As the days grow shorter, building to winter solstice, I have always found it rewarding and comforting to reflect on all the amazing events of the year passing and focus my attention on those things that I am grateful for. I downloaded the “Gratitude”application from iTunes and have been keeping a somewhat sporadic record of things I am grateful for. As the holidays rapidly approach I reflect on the following:

Gratitude for my health and for the love of my life, Denis Leclerc. I am grateful for our wonderful home nestled into a now golden yellow orchard garden environment. I’m sitting outside in 80 degree weather writing beneath our old mulberry tree that casts an enchanted glow on my work. It’s such a gift to be tuned into a tree that I have lived beneath for over 20 years, watching him change from season to season. Newcomers to the desert say there are no seasons in Arizona, but they manifest in ways often subtle and quickly passing. I am grateful for a life that allows me the time to observe these changes.

Gratitude for my burgeoning urban farm with fruit trees, herb spirals and 3 happy hens that make our breakfast. We often share our eggs with the neighbors and now 5 more homes on the street have chickens. It’s been really rewarding to pass along what I’ve learned about sustainable living and desert gardening to groups of ASU students, Phoenix Permaculture Guild members and Herb’n Organics customers.

Gratitude for the growth of Herb’n Organics and the wonderful community of customers who have supported us the past 2 plus years. Candice and I started with a commitment to ourselves to bring the amazing products she developed to market in a sustainable manner. It hasn’t been easy, there’ve been myriad challenges along the way, but through a down economy and against the odds, we’re still here…and we’re growing! And we wouldn’t breathing so easily without the incredible support of the Go Green Deliveries family! We are deeply grateful for Mary, Christy, and Randy for having our backs.

We have been truly blessed in having an amazing team of talented individuals who believe in us and have contributed significantly to our creation, survival and growth:
Tim Wong for his amazing graphic skills and youthful sense of wonder,
Mark Ahn, longtime friend and videographer-photographer extraordinaire,
Ryan Wood for website management and reassuring conversations,
Jackie Ince for design and printing oversight above and beyond the call of duty,
And Sharon Kreiger for her creative marketing concepts and her unwavering commitment to our success.

Thanks to all in our community who are working diligently towards a sustainable bright ‘green’ future, supporting local businesses and investing in their neighbors!

Peace at all and to all a Happy New Year!
Diann