Most of us have at least one person in our family who has served in the military during wartime. These men and women live amongst us, some suffering more than others, some not suffering at all. As they age their sense of self worth comes into focus, and they struggle to explain themselves to younger family members. Talking about traumatic events experienced during war is stressful and exhausting. So the question is “Should we dredge up old painful memories? Are our grandfathers and fathers too old to heal?” Apparently Frazier Sheppard and Laverne Shimanek feel you are never too old to heal. Sheppard (US Army, Vietnam) and Shimanek (US Marine, Korea) are both veterans of war and now they r

Depressed. Overwhelmed. Internal voices blocking the outside world. Brian found it difficult to perform the most basic tasks. In 1991 at age 41, he had been in and out of acute psychiatric hospitals and non-supportive care homes. Brian was in Stockton, but his brother, Steve, was in Georgia and felt helpless. The long distance calls with depressing news knotted Steve’s stomach and created anxious moments. After flying to Stockton, Steve was able to assist his brother and effectively communicate, but once Steve flew back home to Georgia, Brian’s situation quickly deteriorated. But after years of mayhem, there finally was a PLAN! Planned Lifetime Assistance Network (PLAN), also referred t

Q: I dated my ex-boyfriend for nearly three years, but we kind of mutually decided that we didn't have a future, so we parted ways. We have stayed in touch and have no hard feelings toward each other. We have gone out a few times with mutual friends and we always have a good time. Occasionally he'll call me if he wants to talk to an old friend. Anyway, I have started seeing someone new, who I really like, but he doesn't like the fact that I am friends with my ex. I want to stay friends with my ex, but I really like the guy I am with now. Is it wrong for me to want to stay friends with my ex? Or does my new boyfriend have a point? A: I see this situation a lot and I think the answer is alm

Have you ever had that eerie feeling that you’ve been there, done that? Me too! When I woke up this morning, I started rummaging through my closet, not really knowing what I was looking for, and had a ah-ha moment as soon as I saw my old Magic 8 Ball. Don’t ask me why. I just did. Like I’d done this all before. You know, like I was psychic or something. Because I was still feeling a little strange, I then did the darndest thing! I told my wife, Ruth, we were heading to the Berkeley Psychic Institute Fair in Sacramento. You’re not going to believe her response. She said, “I know, silly, you’ve been talking about it all week in your sleep.” Really? And I thought I’d never even heard of the

SACRAMENTO – Mayor Kevin Johnson insists Sacramento’s popular Second Saturday art walk is alive and well, and this month includes a different kind of gallery to tour: a medical building. “For anyone who thinks Second Saturday is dead, it’s not,” the mayor said during a press conference Tuesday for the grand opening of the Sutter Capitol Pavilion at 2725 Capitol Ave. “Sutter is opening up its new medical facility to the public for Second Saturday in order to showcase its art installation and the local artists who created the pieces.” The public open house is billed as “Art & Medicine” and will feature tours of the artwork installed throughout the medical office building and outpatient ser

Want to try yoga but just can't afford it? Yoga teachers had you in mind when they formed the Yoga Seed Collective. Sacramento's newest yoga studio opened Saturday to bring yoga to a larger audience. The collective takes donations of whatever each person can afford. "I love it," said Sarah Wolfe, a 25-year-old freelance makeup artist, after taking a yoga class Monday morning. "You can relax and have a settled mind knowing you don't have to break the bank to be here." The collective was formed by three yoga teachers: Sara Johnson, Zack Pasillas and Erin Reschke, who now make up the volunteer board of directors. Pasillas was already offering donation-only yoga classes at the Tahoe Park

Occasionally in life you meet someone who has developed such an incredible gift it makes you want to tell everyone else about that person. That is what happened when I ventured into the Sunrise Natural Foods store in Roseville with my girlfriend and she introduced me to a friend of hers that works there. His name is Alden Okie and he is the epitome of  the kind of person people need to see and ask advice of when they enter a natural food health store. Alden, a very distinguished looking man in his 50's, is also a very humble and gentle man who probably never sees himself as a superman. But to the people who have come to know and trust his advice, he is a super man to them. I remember the

In my previous article, "Susan Stream: Beginnings of a Healer," Stream discusses how it felt to have "visions" as a very young child (you can read that article by clicking the Storyline tab to the right). This segment continues her story, and explains how she came to the Japanese healing art of Reiki. The biggest turning point for Stream occurred 16 years ago, after she had finished her own product line that she continues to sell at Mt. Shasta Naturals. While on her way to play golf with a friend who had gout in his big toe, Stream says that she knew she was going to hear about it all day long, so she brought some of her workout recovery formula - a specially-created blend of essential o