In these last few chapters of the book, we see CeeCee break open in many ways.  As she collapses from the pain she has carried for so long, she also begins her healing process.  She witnesses adults being imperfect and fighting like children and then walking away as friends.  She learns that even though she may look like her mother, she will never become her mother.  She makes a friend who is her own age – a first for CeeCee.  And for the very first time, CeeCee feels proud of herself.  In breaking open the pain, she also breaks open her heart.

Were there any parts of this book that resonated with you strongly?  Were you able to see yourself in CeeCee in any way?  Tell us what you loved most about this book.

I also invite you to make suggestions for our Summer Book Club selection, which will kick off in June.

Until then, Happy Reading!

Mothers teach us all a variety of lessons throughout the course of our lives and we truly enjoyed reading all of the touching memories that you have shared with your mothers. In fact, we loved reading their words of wisdom so much that not only are we giving our grand prize winner (2) Spa Day Admission Passes and (2) $50 Glen Ivy gift cards, we’re also giving 10 lucky runner-up entries (2) Mid-Week Spa Day Admission Passes!

And the winners are……..

Grand Prize Winner:

“Life is all about love. Life is all about finding peace with every decision you make. Life is about enjoying yourself,” my mother always tells me. And now, as I tell my mother that I am about to become a mother myself, I realize how important these lessons are. Life can be stressful, but I have learned that how we treat ourselves and others has the biggest effect of all. I can’t wait to share these life lessons with my own children.” — Carrie P.

Runner-Up Winners:

“All I have to thank for my success in doing art in college is what my mother always told me when I wanted something but could not afford it. To clothes or decorations, to food out or home goods she would say “We can do (make) that.” She taught me to believe I can make anything, even if most of my attempts failed to replicate the item, but we often found we made something unique together. This saved our family money and instilled creativity and determination within me that I am ever grateful for.” — Sorelle F.

“Making something out of nothing is the most precious things my mom installed in me. Making an ordinary day something to cherish and remember simply by going the long way home, stopping for a picnic of strawberries, and smelling the flowers. No matter who you are, no matter what you have, you can make the most of the moment simply by perceiving it a little bit differently. This is Glen Ivy to us… A magical place that is more than just pools and vistas… An experience that transcends the ordinary.” — Dana W.

“Approaching my first Mother’s Day without my mom I’ve been using one of the best lessons she taught me to help me shoulder my grief.  My mother, who died last year at the age of 66 from early onset Alzheimer’s disease, taught me the lesson of doing small things well.  Making the bed in the morning, washing the dishes, watering the plants… Each small task, done well, giving that little feeling of having accomplished something, and giving the strength to go on to another and another task until I’ve make it through the day. For this, I am forever grateful.” – Jennifer D. 

“My mom taught me that my inner voice is more important to listen to than any other.  The more you listen to that voice in the quiet of the morning, the more peaceful you will be throughout the day.  When things get tough and times are hard, it only takes a few deep breaths to find that voice again.  It is always there for you if you take time to hear it.  My voice calms me, centers my thoughts, and guides me to being a better person for myself and my family.  Thank you, Mom.” — Kelly & Rachel

“My mother always said education is the key to success. Knowledge is powerful and no one can take it away but it can take you far. She always supported me in my educational goal as she came from a very “Machista” background and women were not allow to get a higher education degrees. She was right! My divorce and division of assets could not take away my college diplomas. I am an independent woman that can take on life’s challenges. I will continue to excel as I recently got admitted to a USC graduate program. Thanks mom!” — Yadi C.

“Life lesson: Believe in the beauty of your dreams! My mother was the first to graduate college in her family and she was a single mother of three children. She sacrificed everything for us and she emphasized the power that education brings. My brothers are both in college and I am completing grad school, a true testament to her work. She suffered a stroke a few years ago and during this time she also lost her job. She did not let that these events deter her, she worked hard to get healthy and is now also in grad school!” — Bethany H.

