channels, get a drink, excuse myself from a conversation, etc because I'm "intensity challenged"?

All through school I was described as an under-achiever. I knew I could do better, everybody did. I just couldn't stay at it. My parents and teachers told me all I had to do was to "apply myself." Do you know how hard that is? Intensity makes my brain hurt. And when that happens, it is time to do something else for a while.

Any suggestions anyone? What "something else" can I do when I need to take a break from intensity? Snacking is only making me fat and more uncomfortable.

I'm thinking that maybe some little physical thing, or breathing thing, maybe. Help! I can't think anymore. Gotta take a break. Bye.

Youth Lobby Day

2009-04-21T21:18:00.002-06:00

Global Warming 101 has a great vid about the wisdom of youth. Watch it.

To Life.!

My Trust Is in God

2009-04-19T14:42:00.004-06:00

Who can you trust these days? The government? Your doctor? An employer? The bank? The church? A relative? The repairman?

And who will you entrust with your health? your possessions? your life?

As for me, my trust is in God.

Here's how The Platters, Elvis, Lynn Anderson and a whole generation of youthful believers said that, way back when, in simpler times. I was one of them, and I still believe.

Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water
Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea
Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently
By puttin' your hand in the hand of the man from Galilee.

To Life.!

Red Letter Christians

2009-04-05T20:20:00.006-06:00

I've appreciated the ministry of Tony Compolo for a long time. Jesus is central to him, to me. Now I read that Tony defines himself as a Red Letter Christian. What a cool concept.

I guess maybe I'm a Red Letter Christian. Or, maybe not, since I tend to avoid politics. I'd rather develop people to carry out the mission of Jesus.

Maybe I'm doing that. As Diane was leaving church today, since I mentioned Red Letter Christians in my message, she commented that she thought that she was a Red Letter Christian too and thanked me for the tag.

As I think about Diane, just beginning the process to become an ordained United Methodist minister, I am rethinking the Red Letter message. I once thought Christianity was about being the "Called Church." But now I think it's about being the "Sent Church." What do you think?

The youth are leaving on their mission trip Thursday. Going to 9/11 Memorial in New York City, then the Holocast Museum in DC. I hope they will come home even more missional than they already are.

Just a note: our rural county, having raised the $17,000 necessary, packaged 76,000 meals in 4 hours Saturday for Kids Against Hunger. Maybe 200 people helped, 20 from our church. The meals consist of dry soy, dry vegetables, vitamins and rice, and were packaged in sealed plastic bags to be shipped to Tanzania. Each meal feeds 4 people. Our youth were there. Missional, yes. Red Letter? We're working on that.

To Life.!

Totem - The Beginning

2009-04-04T15:00:00.006-06:00

Spiritual Energy Class. I had never heard of such a thing, so just had to enroll when I learned of a nearby opportunity. I'm learning about Chakras, dream psychology, spirituality, and me. Yep! its great.

Got a paper the other day on creating one's own individual totem, the animals arranged from bottom to top, each charistically representative of one stage of a person's development moving from birth to full maturity.

Stages of development, get it? (Erickson, Maslow, Chakra, etc)

The paper suggested a person take a month or so each in the discovery of which animal best represents each stage of one's self development.

Could be interesting. Don't know how far I'll get, but I definitely know that The Blue Heron is representative of my basic grounding. How so?

I told the story of The Blue Heron in an earlier post. That beautiful creature represents to me:

1. my grounding in God from day #1 (thanks Mom & Dad and so many more)
2. God's abundant providence, care, and provision for me every day of my life
3. the unbelievable invitation from the King of Glory extended to me to make His purpose my purpose
4. God's assurance that I Am Worthy

The Blue Heron is the base on which I will construct my chakra totem. I'm smiling here, feeling good. And any who know me and my story will agree that well I should be. Dale has no other place to begin than with The Blue Heron.

So I wonder what's next. Red, of course, and the root chakra. But what creature of God's vast kingdom will sit next upon such a fine base as The Blue Heron?

To Life.!

Energy for Life

2009-03-12T20:07:00.006-06:00

I haven't been blogging here for a long time. But God is so good, life is so good, I gotta tell the story.

I was talking with a guy today who is 4, maybe 6, years older than me. That puts him in his 70's. He is tired and has no energy.

I thought about that and tried to identify why, even though I'm 67 years old, 40 pounds overweight, have a full time job, and a business on the side, I still have tons of energy (and dreams and schemes).

