I am sort of at a loss for words right now. I have nothing really to discuss with you. The news is full of talk about how many shopping days ‘till Christmas, which is not something I enjoy partaking in...so sorry, no good bargains to share...though in my opinion the best gifts are free (love, friendship and family—sunshine). The news is also full of all kinds of horrible, evil things going on that I refuse to address.  It’s one of the reasons I do not normally watch televised news.

I mention this because I think we sometimes take for grated that the things which matter most, come from the heart.  Usually, major holidays are spent with my mom.  She and I would go out to dinner or in this economy, just the two of us eating in. But this year we decided to invite some friends over and let me tell you what a different dynamic it was. So different...so much more vibrant and happy than just the two of us sitting and staring at one another; and those who came by for dinner or dessert were happy to be invited. One of our guests would have otherwise spent the day alone, eating hot dogs.

Holidays are slightly difficult for me; I cannot recall the last time I shared a holiday with my entire family.  It has been years, and much to my dismay, those years will continue to add up. We live in different parts of the country thus making it hard to be together. But we always at least call one another, though the distance has definitely affected our family dynamic over the years. I hope if you have the luxury of being with loved ones during these two big holiday months, you treasure every second.

If you know of someone who may be spending these holidays alone, please, adopt him or her for the day.  If you don’t know of anyone...ask around and open your door to a friend of a friend, a co-worker; an elderly person who may otherwise be alone, or, perhaps a college student who cannot make it home. We call them strays...

Something else that is free: our new indie music podcast, Stick This in Your Ear. In fact, I am listening to it [again] as I type this. There are some really talented bands out there. We are so fortunate to be able to feature them and share their talents with you...so if you have yet to check it out...go to the menu, click on podcast and it’ll be up front and center. And our apologies for the “listen now” icon being so small—it came with the software and we are trying to remedy this issue.

We are open to any and all genres, though this time, it is mostly rock bands. And yes, we are seeking musicians to feature in future podcasts; submission information can be found in the podcast section, as well as at our preferred submission method, Sonicbids.com.

I also hope you take some time to read our articles this month (hey, they are free too—so no excuses). I was blessed to meet Liza Perla-Reidel from Step it Up Recovery Center, in person, while visiting the facility with a friend. She is so dedicated. Everyone there works so hard...and so do the clients. I watched one of them during her session...it is incredible what is going on there.

Christine Collins, from Pay it Forward Farm, is amazing and inspirational. I had been referred to her by Stephanie Stewart of BusinessHelpingBusiness fame when looking for Green businesses...she told me about Christine’s lawn care company but when I found out about her organic Pay it Forward Farm...I HAD to learn more. Christine and I had a wonderful, connective phone conversation one afternoon and we found that we have a lot in common and share goals and aspirations, both in life and in business.

This issue, we are being graced by the presence of the one and only, Diane Dunn. Check out “The Clutter Wars.” Charis, Rocio and Katina also have a lot to say or share this time around..so read on. 

The past month my life has been brimming with blessings. I can only pray that all of you are just as, or more, blessed. Abundance is absolutely a blessing so pay it forward as best you can, and let it come from your heart.

Thank you friends, readers, newcomers...enjoy this month’s issue of attribute magazine. It’s free. And, a quick plug of another project I am involved in (one of our featured CAUSES), please check out "Cause:You're Beautiful" (my contribution to further it is of course, contributing words). 

Warmest regards,

Stacey R. Louiso

Founding Editor

Photos by:  S. Louiso