February 28, 2007    4th Stage Of Cancer

GREETINGS AND SALUTATIONS from Arnold's Way!

It is a Monday morning. I awoke early with words of love and forgiveness as the key theme for this week's newsletter. These were the words that were literally ringing in my ears for about 24 hours. These were the words of Marcia as she spoke to me about herself and about her mother who was diagnosed with 4th stage lung cancer.

These were the words that I was and still am trying to totally comprehend and explain as I write this week's newsletter. These are my thoughts on a Monday morning that I write of love for our selves. I write of a daughter's love for her mother. I write of a mother's choice on treatment on doing what is best for her based on her beliefs. I take all of these thoughts and throw them up in the air and wish the best for all concerned. There is no right. There is no wrong. There is according to Marcia, as quoted over and over in our two hour interview "just love and forgiveness". I write of a diagnosis of 4th stage lung cancer and doing what it takes to understand the implication of those words by all concerned.

I write of Marcia, my fasting partner last year. We fasted on just water, just sunshine, just a love for ourselves, for each other, and for the realization that the universe provides our freedom, our life, and our choice to do the right thing. It is under these circumstances that I live my life to the fullest. It is under these circumstances that I ask myself almost moment to moment what more can I do to create more peace in my life and more peace in the world. What words can I share. What words can I write? What actions can I do to create that harmony within myself and to those around me? Am I perfect? Absolutely not! Do I make mistake after mistake following this so called raw lifestyle? Absolutely! Do I get back on my feet and start all over again? Absolutely! This is the way I began my Sunday morning. I left my house at 7:00 am to arrive at my café to clean up, to put things away, to get just a little ready so cafe would be ready for the opening workers. I had no choice in the matter. I am on a mission to serve for the highest good. I, Arnold, operate on that level to do whatever it takes to bring that peace and that harmony to myself and to those around me. Afterwards I drove to Philly, got my supplies, and then drove to Center city. It wasn't by accident. It wasn't by choice. It was still under the principle of doing whatever it takes to spread the word of the raw food movement.

I met Michelle who will be giving raw dinners and dance classes at my café this month. Our words, our actions were not on each other but about what can we do to spread the word. This, my friend, is our basic principles of life to be a giver rather than a receiver. We receive by giving. The more one gives, the less we need. The riches of life come not in paper form, but in the knowing that every action is a gift from above. That every thought has to be a loving thought or our cells will reek of confusion and chaos if provided with any other thought. The vacation of joy and bliss comes with being at peace with our every connection with every Michelle mantra which is One love. Her mantra is to do whatever it takes to spread the joy of life, of love to herself and to those around her. She, just like me, is not perfect. She makes mistakes, but her heart is that of a beautiful soul.

We met for lunch. We talked, we shared, and we understood the big picture. We spoke of her classes and of her hectic lifestyle; we spoke of my hectic life, my work schedule, and my 60 to 80 hour work week. But even with this understanding, we both related that while we are aware that we were both here in this temporary life, we were clear that it is our responsibility to bring peace and love to each other and to those around us. What I am saying is that it is not enough to just have a job or just to be busy with a wife and with kids, or with what is our own sense of what's important. There are others who are in much more need than our selves. What we did was to take an unprecedented commitment on our being. We will give a two to three hour commitment to the Salvation Army. We will share the joys of a raw vegan lifestyle. We will share the joy of being responsible. We will share the joys of taking control of our lives. This is the manner in which I left Michelle, who on my next visit, I will speak, in silent exhilaration, of beginning to see that vision.

It is my promise to the City of Philadelphia that things will never be the same. As I speak of the Salvation Army, I speak of three others contacts that all live in Philadelphia all making the same promise. I speak of Mamakesha((I hope I got the right spelling) who came to my store for learning, for assistance, for sharing her wisdom about the raw lifestyle. I speak of Joel, who also wants to open up a Raw lifestyle center in Northeast Philly. I speak of Michelle who will be speaking this month at my store who will be giving classes in Center city. I speak of Eric who will be giving classes in Mount Airy. I am speaking over and over on what I see on a daily basis. I speak of hundreds of people are stepping out of their comfort zone and making their voices known for a better tomorrow. I speak of the ideal of love, of sharing of peace and of harmony. I speak of one person by one changing their lifestyle and sharing it with others. In the end I speak of Marcia who I drove to see for our two hour interview.

We spoke of her illness which she has completely recovered from by simply by taking charge of her life. We spoke about her understanding of the medical field and its wisdom. We spoke of her mother who was given that choice, of what to do with her diagnosis. Marcia was in somewhat of a quandary. She wanted to do the right thing. She wanted to stand by her mother. She wanted nothing else but to do what is right for her mother and for herself. Each week, two or three times a week, Marcia would drive two hours to see her mother. Marcia, in the beginning was hoping for one of those miracle connections, that her mother would listen to her, and change her mind about how she would treat her serious diagnosis. Marcia had that understanding of what going through medical procedures, medical tests and medications can do to ones body.

Marcia knew because she went through it all herself. She was seriously ill for two years. The only thing that the medical community could offer was test medications, more tests, and more medications to offset the side effects. Not once was anything mentioned other than that. Not once was anything ever mentioned about changing one's lifestyle. Not once was anything ever mentioned about eating fruit and vegetables for building one's immune system. My friends, this is the secret for beating cancer and for beating any disease. The technical word is called immunology. A strong immune system is the best defense for beating disease. Marcia learned that the hard way, but she did learn. We were both are of that understanding that our bodies, most of all, need love and forgiveness and that we need to take responsibility for and to take charge of our health.

Marcia spoke of the day she went with her mother to the Medical Diagnostic Center for what the options were for being treated with this serious illness. It is at this point that I am literally at a stand still for words to say, and words to write. It is at this point that I am absolutely going bonkers. It is at this point that I feel Marcia's anxiety, Marcia's frustration, and Marcia's total integral core being tested at its utmost. It is at this point that I pray to God that my words are becoming clear and concise. It is because of the Diagnostic Center approach to Marcia's mother, it is because of the diagnostic answers to her serious condition, it is because of Marcia's mother acquiescing to her medical choices that you the reader must understand why I do what I do. It is why others like me are literally stepping up to the plate and leaving their comfort zone and doing what they can do to share the information of how changing your lifestyle with love and with forgiveness, with a new respect for what you put in your mouth, and a new respect on how our bodies are being mistreated continually can effect the very nature of our being that Marcia walked into this Center being greeted with all the candy you can eat for free as a token of being comforted for the serious choices that will be given to the patient. Marcia walked in with her mother and was greeted by the free cookies, free coffee and free soda to all clients. This is under the supervision of the same Medical Doctors who gave Marcia's mother her options of choices. The Medical community KNEW ONLY of JUNK FOOD as a way of providing comfort for their clients. They also ONLY KNEW of chemotherapy and radiation to treat Cancer. Marcia listened. Her mother listened. They listened on how chemotherapy works. They listened to how radiation works. They listened to all the side effects. They listened to the medication needed to offset the side effects. Marcia knew, and her mother knew. Each knew what to do. Marcia gave her mother all of the love she could, because it was her mother's choice. Her mother chose to take chemotherapy and radiation to fight her 4th stage of cancer. I thank you for your time.

Arnold