I came up with these reasons.

1. I sleep well at night - using a CPAP breathing machine for my apnia.
2. I'm happy in my marriage.
3. I do stretching and breathing exercises regularly (learned from Hatha Yoga practice)
4. I use high quality Shaklee vitamin strips daily. The are Absolutely the Best.!!! and Vivix for long life.
5. I live in rural America (God's country). What a privilege. Less stress from congestion, noise, pollution, and over-scheduling.
6. I love Jesus, walk with him a day at a time, and go to my church.

To Life.!

Oprah - It's Easy Being Green

2007-05-07T23:18:00.000-06:00

Oh Wow.!!!!! What a deal. No better time to be in the Shaklee family.

Ever since Oprah's EarthDay program, on April 20th, Shaklee's Get Clean Starter Kits (Healthy Home Packs) have been selling off the wall.

Why?

Because after she told about her favorite Shaklee product - Basic H2 - Oprah distributed to everyone in the audience a Shaklee Get Clean kit. And to keep her at-home audience happy as well, she announced the Oprah Special , after which she said, "Please, everyone, just give these green cleaning products a chance. Try them."

The Oprah Special is a 33% discount on the same great Shaklee items given the audience that earth-friendly day. The Oprah Special is available to anyone who buys their kit before May 20. That's $82.oo worth of everywhere-in-the-house-clean for $55.00. And if you buy your kit from a Shaklee distributor (instead of from the link on Oprah's site) you also qualify for a free lifetime Shaklee membership that assures you a 15% discount forever.

Between April 20, when this Oprah EarthDay program aired, and April 30, our Shaklee team alone gave out 229 free Shaklee memberships. If I could give away 100 more memberships and introduce 100 new families to "green cleaning" in the next 10 days...oh, wow!

What if you were to give these green cleaning products a chance?
IMAGINE: Pure Clean that doesn't smell.
Powerful Clean that won't burn your eyes.
Smart Clean that's easy on the pocketbook.
And Safe Clean that isn't a danger to the children.
Call or order online today.

TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessing (and a Healthy Home)
Dale

Refund Time

2007-04-12T22:58:00.000-06:00

Wow, my tax man just called and gave me the good news -- a REFUND. I can't believe it. I thought I would be owing owing owing. So celebrated with Linda and Zauresh tonight. Went to our local steak house which has re-opened after being closed since November. Had a grilled chicken dinner. Then went across the street to the ice cream shop and enjoyed a freshly made soft serve ice cream sandwich. oh, yummy.

Small towns are so cool. Ours is a town of 250 people and except for 5 blocks paved all streets are clay and rock. At the steakhouse, which actually faces one of the paved streets, I was able to go over some committee business with a guy, make plans for next wed, set an appointment for tomorrow to get my hair cut and colored, plan a trip to the next drag strip race in Bethany, agree to do a little counseling for a friend, complimented the steakhouse owner/manager (a dear friend of mine) on the changes made and forthcoming in the steakhouse, and assured a skeptical friend that our house remained dry during the wet wet winter in Iowa.

At the ice cream place we planned the next merchants association meeting, talked about inventing an icecream pie, and discussed the 2007 John L. Lewis Museum brochures.

After that we drove home, a 3-block long drive on clay and mud, and I relaxed at the computer, surfing, emailing, checking my feeds and now updating my blog, to which I have just added some of my favorite links.

The museum opens Sunday, April 15 for 6 months. John L.'s spirit seems to be there, giving hope to the overworked and undervalued laborers in this land of plenty and opportunity, of whom there seem to be more and more. He gave life and hope to many. Jesus gave more. More life. More hope.

God's blessings
TO LIFE.!

CyberTale 17 - Add Venture

2007-02-11T20:04:00.000-06:00

This morning our preacher spoke about attitude and how much of a difference attitude makes in the way things turn out in our lives.

Does attitude make a difference? I think so.

As she spoke I remembered one of my favorite passages from the Bible, the one that challenges me to think about "whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, etc."

It seems I always have to remember to smell the roses, when it might as well be a part of my everyday life. Speaking of everyday life and how to live it with energy and excitement, here's the CyberTale I promised yesterday.

----------------------
ADD VENTURE
----------------------

Add Venture to your life. Do it immediately.
Do it your way. That’s ok.
Venture forth. Venture inward, outward, upward.