“Before starting 1st grade at a new school, my mom told me: “Smile at everyone, whoever smiles back – that’s who you will be friends with.” Her advice worked that first day of school and it still serves me today. I find that smiling at everyone not only brightens other people’s day, but it truly puts me in a better mood too. It’s become a motto of mine and has helped me to keep a bright and optimistic perspective growing up. My mother is a wise woman with a beautiful smile, and a big heart.” — Krysten S.

“My mother taught me that anything is possible in life. If you want it you need to earn it and keep it. Life is about making mistakes and moving forward but also striving to be better and feeling that your life is well worth earning and having fun for. Keep doing the best you can and you will succeed!” — Jennifer C.

The most important life lesson my mom has taught me is to “be you”.  She always taught me never to compare myself to others or try to be anyone but myself.  This lesson has helped me so much during my first two years in college, where you are pressured to be someone different.  I have always been true to myself and never letting other influence me because I can always hear my mom’s voice saying “BE YOU!”  I will teach this to my children because why be someone else when you can be yourself? — Katie F.

“My mom taught me a lesson that is not unique but should be within all of us. To always give back. She is someone who puts others before herself. That was her later husband (my dad) when he was sick, helping out older people and still doing what she can for me and my daughter. She is someone who is truly amazing and special in my life and others that she meets.” — Stephanie P.

Thank you to everyone who submitted an entry. We will be contacting all winners via email and will send you your prize. From all us here at Glen Ivy, we wish all of you a memorable, meaningful and enjoyable Mother’s Day weekend. 

Each week we see CeeCee become more comfortable with her surroundings and her new friends and family.  The realities of a “normal” life begin to occur, with all of their complexities and subtleties.  CeeCee is confronted with racism, not once but twice; first, through the attack on Tybee Island and secondly, (and more humorously), when she meets Sapphire.  In reading this section, I couldn’t help but think that CeeCee’s reaction to the racial overtones of both interactions was subdued.  I thought it a reminder that children don’t develop racist tendencies unless they are taught to.

We also see that as CeeCee becomes more relaxed and settled into her new home, the memories of life with her mother begin to emerge.  CeeCee now has the security and support to deal with these issues.  CeeCee has been afraid to think or talk about her mother; I wondered if Oletta’s advice at the start of chapter 16 in someway helped her gain the courage to begin dealing with the pain that she was carrying:

Every time you give in to your fears, you’re lettin’ that man win.  And every time you do that, he gets stronger while you get weaker.  Givin’ in to your fears will rob you blind.  You’ll end up a prisoner to that man for the rest of your life.

CeeCee sees in Oletta a strength and peace that she would like to possess herself.  One of my favorite lines from the book illustrates this:

Deep down I had the feeling that Oletta most likely knew all that was worth knowing, not in book-learning ways, but in the ways that really mattered, ways that let you hum songs during the day and sleep peacefully at night.

Wouldn’t we all like to have enough peace to allow us to hum songs during the day and sleep peacefully at night?

I look forward to reading your thoughts on this week’s chapters.

—Seraphina Ashe
Director of Guest Experience Programming
Glen Ivy Hot Springs

Essential oils have been used for thousands of years to help to promote clean, clear, and youthful skin.  The nutrients and proteins in essential oils help to maintain the “mattress-like” bounce and stimulate growth of new, healthy cells. Essential oils can also help to stimulate blood circulation of blood, which helps to oxygenate the cells, thus allowing for regeneration.  Additionally, some essential oils contain hormonal-like qualities which encourage a firm and youthful appearance.

As you read through the following tips on using essential oils for the skin, remember the following:

• You can use any one of these oils or you can combine them to make your own custom blend.
• Use essential oils in a bath or as a face & body oil.
• Allow at least thirty days to see a difference in the condition of your skin.

Method:

• Mix 10 to 15 drops of the essential oil or essential oil combination of your choice with a Tablespoon of carrier oil.
• Apply the oil mixture sparingly to the face and allow it to penetrate overnight.
• For the body, massage the essential oil blend into skin, then soak in a warm bath while massaging the skin with a soft bath mitt.

