Since my November newsletter topic will be The Power of Gratitude, I’m doing a mini blog about the subject today. Number one gratitude item: it’s Friday afternoon, and I’m looking forward to the weekend. The weather is getting all misty and foggy and mysterious…only nine days til Halloween! Everyone knows black cats on Halloween are good luck AND they have nine lives.
Now, isn’t that a coincidence! And I’m grateful that Brenda Hinton introduced me last week to one of our real life angels at Living Light. Someone who has taken time out from a busy life to come to our school and volunteer her time in our school kitchen, and of course learn oodles of interesting things in the process! 
We’ve had many wonderful angels in the 5 1/2 years I’ve been at Living Light. Koali Pontual Thorne is not only an amazing kitchen angel, but a terrific photographer as well. She’s doing a series on Facebook called My Life as an Angel, and I highly recommend that you friend her on Facebook to see the amazing photos she is taking in our kitchen. I’m absolutely blown away by them. Thank you Koali, for documenting your experience here at Living Light. No one else has done it in quite the insightful and artistic way that you have, and I’m grateful that you decided to join us here to share your multitude of talents.
At left is a collage Koali did about one of our famous dishes, Linguine Parody with Pine Nut and Cashew Truffle Cream. Super delicious looking as well as tasting! I’m grateful that each angel who comes here brings individual gifts that we couldn’t have imagined before we met them. And our students, too, each bring with them amazing talents and life stories. We’re very lucky to attract such wonderful people here on the rugged Mendocino coast–a little oasis all it’s own.
And I’m grateful that our pastry chef, Meagan Ricks came back after just a couple of months being away. We just love her sweet smile and winning ways, not to mention her sweet treats! And during the holiday season we will have our rightfully famous Pumpkin Pie with Cashew Cream available at Living Light Cafe!
Yes, I had the express pleasure of sharing my “angel” time at Living Light with Koali and I have to say it was truly heavenly. Such a beautiful, rich soul and so talented. I am so grateful for the opportunity.
[…] Here at Living Light, I won’t say that everything is always easy or completely stress free, but I will say, that over time we are learning better and better ways to cooperate and support each other, and the more successful we become at nurturing each other as a Living Light family, the more our potential power to transform lives is translated to our students. Like I said, we are a microcosm of what is possible in the world around us, and for that I am grateful. […]