Go for it.
Only you can be you. You are one of a kind.

Memorial service last week.
Family, friends remembered Mom & Dad.
Can’t tell you what they said.

But as they spoke they pieced together the riddle
of Mom…
of Dad…
of Mom and Dad together…
venturing out, venturing on, venturing home.
I was inspired.

I thought, “Where shall I venture? Will the choice be mine?
Am I willing, ready, eager to add Venture to my life today?”
--------------------------------

Continuing on the subjects of adventure, right thinking, daily practice, and getting back to the original subject of Excellence, here's an audio file about The Shaklee Difference*. It explains Shaklee's 50-year, everyday Venture Toward Excellence. I hope that you will not only be able to open it (I use media player) but that you will also find it encouraging. TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessings

The Blue Heron

PS: *Thanks to the Global Success Team, an international marketing team, marketing Shaklee Products and Business Opportunity in North America and Asia, for making the audio file available.

2 Amazing Stories

2007-02-10T23:48:00.000-06:00

Just after my last post, about The Secret, I invited a few friends to watch Oprah and then share with me their reactions. I got mixed responses, some skeptical and some enthusiastic.

One friend told of the freedom she felt after listening to the Teachers of The Secret on the Oprah show, freedom like she remembers once feeling long ago, and is so looking forward now to having again in her life.

One friend who wasn't even able to watch the Oprah show nevertheless tried consciously to focus on the butterfly to come instead of the cocoon he was trying to get out of and to his surprise, a wonderful and unexpected blessing happened like within a day. As he shared his amazement and excitement with me it sounded like he was feeling like he too could live again.

And isnt' that what its all about. To live, free and full as God has designed. And in doing so to contribute to the fullness of the life of others and of the planet.

I was interviewed today by an independent company doing a survey for my company, Shaklee. The survey had to do with 10 environmental initiatives Shaklee is considering, all toward moving them further in front as a Climate Leader, raising the bar for other environmentally conscious companies to follow, should they choose. I'm learning there are many ways to give life.

One thing Shaklee is doing now is sponsoring Will Steger's Global Warming 101 Project, helping provide maps and educational materials to schools.

This is getting pretty long so next post will be another CyberTale, about adventure. TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessing

Dale

Oprah, "The Secret", and Life

2007-02-08T23:29:00.000-06:00

I watched The Secret on YouTube last night.

Then watched The Oprah Show today which was all about The Secret.

The Secret is really no secret at all. It is the wisdom of the ages, which anyone, anywhere can discover themself. Most of it I have taught and shared in coaching and counseling sessions. It has to do with setting yourself free from the grip of whatever steals life from you.

When you understand The Secret you have the power to live. Like Tevya in Fiddler on the Roof you can sing and celebrate no matter how difficult your immediate circumstances. Sing it. To life, to life, LaChaim. Sing it over and over again. Celebrate the breath of life within you. Celebrate your immeasurable worth to God, the Great Creater of the Universe. Celebrate until you perceive the burdens of the day as just that -- burdens of the day -- with no power over you, your dreams, or your tomorrows.

I watched The Secret last night. Already I feel the blockages in my life lifting. I see and feel my dreams coming alive again. I am visualizing the path ahead. And not only that, I am gaining the power and confidence to take that first step down that path to wholeness, completeness, and Shalom. TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessing

The Blue Heron

PS: Check out my friend Karen's site, Cinching with Karen. Obviously she's enjoying the new vitality her Journey Toward Fitness is bringing her. Wow. TO LIFE.! Karen.

Arctic Adventure

2007-02-06T13:49:00.000-06:00

Here's an irony.

True or False. The best places to go to calculate the extent of global warming are the coldest places in the world.

True, of course. And Will Steger is taking another trip, going to the top of the world to study climate change. He's been there before, but some of the huge ice shelf he traversed in the past is totally gone. He's leaving on Feb 14 for a 4-month trip by dog sled across Baffin Island.

I'm going to follow along. Shaklee Corporation is providing FREE Will Steger Arctic Expedition Maps and I'm ordering mine before they are all gone.

I love Shaklee. I love their products that fuel great adventures, peak performances, and my own everyday activity. I love their philosophy of living "In Harmony with Nature" which has led Shaklee to become the first corporation in the world to be Certified Climate Neutral. And I love the 'Join Us' membership opportunity which allows me not only to be a part of a corporation that is making a positive difference on the environment but also allows me to make a difference myself by using their environment-friendly products.