Base Oils:

• Nut oils such as almond oil, hazelnut oil
• Pitted Fruit oils such as apricot kernel oil, avocado oil

Essential Oils for All Skin Types:

• Evening primrose
• Borage seed
• Carrot
• Jojoba

To Promote Youthful Looking Skin:

• Skin Over 20 – Neroli, lavender, fennel, chamomile, geranium, carrot.
• Skin Over 30 – Patchouli, palma rosa, clary-sage, fennel, rose hydrosol, carrot, borage seed, jojoba.
• Skin Over 40 – Neroli, lavender, Frankincense, rosemary, fennel, lemon, carrot, evening primrose.
• Skin over 50 – Rose hydrosol, neroli, lavender, myrrh, carrot, boise de rose, borage seed, evening primrose.

To Balance Skin:

• Chamomile, geranium, lavender, rose hydrosol, neroli, Palma rose, lemon, fennel,  jasmine hydrosol, Bois de rose, frankincense, benzoic.

For Normal Skin :

• Chamomile, sandalwood, Boise de rose, patchouli, rose hydrosol, lavender, hyssop, benzoic, calendula, geranium, Palma rosa, rosemary, neroli.

For Oily Skin:

• Chamomile, juniper, Palma rosa, lemon, lime, orange, Frankincense, lavender, geranium, cypress, marjoram, rosemary, Ylang-ylang, rose hydrosol.

For the Lips:

• Mix 6 to 8 drops of any of these essential oils in your hand and dab onto lips.
• Geranium, lavender, chamomile, palma rosa, carrot, lemon, rose hydrosol.

These oils are mild enough to be used without a base oil, especially if used with carrot oil and/or Palma rosa oil.

To Make Your Own Astringent:

1 oz witch hazel
1 oz rose hydrosol or orange flower hydrosol
1 tsp cider vinegar
2 drops juniper oil
1 drop lime oil
1 drop grapefruit oil

Combine all ingredients in a clean jar or bottle and apply to the face using a cotton round.

Please note: Some of the suggested oils are photo-sensitizers. Angelica and cold pressed citrus oils should not be used on the skin within 12 hours of exposure to sunlight or ultraviolet light. If you choose to use one of these oils on your face, please use it only at night.

Before using essential oils for skin care, always test the oils on a small patch of skin to be sure there will be no reaction or irritation.  Always check with your doctor before using essential oils on skin with a chronic condition such as eczema, psoriasis or dermatitis.

Saturday, May 05
Throughout the Day

We are excited to welcome Carolina Elias for her first visit to Glen Ivy Hot Springs, Corona, for a Trunk Show of her beautiful handcrafted jewelry.

“I have been making jewelry since I was a young girl, and I started Lovepray Jewelry in January 2011. I grew up in different places, Mexico, US, France, which shows a bit in the style of my jewelry… its earthy, eclectic and bohemian. I started this line of jewelry when I had my son, my life became very active. I needed trendy, fashionable pieces, that were also earth friendly, comfortable and that I could wear everyday, that were perfect for the active lifestyle.”

“The name Lovepray comes from the words love and pray in one word, both have a positive connotation. Love is a part of everything, and pray refers in part to the malas that we make, many of our pieces are 108 bead malas, and their main purpose is for prayer and meditation. However, it mainly refers to the positive thoughts that we have while constructing the jewelry itself, it is a type of mantra.”
In short, Lovepray jewelry is a jewelry line for hip men and women inspired by nature, the metaphysical properties of gemstones, nature, yoga, meditation, and urban fashion. Every piece is carefully hand made with earth friendly materials, good intention, and positive energy, thus creating unique pieces for the wearer to enjoy.

