Fall 2013, Issue #73: Editor’s Note

Dear readers,

Welcome to our fall issue. After two years of LILIPOH’s being translated into Chinese, I received my first hard copy of the edition. It was so beautiful! I have never been to China, but I hope to go someday, and I look forward to a continued relationship with our team in Beijing. We share some snapshots of what LILIPOH looks like when translated into Mandarin on the last page of this issue.

Our mission is service-oriented, and we hope the articles in each issue serve you well by giving new tools to be more balanced, creative, healthy, generous, and successful. I credit our authors with continually asking us to step outside of our boxes and stretch our thinking and belief systems, myself included.

Our authors challenge us to think bigger thoughts, and be open to new ideas, which is an exercise in spiritual development. The more we know, the more we think we know. When we become certain of the way things are, our ideas become fixed; and oftentimes this translates into judgment and established thought patterns of why things won’t work, or why new ideas cannot be applied to a challenging situation. This can close us off to new growth, creative ideas, change, and chances for improvement.

Recently, my daughter embarked on a bicycle trip, 600 miles down the Pacific coast. She is 19 years old, and she was going to be traveling alone. Many people shook their heads in concern and told me that I should not let her go (as if I had a choice), because they were certain she would be at risk in so many ways. When I too questioned whether or not this adventure was going to be such a good idea, my daughter said, “Mom, I refuse to go through life believing that the world is a place to be afraid of.” So, how did it turn out? Along the way, she met a father and son who made her a fajita dinner at the campground, and left a scone on her bike seat for breakfast. Then there was the French family who couldn’t speak English, but promptly helped her set up camp. The KOA campground where all the campers joined together for an ice cream social and watched a movie projected on the side of a building, under the stars; the Italians who rode along with her, singing loudly; the u-pick blueberry farm; and on and on. Each day she traveled produced a story that became a testament to the richness of community and friendliness that is alive and well in our country.

This experience turned out to be a chance for me to exercise open-mindedness, and for me to overcome my limitations and beliefs. It felt good to know that I can change, and that there is always something new to be discovered. And I hope that this issue will do the same for you!

Christy Korrow, Editor