There really are good people out there busy about the business of giving life, energy and vitality ... to the planet, to their communities, and their loved ones. And hey! by the principle of 'what goes around comes around' their lives are full and rich as well.

The Blue Heron loves adventure. TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessing

Dale

Feb - Heart Health Month

2007-02-02T13:19:00.000-06:00

February is Heart Health Month. Is that because of SweetHeart's Day on the 14th?

There is so much a person can do to improve their Heart Health.
Diet. Exercise. Supplements. Regular medical exams.
Pharmaceuticals. Even geneological research.

I began practicing Yoga 5 years ago.
Started using Shaklee's Heart Health Solutions 2 years ago.
Been getting more regular exercise for a year now.

The Result
Blood pressure is down.
Doctor cut blood pressure medicine by one half.
Cholesterol is way down, safely within the normal range.
And I feel younger and have tons more energy.

The best Valentine to give your loved ones is the gift of your own Healthy Heart. The second best -- introduce them to Shaklee Heart Health Solutions.

TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessing

Dale

CyberTale 11 - Blue Heron

2007-01-30T21:03:00.000-06:00

As promised yesterday...

Here's the Blue Heron story, one of my original CyberTales, written in 1999 about my experiences in the 80's in Nebraska.

But since then, even until now, there are many more wonderful stories of Blue Heron crossing my horizon at times when I most needed direction and assurance. Each time it seemed so real that through the Blue Heron God was blessing me.

Now I'm hoping that this Blue Heron blog will be a blessing ... to me and others. TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessing

Dale

--------------
Blue Heron
--------------

God watches out for me when I travel. The blue heron tells me so.

Driving the Nebraska sandhills can be perilous.
There is neither lurking danger nor ominous threat.
The peril is in the monotony of solitary travel on quiet and desolate roads.

Happening upon a blue heron would shatter that monotony for me.
Sometimes I would see a heron silhouetted against the rim of a wet meadow punctuated with tufts of big blue stem.
Sometimes I would sight a heron lifting slowly and powerfully from the damp roadside ditch, and heading straight for the tops of a nearby windbreak of cottonwood trees.

Always the heron awakened me to the danger of the hypnotic weariness to which I was succumbing.
Always I thanked God for the timely gift of the blue heron and the blessing of having life.

I continue to travel today, back and forth over different but similarly wearisome roads,
but with little peril.
For I have marked in my mind every pond and puddle, every turn and treetop where I have seen a blue heron.

As I approach one of those spots my attention heightens.
I scan the horizon for a glimpse of a blue heron.
The dangerous monotony of the road is shattered.
And I am thankful again for God’s traveling mercies.

God is watching out for me. The blue heron tells me so.

Good News Morning - Gone Scaling

2007-01-30T11:20:00.000-06:00

Good news.

Stepped on the scale and lost another 2 pounds. Third week in a row. Shaklee's Cinch plan really works. www.cinchplan.com/desmoines. I was glad to discover someone blogging Cinch. Check out cinchwithkaren.blogspot.com

Then, more good news.

I saw on CCTV9 (channel 265 on Dish) that the 6-party talks are scheduled to resume Feb 8. One necessary path to peace, whether in our own lives or among peoples and nations, is talk. If adversaries cannot meet, no accords will stand.

I'm losing weight to enhance my life. I pray for the nations, let the talks begin.
TO LIFE.!

Love and God's Blessing

The Blue Heron is born

2007-01-29T22:58:00.000-06:00

Finally.! This is so cool. The Blue Heron has life, yes!!

A few stories to tell. Lots of questions and new learnings. And - Plenty of room for you.

I need to learn more about natural nutrition. about health. about taking care of the planet. I'm losing weight. Practice yoga. Moved to a town of 270 people, perfect for me. I love stories about God at work in the world. I call them Blue Heron stories - more about that tomorrow. I'm studying the Chinese language, thinking about getting my passport. Tons more.

In the Broadway plan Fiddler on the Roof Tevya and the other men sing a song LaChaim, to Life. I think that's what it is called. To life, to life, LaChaim. From the day I saw that play in New York (maybe 1973 or 74) that phrase, to life, to life, LaChaim has been sort of a mantra for me.

Now The Blue Heron has life. And it's dedicated, dedicated TO LIFE.

Love and God's Blessing,
Dale

The Blue Heron