Do you enjoy fresh juice? Juicing with fresh, organic fruit and produce is a popular way to incorporate healthful nutrients into your balanced diet. Chef Bill now serves fresh juice daily at Glen Ivy Hot Springs and shares one of his favorite recipes, the Carrot Pineapple Spatini – a perfect summer refreshment!

Yield: 6 – 6 ounce servings

Ingredients
6 carrots
1 ounce fresh ginger root
8 ounces pineapple juice
4 ounces orange juice

Method
Wash and juice carrots.
Blend the ginger with a portion of the juice and add. It must be well blended, as to break down all the fiber so if the fiber is too tough, strain.
Place all of the ingredients in a pitcher and serve alone or with ice.

Nutritional information, per 6 ounce serving:
96 calories, trace fat
30450 units Vitamin A
31 mg. Vitamin C
1 mg Vitamin B1 Thiamine
511 mg Potassium
45 mg Vitamin B9 Folacin

Imagine waking in the morning to sound of the neighbor milking the cow whose milk you will be drinking for breakfast. Stay in bed a little longer and listen to the chop chop chop as someone in the kitchen shreds fresh coconut for one of the curry meals of the day. As you dress know that you are one of many twisting a sari to fit comfortably around your female curves, or if you are a man simply wrapping a cotton cloth around your waist, then, washing in a simple basin as your appetite peaks in anticipation of breakfast. After a meal of rice dosas the community may go to work or it may be a day of celebration, starting with prayer and ending with music dance, yes and more food.

This is the way life is lived in many parts of southern India. Life has a rhythm, a pace, a style that is shared. Recently I was reminded of what we all know, that this steady, predictable pace in community with others is in itself is healing, rebalancing, revitalizing on a deep, deep level. Though exotic travels are not available to many these days, the healing qualities of a distant retreat can be created here, close to enough for us to make a short visit, yet long enough for us to reset our clock, slow our pace and connect again with the life of the natural world that is always around us but too often in the background in our busy lives.

The goal of our retreat at Glen Ivy is to create just this, the space, time, opportunity and information for each of our guests to reconnect with each of the five elements and experience the beauty of people seeking natural community:

• The cool weight and powerful cleansing of the earth

• The relaxing flow of the warm waters

• The illumination and energy of fire from the sun

• The gift of the breeze as it delivers refreshment and aroma

• And space and time to unwind, settle, here your inner voice and appreciate your gifts

We will sit together, eat together, learn and experience together referencing in all our discussions the beautiful qualities of each of the elements. As we reacquaint ourselves with the elements and the connections between the elements we will discover in them our own strengths and our unique challenges. Lectures, handouts group discussions and the mud, water, sunshine, fresh air and time together at Glen Ivy will help us design a new path, one that works with our personal needs and moves us toward our personal goals for total well-being. Working with diet, meditation, exercise and the wisdom traditions of east we will set a new rhythm and pace that will help keep us better connected, more in tune with the nature around us and our nature inside us.

-Melanie Sachs

In this week’s reading we get to see CeeCee enjoying a little mischief and adventure.  After so many years of living in a state of constant shame, despair, and constant alert I wondered how these new experiences might feel to her.  While the incident with Miz Hobbs was surely scary for CeeCee, she also got to see people reacting to it with a bit of humor.  How different this must have been in comparison with the many incidents with her mother.

We also see the unexpected return of CeeCee’s father in these chapters.  Why do you think he decided to show up unannounced?  CeeCee is not happy to see her father; do you think that she will ever be able to forgive him?  Is he worthy of receiving her forgiveness?

I look forward to reading your thoughts on how CeeCee’s life is changing and unfolding.

Until next week, Happy Reading!

—Seraphina Ashe
Director of Guest Experience Programming
Glen Ivy Hot Springs

In 100 words or less, share a lesson that your mom instilled in you that you are especially grateful for.

Please email your entry to contest@glenivy.com before Tuesday, May 8 to be entered for a chance to win (2) $50 Glen Ivy Gift Cards & (2) Glen Ivy Admission Passes!
We will announce the winner on  Wednesday, May 9.

“Look at a day when you are supremely satisfied at the end. It’s not a day when you lounge around doing nothing; it’s when you’ve had everything to do, and you’ve done it.” -Margaret Thatcher

My 5 year old nephew was visiting from New Jersey last week, and we were chatting one evening while I made dinner. At one point, he looked at a big bowl of lemons I had sitting on the counter, and said to me in his wise little kindergarten voice, “You could make lemonade out of those lemons.”

Wow! At five years old, my little buddha nephew has already figured out one of the keys to a happy life.

Turning lemons into lemonade is a life lesson we’ve all used to navigate the chronic stress and anxiety that often greets us in the morning when the alarm clock sounds. But I’ve made homemade lemonade before, and I know that it doesn’t taste good if it’s overly sweet. Add too much sugar, and you end up with a syrupy slurry minus that zing of great citrus flavor. Fresh squeezed lemonade tastes best when it has some POP! That tart edginess that makes you smack your lips when you reach the bottom of the glass.

Most of us would agree that a life well lived is like that. Sure, we love to cast stress as the villain. If only things would run more smoothly with no big surprises, we’d be happier and more content.

But let’s be honest. We really aren’t happy unless we’re living slightly on the edge–just a tad bit out of our comfort zone. Tackling big projects at work, challenging ourselves with new experiences, or overcoming unforeseen obstacles are things that motivate us and give us an opportunity to become our best selves.

Stress, for better or worse, gives life the zest! pop! and ping! that makes us feel alive and engaged in the world.

The problem is, stress can also kill. Managed poorly, it can follow us through our days zapping our energy, robbing us of sleep, and leaving us feeling anxious and overwhelmed. It is one of the biggest reasons why we turn to unhealthy behaviors like overeating, skipping the gym, or zoning out in front of bad reality TV (yes, that last one is me).

So, let’s get back to the lemonade.

We don’t always have a choice about how much “sour” creeps into our lives. But countless studies suggest that making healthy choices in the way we eat, breathe and move our way through adversity can help us not only manage, but truly embrace this unpredictable, imperfect life of ours. It’s like stocking the pantry shelves with plenty of sugar, so that we’re ready for the big day when the lemon tree out back comes into bloom.

Here are my favorite strategies for striking just the right balance between “sweet” and “sour:”

Eat: We all know that this is our “go to” coping strategy when things get a little out of hand. Eating gives us something to do and can be comforting when we are feeling overwhelmed. But eating the wrong things, or eating too much, never turns out good. Recently, I heard an intuitive eating expert share the importance of making all foods “equally accessible.” She suggested making stress busting foods like calming teas and cut up fruits and veggies just as easy grab as the cookies and caffeine sitting around the house. Make these foods your first stop, and then if you need something more, allow yourself a small indulgence.

Breathe: Breathing and meditation are proven ways to ease the uncomfortable thoughts and feelings that accompany stress. But many people, myself included, are not natural meditators. Start by choosing an activity you do often throughout the day–for me it’s driving the car or working on the computer. Each time you do this activity, take three or four deep cleansing breaths. This simple practice encourages the breath to be the calming influence you turn to when you feel your anxiety level rising.

Move: Make time to move. Even a brisk walk can ease anxious feelings or boost your energy when you’re feeling down. And while 10 minutes of light activity is a valid prescription for stress reduction, a workout that pushes you to sweat and challenge your limits can get the feel good hormones flowing and give you a powerful sense of accomplishment at the end.

As Margaret Thatcher says, we feel most satisfied with life when our head hits the pillow at the end of a busy day, and we have a story or two to tell about how we got through it. But like those fresh lemons sitting in the bowl on my counter, that crazy busy life of yours needs balance. Taking care of yourself by making healthy food choices, learning to breathe through stress, and moving your body on a regular basis will all help to make your life–lemons and all–that much sweeter.

Meg Root is an ACE certified Advanced Health and Fitness Specialist with over 25 years in the fitness and spa industry.